I finished my treatments in June '07. I had my teeth checked before treatments and my dentist said I should be ok to go ahead with the radiation/chemo without needing any prior dental work.
Well, a month and a half ago I needed a small surface cavity filled on the outside of one of my lower molars. Other than a little soreness, I experienced no problems with it until...about three weeks ago I was chewing some gum and all of a sudden the back half of that same tooth just broke off!
I went back to my dentist and he said it would be best to try and save the tooth instead of pulling it, but he wouldn't touch it. Instead, he referred me to a specialist (endodontist).
Today I saw the endodontist and he told me that he would do the root canal but that I would have to take antibiotics prior to the procedure and after the procedure. He also said that if the root canal doesn't "take", then I would probably need HBO treatments and may need a referral to an oral surgeon to pull the tooth.
I'm sure some of you may have experienced this complex journey involving dental care, but this is a first for me. I am just very scared that I will not only lose my teeth, but that I will end up with all the serious problems that come with it concerning the jaw bone, etc.
Sorry for the long story, but I just felt the need to express my concerns and was hoping that some of you could share your experiences and insight.
DR. MIKE...HELP!!!

Good morning x28007 When I was first told I had the C word my radiation sent me back to my dentist to have teeth removed that wee bad. He pulled all but four. I came on here this morning to find an answer to one of my questions. My dentist told me that after the radiation I could not have the four removed for a long time because it would cause me medical problems. Howere the Radiation totally destroyed those four teeth and I am in constant pain and was wondering how long I wouold have to wait to have them removed. maybe we will both get an answer. Good luck. Keep me posted on what they decide what to do about your problem. I hope you are able to keep your teeth. My gums are shrinking as well as my jaws and it hurts. i am calling my dentist to see what I need to do. I know I didn't answer your question but as I said maybe we both will get an answer. Brenda

My story is similar to both of yours. Went to dentist prior to rad. After rad teeth werent good. Mine are all loose and uncomfortable. Anyway, Ive been doing HBO. I had alot of jaw pain daily which is now completely gone. Ive done 43 dives with 7 more to go. Most docs/dentists will tell you that you need 20 dives before dental work and 10 after. HBO is a breeze compared to any of the other treatents Ive had. It has worked wonders for me and I cant say enough good things about it. Thats coming for a skeptic of any unorthodox treatment. HBO is very expensive and most insurances will have to preapprove it.

There is a lengthy post about HBO on the forum, check that out too. Hope that helps you both.

I just started my rad Txs yesterday and I had a lot of dental questions...I always do. My teeth were checked by my Dentist and he said all was good. I also had a second opinion by a Periodontist that is familiar with rad Txs double-check...all was good. My main concern is what would happen if I need dental work down the road. My Radiologist told me if that happens make sure you see someone who knows about radiation and OC. And to have that Doctor call him and they would discuss the procedures to take. My Radiologist said most likely HBO txs before and after dental work. He also told me I will have to maintain excellent oral hygiene for the rest of my life. I was also told if I ever have a filling or any other kind of dental work that I should get new fluoride trays made in order to fit properly. I also asked what would happen if I start loosing my teeth 30 yrs down the road...he said I can't answer that because by that time medicine will be different. Good luck...we all need it.

I'll try to adress all of your questions.

You don't mention if you are using fluoride. This is important of the future health of your teeeth.

You also didn't mention if your dentist thought that the tooth fracturing had anything to do with your radiation. Many teeth break in people that have never had radiation. I sometimes see 2 or 3 people a day that have this happen. It just may be coincidental.

It is not unusal for a dentist to prescribe antibiotics before, during and after endodontic treatment. Again it has nothing to do with why the treatment is needed. The endodontist's recommendation that you would need HBO treatment if the tooth needs extraction is right on the money. This is to prevent you from having a healing problem after the extraction. The problem is called osteoradionecrosis (ORN)and you can search this site for more information on it.

There are many people here that have kept all their teeth during and after treatment. Diligent homecare, fluoride applications and frequent visits to your dentist will help you keep them. The fact that your teeth were healthy before treatmetn, gives you a good chance of keeping them if you follow all the rules.

Jerry

What is HBO? My husband will soon be seeing a different dentist regarding his teeth.

Ken's wife

even i want to know what is HBO

HBO = Hyperbaric Oxygen treatments.

I started using my trays 1 month before radiation; I used them almost every day during Tx and I have used them every day post Tx now for OVER, emphasis on OVER, 2 years. I just recently had a very small cavity, first one in maybe 20 years, filled and I had no issues whatsoever. My dentist of 25 years says my teeth look as good now as they ever have so I'm naturally a advocate of continuing good dental hygiene.

I worried about my teeth when they started to fall out for no reason and break off. Now I am not saying I don't miss having them, but the Drs took them for rad seed implants, radiation and chemo treatments. I sure hope you can keep your teeth and enjoy eating like a normal person. I hope noone else in here has to lose theirs. It's hard to live not eating chewable food and there is no daylight in site for when I can get dentures. Good luck and I pray ypou keep thos teeth.

Jerry,
Thanks for your reply.

Other than flouride toothpaste, I am not using any other flouride. I plan on requesting the flouride trays from my dentist when I see him in a few weeks though. I wonder why my dentist never suggested the flouride trays? Anyway, do the flouride trays need to be custom made? The ones they use in the dentist office are not custom, so I was just wondering.

As far as the broken tooth...neither dentist said that the fracture was caused by the radiation. Personally I think it was because the tooth may have cracked when my dentist filled it a few weeks prior to the fracture, but we can't know for sure.