hi everyone,
i need to go to the dentist, my front tooth has split straight up the middle and fallen off,
it is very sensitive,
i am due my last tax of 6 on friday, my bloods were ok today when i visited my onc,
would it be advisable to go to the dentist tomorrow, (infections etc)
Any help and advice gratefully received liz xx
Hi Liz, I’d give your chemo suite a ring tomorrow, and ask their advice, just to be on the safe side!
Luv, Shelley xx
Hi Liz,
I had to go a couple of weeks ago because of a broken tooth. My dentist told me that chemo increases tooth decay, partly due to the lack of saliva. Quite a few of us on here seem to have broken a tooth recently!
The chemo unit told me on no account was I to have any invasive work done and my dentist said the same, so no injections, invasive drilling, extractions etc. until after I’ve finished radiotherapy (as that weakens the bones in the treated area and is a bit close to the face).
I had to take a copy of my blood counts with me to the dentist so she could check it first. If it hadn’t been good enough on the morning I was going, the chemo nurses said I couldn’t have gone.
In the end she was able to smooth off the sharp edge and put a temporary filling over the top that will last for a couple of months until I’ve finished rads. and can get it fixed properly.
Good luck, but do call your chemo unit first and see what they say.
Jane xxx
Hi Liz
clearly you need some treatment. Ring your dentist and explain and also ring your oncology team. Although they prefer no invasive treatment if it’s essential they may say to have antibiotic cover. You may need that regardless depending on what’s wrong with the tooth.
You are at a good point in the cycle at the moment although of course it’s not ideal with another treatment due Friday.
You need proper medical and dental advice on this one.
Hope you get it sorted out okay. Elinda x
Hi Liz I needed to visit dentist as had an infection in gum but onc said to wait 4 weeks after last treatment and advised gp do bloods prior to visit. Spoke to dentist and he wouldn’t do any treatment until i had the bloods done but gave antibiotics
Hi
I didn’t need chemo but I have a tooth which needs to come out; my dentist doesn’t want to extract until 3 months after end of rads as she doesn’t want to risk an infection whilst immune system not 100%.
I just hope my temporary tooth holds out for another 5 weeks; but dental pain is getting worse.
Must be time for next lot of paracetamol!
Take Care
Lynne
Hi ladies,
well I took on board all your comments and advice, I went to the dentist, he already knew about my treatment, I had a check up just before I started chemo,
he put an inlay which had already been prepared for me into a cavity at the bottom, so that was ok,
he managed to attach a temp filling onto the front tooth,
all without any invasive drilling, filling etc,
hopefully that will hold out, the dentist did say the chemo had taken its toll on my teeth,
another thing to say thank you to tax for,
but on the plus side if its doing what its doing in a good way as well as a bad way (if that makes sense) so be it,
thanks ladies, all the very best to you all, liz xxx
so happy yr dentist sorted it for you for the time being with out any problems , i havent even start my chemo yet and was at my dentist last week all she would do is clean my teeth for me , i have a small chip in one crown and she said she wouldnt even start on that untill after chemo and rads were over
mazxx
Glad to hear you managed to get a good temporary solution to this. One of my front teeth was stained by the taxotere and its permanent, so shows it reaches all parts! Elinda x
Oh dear, seems I’m not the only one with tooth problems 
One of my back teeth broke today, am hoping I can get an emergency appointment on Tuesday. Have also got to get an impacted wisdom tooth on the other side of my mouth sorted out. It had been happily sitting under my gum for years not causing problems but then I had chemo and it pushed through the gum where I had some ulcers. Dentist says I need to have it out in hospital under a general anaesthetic Really, really don’t want to do this. Am hoping I can hold on and not get an infection around it.
Wishing everyone a pain free weekend.
Gill x
e too with tooth problems. can FEC affect teeth as well as TAX as I didn’t have that. went to my dentist 2 weeks ago with awful toothache in a back tooth. he checked for infection but couldn’t find any, so he’s taken out all the old filling (the tooth was held together with filling!) and put a dressing in. I go on Wed to have a new filling in. I don’t want to have the tooth out as I will have to go into hospital as I’m on Bisphosphanates. never ends does it?
Carol
Hello
It seems a lot of us have had teeth problems on chemo (me included) and I was wondering if anyone was told prior to chemo that it could cause dental issues?
On my last tax I ended up with an abscess under a back molar and in the end I had to have to tooth out - v upset about this :o(…In my case the abscess was under a filled root canal so does anyone know if having a root canal filling makes you more vulnerable to infection in that tooth? It’s just that I had no other problems with any other teeth. My situation is also complicated in that(unknown to me) there was broken dental instrument left in the root canal filling…anyway, so I would like to hear from anyone else who’s got root canal fillings and had FEC-T and what their experiences have been??
Many Thanks
xxx
I wasn’t warned about the increased tooth decay when on chemo but I wish I had been. I know some poeple were told and were able to go for a check up and have work done first but I only found out on here later. TBH everything happened so quickly after my op that I don’t think I’d have had time and I probably wouldn’t have wanted to delay my chemo to get dental work done anyway.
I have three root canal fillings but my problems so far haven’t been with those. I’ve had FEC-T and have had my last Tax today so we’ll see what happens!
Jane xxx
Hi all, i also wasn,t aware of increased tooth decay whilst on chemo. I have made an appointment with dentist and hygenist for check and clean. All the leaflets advise you to but it would of been nice to have a little heads up from the proffesionals. I can only hope this will be enough as my chemo starts wk monday. wish i,d known sooner. x
Hi I had not been made aware that chemo could cause dental probs either. I did have routine check ups throughtout my BC treatment Neither Onc nor dentist said not to. Now 11 months after last chemo I have lost 2 large fillings ( in fact the teeth were held together by fillings) so now I need these crowned. Luckily it is not invasive as I am on biphosphonates.Hope you all get successful and as painless as poss dental treatment J xx
Here,s a question for you all . If chemo can increase tooth decay, and the visits to the dentist for repair and care increase, does it mean as oncology patients we can recieve reduced fee or subsidised dental treatment. I know if you are on benefits all treatment is paid for by the state, but alot of people ,like myself i am sure, are not and have to pay. x
hi givli,
you can get free prescriptions, so i should think this applies to the dentist,
give your dentist a ring and ask, nothing to lose, its so expensive for dental work may as well take advantage of it if you can…
love liz xxxx
Hi elizabethtracey
you could be right . have got script exempt. will ask my dentist nxt wednesday. will keep you all posted, as you say its worth a try.
xx
Hi, sorry but I have just been to the dentist to have a tooth out before chemo starts and I was told there are no exemptions for people with cancer. I did, however, get my mouthwash on prescription so that was free.
I think it it daft that pregnant women get free treatment but we dont.
Yes I was told the same as Lynny and unless you are in receipt of certain benefits you do not get any exemptions. I had been given mouthwash by hosp pharmacist at chemo suite. J xx