We are so confused about dental care. My husbands treatment ended July 3, we were never told about fluoride trays or prescription fluoride toothpaste and in October I found this website, so I started inquiring of his Drs about it. They were clueless and our insurance has denied a referral to a oncologist dentist. So he went to his regular dentist and he just cleaned his teeth and gave him some prescription fluoride toothpaste to use at night. Has anyone else encountered this problem and how important are fluoride trays. Is there research info on this that we could show our Dr's? We are in Oklahoma, US. We thought we were being treated at a top cancer center in OK, but now we wonder?

You cant go back and change what has already been done. Its rare that a patient does rads without having dental flouride trays. Here are some links to the main OCF pages where they discuss dental issues. There are other links within these pages that may also help. You may also want to go thru the NCI Guidelines and see if anything is written there.

Pre Treatment Dental

Dental Professionals

I had heard of dental trays, prescription fluoride prior to my radiation in 2011, and went to a regular dentist who said he'll take care of me. I had one or two extractions, a root canal and two fillings, and was given chlohexidine mouth rinse. I was fine with this, having a very bad experience from chemo a year earlier, so I didn't push, didnt really know better or really want high doses of fluoride hearing it causes cancer, plus my near death experience with other drugs/chemo I had at a top NYC CCC before that, so I never went back to them, and formed my own team of doctors, radiation and medical oncologist, Dentist, etc. A year after radiation, my teeth started to deminerlize, two years out most are cracked, broken, down to the gum line. I'm back to another CCC, seeing the dental oncologist for teeth removal, hyperbaric chamber. It may have happened anyway, as the chemo had caused worse dry mouth, mucocitis than radiation did, so may have been compromised already, but in retrospect, I wish I did go to a dental oncologist, gitten the dental trays, prescription fluoride.

You still can get dental trays, prescription fluoride, as some doctors start after Treatment, some before. There is also remineralization paste you can get from a dentist to help with demineralization, white spots no teeth.

Good luck.

My regular dentist SEVEN YEARS AGO told me I had to have fluoride trays and he made them and I started using them 1 month pre Tx and continued almost every nite until 5 years POST Tx. I had no teeth or gum issues pre Tx and I have had none since.

Agree with David. I got the same advice and now nearly 5 years out I'm using them every night. I also get my teeth cleaned every 4 months. No problems.

I had inquired about the trays with my dentist and he recommended a fluoride rinse to be used twice a day along with brushing/flossing etc.

I had an extraction prior as well as a deep cleaning. Now, I go every three months for a cleaning (we'll go to every 4 months after a year). So far, 7 months post Tx, no issues.

Positive thoughts and prayers

"T"