Hi All
Finished chemo in June 06 and since then I ahve had lots of problems with my teeth breaking . I have had 3 new crowns!! Does anyone know if chemo permanently weakens your teeth? Anyhone had similar?
Love to all
ALise
Alise,
I haven’t had chemo, but I have definitely heard of this happening, American women I know have had dental treatment repaid (because of their insurance system) on the grounds that the chemo caused the problems.
Lyn
Never connected the two but my teeth went to pot after chemo.A couple of them broke and I also had two fillings fall out!
I had several fillings and a couple of extractions following my chemo. My dentist said it was because the chemo dries up the saliva which means your teeth aren’t constantly getting cleaned like they usually are. A couple of years on, though, my teeth are now fine. There was a thread on this topic a while ago and we were all pushing for free dental treatment following chemo!
Hi - Yes I had a terrible time with mine - extraction, crown, several fillings…
I have written of to various people in parliment, health authority etc. to try and start things moving for free dental treatment for a year after chemo - after all you get it if you have a baby. My treatment cost me £100’s which was tough after being on sick for a year. I used to have really good teeth.
Jacqui
I thought it was my age!! I have had two broken teeth, 3 fillings fallen out and a crown that refuses to stay attached and has come out three times since my chemo finished a year ago. I am starting with a new crown - root canal - in two weeks. As with everyone else it has cost me a fortune!
Yep, me too.
Five broken teeth after FEC four and a half year’s ago.
Some more problems after six cycles of Taxotere recently, but not so bad.
Wish I’d been warned…
X
S
Yes.
I have had a tooth abcess, two teeth removed two new crowns and several new fillings in the last 6 months. Finished chemo/rads in May 2008. My dentist confirmed that all my problems were due to chemo.
I think we should have free dental treatment for 12 months after treatment has finished.
Jan
x
Hi,I finished treatment last June and have had 2 teeth break so they had to be treated and 1 extraction soon after I now have had toothache over the last few days and went to the dentist yesterday to find another back tooth is loose and is being extracted on Tuesday after a small course of antibiotics for infection.
Lol jackie x
I finished chemo Jan 2006 and two months later one tooth dropped out !!! without any warning and then a month later ANOTHER tooth dropped out.
Following my earlier posting I went to the dentist yesterday for root canal prior to the new crown. After a while drilling the root the dentist gave up due to a very narrow root and had to pull the tooth out - now waiting for it to heal before bridge work - another £350!!
However, whilst I was there I mentioned the problems we all seem to be having but he was unaware of any effects of chemo drugs on teeth. He did say though that when under periods of stress people subconciously clench their teeth and, unless your jaws are perfectly aligned, the pressure applied is so strong it can crack roots, plates and teeth and cause fillings to drop out. I know I regularly woke up in the morning feeling I had been biting hard all night. Maybe this could be the cause?
Jo
I’m sure clenching your teeth could contribute, but I have read on another website that dry mouth caused by chemo can contribute to tooth decay, just like my dentist told me. The suggestion on this website was to use special rinses, to stop this happening, but nobody told me at the time!
Gwyn