Hi there again OCF good people,

I'm so glad Thanksgiving is over. We have sugar overload!!!!

After my husband's neck dissection on October 13, the recommendation was radiation. The preparations included seeing a dentist and placing a peg tube.

On Monday December 1st, my husband will have all his teeth removed.
His gums are receding, and periodontitis was a concern.

Has anyone out there tried dentures or implants?
Is there an advantage of one over the other?

Monday is coming up pretty fast.

Blessings,

Not many have been successful with implants. Many have had issues after radiation making for it to be too risky. Be very cautious with implants! Ask the OS what the effects of radiation have on the jawbone and if it will interfere with getting implants.

There are some specific predatory things they can do with tooth extraction, just in case your husband is a candidate for implants down the road. It will be many months, if not a year before teeth issues can be addressed.

Thanks for your comments Christine and Uptown.
I will make sure to ask the OS and to factor in the time.
Patty

My husband finished treatment in late 2007. He eventually lost almost all of his teeth due to ongoing radiation effects. He did get some special bone growth material that was injected via a surgical procedure about 3 years ago (to build up bone under his gums) and he had HBO treatments after that. He now has some implants that hold a permanent appliance/bridge. This just got completed after years of working on it at Hopkins. We're really not sure it was worth it or if bone necrosis will continue. But so far its working so it that continues it will be wonderful as he can now eat most things. But it was costly and time consuming and frustrating with lots of setbacks. I agree with Christine and Uptown that you need to wait to see how things go.

Thanks Sophie.
Time will tell.