 Patient Advocate (old timer, 2000 posts)
Joined: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,552 | Sabrina,
you should be using a baby's toothbrush toothbrush at this stage if you are not using one already. The radiation beats the gums up pretty badly so the softest toothbrush you can get makes a lot of sense. The adult soft brushes are very stiff compared to a baby's toothbrush.
I had to forgo flouride for a while also when things were just too raw and destroyed. Make sure that your flouride treatment is pH neutral.
If your pain is that great, you may need to employ a swish & spit like "pink magic" before attempting dental care (which has morphine in it).
Gary Allsebrook
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Dx 11/22/02, SCC, 6 x 3 cm Polypoid tumor, rt tonsil, Stage III/IVA, T3N0M0 G1/2
Tx 1/28/03 - 3/19/03, Cisplatin ct x2, IMRT, bilateral, with boost, x35(69.96Gy)
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"You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes" (James 4:14 NIV)
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