Cancer

Three Good Reasons to See A Dentist BEFORE Cancer Treatment

1. Feel Better - your cancer treatment may be easier if you work with your dentist and hygienist. Make sure you have a pretreatment dental checkup.
2. Save Teeth and Bones - a dentist will help protect your mouth, teeth, and jaw bones from damage caused by radiation and chemotherapy. Children also need special protection for the growing teeth and facial bones.
3. Fight Cancer - doctors may have to delay or stop your cancer treatment because of problems in your mouth. To fight cancer best, your cancer care team should include a dentist.

How Does Chemotherapy Affect the Mouth?

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to treat cancer. These drugs kill cancer cells, but they may also harm normal cells, including cells in the mouth. Side effects include problems with your teeth, gums, and the glands that make saliva. The side effects can hurt and make it hard to eat, talk, and swallow. You are more likely to get an infection, which can be dangerous when you are receiving cancer treatment. If the side effects are bad, you may not be able to keep up with your cancer treatment. Your doctor may need to cut back on your cancer treatment or even stop it. 

You may have certain side effects in your mouth from chemotherapy. The problems depend on the chemotherapy drugs and how your body reacts to them. These side effects can include: painful mouth and gums, dry mouth, burning, peeling, or swelling tongue, infection, and change in taste. 

Protecting Your Mouth During Cancer Treatment

• Brush your teeth - and tongue - gently with an extra-soft toothbrush. If your mouth is very sore, soften the bristles in warm water. Brush after every meal and at bedtime. 
• Floss once a day to remove plaque. If your gums bleed and hurt, avoid the areas that are bleeding or sore, but keep flossing your other teeth.
• Rinse often with water. Don't use mouthwashes with alcohol in them. Use a saliva substitute to help moisten your mouth. (Click here for more information on dry mouth)
• Choose soft, easy-to-chew foods. Protect your mouth from spicy, sour, citrus, or crunchy foods. Choose lukewarm foods and drinks instead of hot or icy-cold. Take small bites of food, chew slowly, and sip liquids with your meals. Soften your food with gravy, sauces, broth, yogurt, or other liquids. Avoid alcoholic drinks.
• Ask your cancer care team to help you stop smoking or chewing tobacco. People who quit smoking or chewing tobacco have fewer mouth problems. 

Tips For Mouth Problems

• Sore Mouth, Sore Throat - to help keep your mouth clean, rinse often with 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/8 teaspoon of salt in 1 cup of warm water. Follow with a plain water rinse. Ask your cancer care team about medicines that can help with the pain. 
• Dry Mouth - Rinse your mouth often with water, use sugar-free gum or candy (such as Xylitol), and talk to your dentist about saliva substitutes.
• Infections - call your cancer care team right away if you see a sore, swelling, bleeding, or a sticky, white film in your mouth.
• Eating Problems - your cancer care team can help by giving you medicines to numb the pain from mouth sores and showing you how to choose foods that are easy to swallow. 
• Bleeding - If your gums bleed or hurt, avoid flossing the areas that are bleeding or sore, but keep flossing other teeth. Soften the bristles of your toothbrush in warm water. 
• Stiffness in Chewing Muscles - three times a day, open and close your mouth as far as you can without pain. Repeat 20 times.
• Vomiting - Rinse your mouth after vomiting with 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda in 1 cup of warm water. 
• Cavities - Brush your teeth after meals and before bedtime. Your dentist might have you put fluoride on your teeth to prevent cavities.