Start my chemo in 9 hours and cant sleep with worry. I havent been able to see my dentist before I start treatment as he has been on his holidays but know that I have 2 teeth that need to come out and are badly decayed. Also my gums are not in the best condition and i wear a partial denture.
I am terrified that I will get ulcers, infection etc and also that I will get tooth ache that will need attention during my couce of treatment.
Has anyone else been in the same situation or does anyone know whether I could still have dental treatment once I start Chemo ?
Hi - i did manage a scale a clean first . I have suffered from thrush and ulcers each time , but not as bad since i got fluconazole from my doctor , i take 2 weeks out of the 3 . I try and floss and use mouthwash ase much as possible and clean my teath and tongue after each meal , not easy at times as it can make u gag . As far as i am aware we cannot get treatment during chemo . Try and not worry about it , do as much preventative as u cam and it will be fine
Hi there, I have awful dental problems and was able to be seen by the dentist and the hygienist before starting chemo, as I had heard you should not be treated by either during chemo.
I still ended up having toothache during cycle 4 of 6, intermittently in cycles 4 and 5, so went for assessment by dentist bewteen cycles 5 and 6. He couldn’t find evidence of definite infection, so went and discussed it with onc. He said “We just have to go ahead, if you have more problems we may have to bring you in for IV antibiotics”
Limped through to end of last cycle, then when it became clear that infection was there given oral antibiotics after full blood count checked to see enough white cells to fight it.
So overall, having checks didn’t stop me from having trouble, if you have a problem ask the chemo team, and they will work through with you what has to be done.
Use the mouthwashes they give you, ask advice about flossing, and I hope The Chemo Tooth Fairy looks after you!
PS It all settled down with antibiotic and no dental prods once I was over chemo.
Hi madge
Like you I started chemo before I could get into the dentist (I need two fillings) I asked my Onc if I could go ahead and he said NO.
I’ve now finished chemo (2 weeks ago)and have booked in at the dentist, but my hospital has asked that I go and get a blood test first to ensure my levels are OK
In the last fews days I’ve started with toothache - so I really want to get in, but first appt 23rd Aug. I will hopefully be having rads soon, so hope I can have fillings done even if I’m having radiotherapy
Thanks ladies.
Have had first chemo friday and just waiting to fell dreadful…so far, so good and nothing but abit of contollable nausia nad headach , i suspect from the cold cap !!
Will do all i can to avoid trouble, thanks for your advsise and will just keep fingers crossed, although my throat is sore at times so suspect i wont avoid mouth problems !!
Hope all is good with you ladies
xx
I can only advise you from my experience, and my dentist wouldnt touch my teeth whilst i was undergoing chemo,
i had ses from the chemo which gave me thrush and a very sore white mouth, but didnt get any ulcers or blisters, one of my teeth split in two, but he wouldnt do anything only put a temp filling in it,
extractions would be out of the question, far too much risk of introducing infection, and I think if you are neutropenic the chances are the bleeding would also be a problem something to do with the clotting,
as if there isnt enough to contend with hey, but off you go, you will be ok i am sure, if all else fails and you do get toothache they can give you very strong painkillers which may tide you over until you have finished your treatment best wishes Liz xx
My Onc insists that I have all dental treatment at the hospital now- but I am on chemo and Zometa (small danger for jaw issues emerging due to bisphosphates). I had an extraction in the middle of my non- chemo week with some antibiotics so make sure no problems arose as I needed it sorted quickly as root canal was infected and that does not help us to cope with chemo etc. Onc and dental doctor liaised over things and three weeks on am fully recovered and glad I got it sorted. Probably best to ask you Onc./ Best wishes
You can have some treatment as long as it’s really necessary and is non-invasive and you’ll need to check with your onc., get bloods done first and take the blood results with you to the dentist.
I broke a tooth half way through chemo that left a very sharp edge that was cutting my tongue so was an infection risk. My dentist was able to remove the sharp edge with the drill (just smoothing it off - nothing invasive and no injections but the tooth was dead anyway) and put a temporary filling over the top, which I’ve still got five months later. That was the limit of what she’d do during chemo or rads but it’s been fine since.
I really ought to go back now and have something permanent done!
My dentist also prescribed Fluorigard mouthwash to use daily to help to protect my teeth during chemo. You can buy it over the counter but as we get free prescriptions (you did know that, didn’t you? A lot of people don’t!) she did it that way to save me the money.
I hadn’t known about not having dental treatment during chemo before I started - I really wish I had and it’s the one area where I feel my treatment was lacking. My BCN, surgeon, onc. etc. have all been great but not one of them told me to go for a dental check up before treatment started.
I found my mouth sometimes got a bit dry, so I chew sugar-free gum quite a bit, just to stimulate the saliva. My dentist approves. I had a checkup and clean beforehand, and another checkup after chemo finished, used the mouthwash when my mouth felt “burnt” with the chemo, and was lucky to not get any dental problems. It’s not inevitable that you’ll have dental trouble, so keep up with good oral hygiene to give you enough to get through until you can get some serious dental work done.