I am wondering if any of you have had radiation too soon after tooth extraction which has left you with exposed jaw bone? This is a very painful condition which requires my husband to take strong narcotics. He's been through 2 surgeries and hyperbaric treatments to aid healing but nothing has taken care of the problem. He hurts all of the time. (Is now 13 mo. from end of radiation.)Is it possible that this will ever cease? Or will he have to remain on narcotics forever? Won't they lose their effect after a while? (Think it's already happening.) Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

mawalton, My husband didn't have any tooth extractions but he does have a spot at the right base of the tongue where they did both surgery and apparently extra radiation. The tissue is not healing there. He is going to start hyperbaric oxygen therapy in a week. This is different than your situation though. What have your doctors said about it? Have they offered any solutions? That would be really rough to go that long without a solution in hand. I wish you luck in finding an answer. Connie.

Mawalton,

My mom is about 17 months from the end of radiation and has a similar situation exposed jawbone. It only now that it is really starting to heal up and her pain is finally subsiding and she doesn't have to take painkillers anymore. Its been a long rough road but maybe there will be an end to the pain soon for your husband. My moms ENT would not offer her any HBO treatments or anything just let her know that these things take time to heal.

I'm hoping things get better for your husband really soon.

Dani

I weent into radiation two weeks after dental surgery (16 rear teeth removed) and had no prlbems from the dental surgery. I however, still had exposed jawbone in two places on the inside of my mouth where my surgeon had done biopsies 8 weeks earlier. Needles to say, these did notheal during radiation or for many months afterward. Although they were not painful, they kept growing little bone spurs which my surgeon would scrape off every two weeks or so. I had no HBO treatments, but is wasn't until they were finally able to clear up my rampant case of thrush, that the tissue on the jawbone finally grew back, about 6 months later. They also put me in Zinc, Vit C, a multivitamin and diet high in Protein.

Don't know if any of that helps, but if bone spurs are a problem, you need to have them removed, else as fast as it heals, it opens up again. I'd also check for thrush.

Tahe care,
Eileen