Hello Justins Mom,
What kind of cancer did Justin have??? I had Right lympnoid cancer with my right tonsil as a primary source. I had 35 rad treatments,to my neck and lower mouth area so I lost my saliva and taste buds.But may doctor said that my left side of my jaw was not radiated as mush as my right ,which meant my saliva would be coming back soon. I was told roughly 4 months for my taste buds to return and up to a year for saliva.Well 2 weeks ago I was driving down the road and all of a sudden I was noticing enough liqid in my mouth to spit(excuse my term) but it meant alot to me.I was ahead of schedule. I was so happy I was telling everyone!!. It had been over 3 months that my mouth had not created any moisture. So my doctor was right. I am still dry and carry a bottle but I tell you any moisture is welcomed.It is enough moisture to help me eat alittle easier and sleep better at night.I still wake up with dry mouth but not as bad. So to answer your question about saliva it depends on where and how heavy you were dosed. In my case I was very lucky.....
hope this is some help...this is a great web site for info and I am glad I have found it. I wish I would have known about it when I was going through treatment because I had a milion questions...good luck