Having just read the booklet given to me by my BCN re chemo I read the bit about possible gum problems with concern and then a little voice whispered in my head that it had heard somewhere that your teeth can fall out during chemo. As someone who has had awful teeth and gums since having her first child 20 years ago and has more plastic and metal than ivory along with gum disease (have an appointment with the Bristol Dental Hospital soon to see what they can do for me) the thought that my pitiful teeth might fall out along with my hair is not something I wish to entertain. They may be horrid but they are mine kinda thing.
My teeth and gums have given me grief all the way through FEC. Some of the chemos basically make your mucous membranes oversensitive and as such I’ve had to switch to a gentle aloe vera based toothpaste (one of the few things I will be continuing to use as it’s so great) and a soft bristled toothbrush, even with these changes if I brush even a teeny bit too hard my gums bleed and mothwash can be too harsh.
I also found that I got pretty bad nerve pain for a few days (right now in fact) if I touch a couple of my teeth which have always been a little sensitive.
So I’ve adapted by brushing gently and not touching those teeth, but they’re all still intact and not wobbling. I haven’t heard of teeth falling out but to be honest that’s one of those questions I would have forgetten to ask on purpose if you know what I mean
So I strongly recommend an aloe vera based toothpaste and a soft bristled brush. The tooth paste I use is called Aloe Dent and my fiance loves it too as he’s had sensitive gums since we both quit smoking at the start of the year (all that lovely oxygen finally traveling to your gums again has side effects too it seems).
I am off to the dentist on Tuesday to get some work done before the chemo (I had the misfortune of having a tooth crack and filing fall out whilst attempting healthy eating in hospital - I broke my tooth on a pumpkin seed!) and I may be brave enough to ask whether my teeth might fall out!!!
I was supposed to be having a back top double tooth out, before i knew i had to have chemo,cancelled appointment until treatment finishes,wish i hadnt now,got looser and is reallly bugging me,ended up in hospital other week,with neutropenia sepsis,and cystitis,tried getting my tooth sorted before i came out,but they didnt want to know,phoned my dentist and earliest my dentist can do it ia 22nd oct,so got to put up with it till then now,its almost hanging out,but think 1 of roots goes round a corner,and just cant pull it out.also a bit scared in case it bleeds as you have to be careful about bleeding when on chemo,really should have had it out before chemo started,as i am at risk of ending up in hospital again now with ,infected gums,stupid me take care Val x
I am a dental hygienist at a teaching hospital and often see people who are undergoing chemo or have anti rejection drugs for transplants etc. Chemo itself wont cause teeth to fall out. However, as we all know, chemo lowers the white blood cells, so immunity is impaired. So, if there if there is any plaque left on the tooth and inflammation occurs, the results will be far more dramatic in someone immuno-compromised. This in turn, could lead to gum disease and tooth loss. As plaque is the trigger for gum disease/tooth loss, excellent oral hygiene is a must. The best preventative measure is to keep your teeth as clean as you can with a soft toothbrush and toothpaste and use floss etc to clean in between teeth. . Like Angie says, the aloe vera toothpaste is very mild, although I believe it doesnt contain fluoride (?)which is very beneficial in preventing decay. Your gums are far more likely to bleed when brushing if they are inflamed because of bacterial inflammation rather than the effects of chemo. (Gosh, this sounds like the spiel I give my patients - sorry!!)
It is not the chemo but it is the Zometa they give you to help the bone growth. For some reason Zometa causes problems with the jaw bone which in turn shrinks and can leave teeth wobbly, this can also allow infections to start.
They have had to take my wife off Zometa and may have to stop the FEC ( she has had 9 straigt sessions ) She had an xray this week and they confirmed that it was the effect of the Zometa. As she has a slight infection in one of the wobbly teeth they are trying antibiotics to sort it out as extraction is the last option with a damaged jaw bone.
Hope that helps
hi i found to that my teeth were very loose when i was on chemo ,previous to having fec id had a dental check up and all was well ,after chemo ive had to have several teeth removed .as they were very loose as my gums had shrunk . have always had regular check ups on my teeth ,so i know this was the cause ,also oncologist warned about having any treatments whist on chemo due to infection risk . there is so much conflicting messages concerning this ,but i know from experience this is what happend to me .found using a baby toothbrush helped as very soft and as i had terrible blisters on my mouth had to have a special mouthwash given to me at the oncology unit . lynn x
I too have had dental problmes. One of my fillings fell out in the afternoon follwing my chemo-shortly followed by part of the remaining tooth chipping off, so I’m having it extracted on Tuesday.Gums too have been tender, as has my tongue, which has felt at times as if it’s been burned all over (and you know how bad it feels when even the ip of your tongue gets burned!). Not too sure if the tooth would chipped anyway-it’s possible that it would have done-but seem to recall that the enamel can weaken while on chemo?
Thanks for all your comments, am off to see the Dentist tomorrow and it seems not a moment too soon!! And I thought hair loss would be my biggest challenge with chemo!!! Given my dental history I think the next few months are going to be hell for my mouth!! Think I may have to give up the fags again! I had cut down to 1 a day for 2 weeks prior to my op and given up for 10 days after my op to give my new boob the best chance but now think that in order to minimise the mouth hell I am going to have to bin them again!
I am on Zometa and there is a risk re jaw problems but it is a small one and not everyone who is on Zometa experiences these problems.
I am also on chemo (have been constantly for the past 2 years) and had to undergo some dental treatment a couple of months ago. I have been aware of the risk of infection when having dental treatment so contacted my oncologist to ask if I should take antibiotics as a cover and the answer was yes. So I took them for 24 hours prior to going to the dentist (which has been 3 times since June as the filling was in an awkward place but now seems to have worked!) and have had no problems.
