Hi Gordon,
I received IMRT on both sides but the majority was directed to the tumor. I received the full lifetime dose of 70 gy. I had less radiation into healthy tissue. I feel that you were wise and fortunate to have IMRT available as a treatment option. The radiation oncologist told me that they were interested in many different areas, lymph nodes, etc. Like Brian said, they have enough experience to predict pretty well where the cancer is most likely to reoccur. My IMRT treatments consisted of a 45 minute session with a 9 axis treatment. The Multi Leaf Collimator (MLC) was changing shapes continually, shaping the beam.

I used cotton rolls to minimize the radiation side scatter off my gold crowns. I placed them on both sides of my teeth to protect the inside of my mouth and tongue from radiation burns. It wasn't perfect, I still had burns, but it did seem to help. I also tried teeth shields, which were much more convenient but didn't seem to work as well.

I was always able to swallow on the left side if I was careful. I had to make up some swallowing techniques to avoid the right side.

My teeth did get a little sensitive but that has pretty much returned to normal. They'll get that way from disuse also, like not eating solid foods for a while.

Did you have dental trays made for flouride treatments?