My husband had to have all of his removed, now they were in awful shape. No one would even see him for dentures until 6 wks after his treatments, due to the fact of the way his mouth would heal. Since he has got them he hates them, they dont fit right, even after several adjustments, and had terrible time eating with them..but then everyones situation is different. Good luck!

Bill,

Sorry to hear of your problems. Man this cancer just keeps giving and giving and giving.

Awe, we have it made don't we . LOL

On teeth removal it often seems like You're damned if you do, and damned if you don't. I was so relived when I got the all clear to keep my teeth prior to radiation, but now 8 months after TX, I have had one root canal on a lower molar and two crowns on the upper molars. Blue Cross/Blue shield while great on paying the quarter of a million for rad/chemo paid a grand total of $100 for all of that. all these teeth were in the radiation field (7200 cGY) Worse, yesterday the left wisdom tooth was diagnosed as not only cracked but with root damage and infection. Endo thought extraction but periodontist thinks too much risk of ORN (osteradionecrosis)even with HBO (Hyperbolic Oxygen Therapy). Anyway, please don't fault yourself or rethink those past decisions. No matter what you had chosen, the current "cure" for this cancer would give you problems. As bad as things feel now, if you had ORN, it'd be worse. I wish you only the best in the future.
tom

Yes, it depends on the state of your teeth whether they should be pulled or not. Basically, if there is any risk they could go bad and need to be pulled after radiation (even 10 or 15 years after), they should be pulled before. I had to have two pulled because I had periodontal disease just in that one spot and they were not in good shape. That has caused all sports of other problems in terms of my other teeth moving around and irritating the tongie and my cheeks. Since I have problems swallowing and can't eat normally anyway, sometimes I wish I'd had them all pulled! I spend so much time taking care of them and they cause nothing but irritation.

Nelie

I had to have my teeth all removed before rads and chemo was started, but that was after the neck dissection and partial tongue removal. Mine were pulled because of the rad seed impknats being to be put in my tongue VIA my chin. They said they would decay and rot from the implants . It's been 5 months since they left me, and it might be another yr before the Dr will approve my getting dentures. Good luck and i hope this helps and doesn't create a worry.

One problem with tooth extraction (and dental procedures in general) is cost.

I was told I needed to have all my teeth pulled before the doctor would start radiation. My insurance doesn't cover dental and there is/was no way I could afford sedation for the procedure, let alone the procedure itself. Oh, yes, also add on another month or so of waiting after I had them all pulled. The doctor simply said to give him a call when I came to my senses whn I sai I couldn't do what he asked.

The worst was that my doctor (whom I hate with a passion) spoke to a dentist concerning my dental health who hadn't seen me in over ten months. The dentist never called me to say he had spoken to the doctor or to even ask if I wanted to schedule an appointment to have him take -rays and see what was what.

Finally did find a sympathic dentist who said, no I didn't need all my teeth pulled, explained that only the bottom needed to go because bottom teeth were the ones that usually caused the most problems and then did it for free.

anne (who hates everyone and everything)

Actually, I don't see how someone can make a generalization that just the mandibular teeth need to go. The ones that absolutely need to go are any that are in a compromised condition, or there are low expectations of your ability to keep them free of periodontal disease, caries, etc. afterwards. Extractions after treatment have their own set of new unique issues. So arbitrarily taking out all the uppers or lowers makes little sense. It is taking out the ones that are already compromised from a periodontal standpoint, restorative standpoint (beyond salvage), or those which they feel may cause future problems - creating the necessity for extraction in the period after radiation.

I have just read your first three posts since coming here, and clearly you are frustrated, angry and more. While some of this is common to new patients, clearly the manner in which you deal with all this can make the experience, and interactions with your treatment team even worse. Many of us here have gone through counseling while in the process, taken antidepressants, and more. I hope that you are also getting a professional opinion, and trained person to listen to your emotional issues regarding all this. When someone comes here with the level of emotion that you express (I HATE my doctor, I hate everyone, and everything, etc.) it appears that you are not getting the emotional support that you need. Venting here is common, but venting is not a solution to the emotional issues. I was angry with my doctors as well, particularly those that missed my disease and allowed this to get into a late stage, but I also had the benefit of professional psychiatric counsel and eventually meds that kept that in balance. This is not an easy path, and dealing with issues besides the actual medical treatments (which in themselves can be overwhelming) is part of the process. Please seek out that ancillary professional support so that the emotional part of this is something that you can deal with.

My insurance wouldn'tay for the removal of my teeth until the Dr called them and sid that it was a medical necessity that they be removed. They payed for the removal then. They won't pay when I get dentures tho.

During surgery and prior to Chemotherapy and Radiotheapy in 2007 I had some "suspect teeth" removed, a couple of wisdom teeth and 1 crown. Both my dentist and the oncologist at the CC told me that my teeth and gums etc were very healthy and everything looked good and my mouth was ready for the treatment. Unfortunately, a short time after the r/therapy and following alot of pain and discomfort it was diagnosed that I had mandible Osteradionecrosis....

After loads more scans, xrays and 30 Hyperbaric "dives", in April this year I had no choice but had to have nearly all of my bottom jaw replaced with bone from my hip and as a result have had nearly all of my bottom teeth removed, only 3 molers remain.

So, in my case all the preparation still didn't save me from that nightmare and the now having to wait about 12 months after the surgery for my jaw to heal properly so as I can get teeth implants and another tongue reconstruction.

I still have a PEG tube and I can't wait to be able to eat some descent food again....

This forum has been a life saver for me and knowing that there are so many people who can relate to what I any going through is a huge help.

Karen