Just a thought--as a 'muso', you're probably even more conscious of your mouth than most people--that doesn't mean I'm minimizing ANYONE'S pain--haven't had rad, for me it's just the gaping hole in my jaw where the nerve is exposed.
I'm up, yet again, at 4a.m. as searing chest pain won't let me lie down and sleep. Have just had 'session' with my relaxation CD, which has helped some, and my nurse is encouraging me to go for a Fentanyl patch to keep the pain to a minimum, and has told me there will be no limit to the amount of morphine I can take--that it's not a matter of addiction, cancer patients NEED to have the pain controlled.
My favourite med for sending the men with knives to sleep for a while is Oragel Max--20% benzocaine, which means I can eat--but I do dribble a lot!!
Brenda