Fluoride is a must for the rest of your life after radiation treatments, and xerostomia. Check out the oral complications page in the dental section of the web site for more on radiation induced caries. This can be a serious problem, and it is related to the lack of saliva, not actually the radiation itself.

Without the enzymes and other protective agents in saliva, you are extremely susceptible to tooth decay. Fluoride is your best defense against it. Please note that tooth decay that gets bad enough to cause the loss of a tooth, is a more serious problem than losing that particular tooth. Radiated patients who lose teeth due to decay or periodontal disease (gum disease from poor hygiene) bear the risk of osteoradionecrosis. This can have dire consequences, and even cause a patient to eventually lose part of the mandible or maxilla if it gets out of hand.

Saliva contains hundreds of proteins and other chemicals with a wide array of properties. Among them:

* Mucins, proteins that make saliva stringy, protecting the teeth and gums and fighting bacteria. * Histatins, lactoferrin, lyzozyme and peroxidase, proteins that appear to fight bacteria and yeast. * Proline-rich proteins that allow large amounts of calcium phosphate to exist in our saliva--preventing our tooth enamel from dissolving. * Amylase, an enzyme that breaks starch into sugars and begins digestion of food before it reaches the stomach. * Chemicals such as epidermal growth factor and one called SLPI (or "slippy"') that aid in wound healing. * Hormones and drugs that reveal much about our physiology, making spit useful in crime and medicine.

You can see that without it, and it's decay preventative nature, fluoride becomes a necessity.

Brian, stage 4 oral cancer survivor. OCF Founder and Director. The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.