{"id":2264,"date":"2012-04-21T08:17:21","date_gmt":"2012-04-21T12:17:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hearthsidehome.wpengine.com\/?p=2264"},"modified":"2024-08-28T16:27:42","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T16:27:42","slug":"radiation-chemotherapy-effects-mouth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-guilford\/2012\/04\/21\/radiation-chemotherapy-effects-mouth\/","title":{"rendered":"Radiation & Chemotherapy – the Effects on Your Mouth"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written By:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Matthew Norman, DDS and Michelle Phillips, RDH<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

With the prevalence of cancer becoming more widespread, it is important to be aware of and know how to manage side effects that cancer treatment can cause in your mouth.\u00a0 Radiation and chemotherapy are two different types of treatments for cancer, but can have similar effects in the oral cavity.\u00a0 Radiation therapy and chemotherapy can cause cavities, mouth sores, oral infections, dry mouth, bleeding gums, and mouth pain\/soreness.\u00a0 Most symptoms are acute, meaning that they begin shortly after treatment begins and go away shortly after treatment ends.\u00a0 The symptoms can last indefinitely when there is direct treatment to the head and neck.<\/p>\n

Cancer cells are generally the fastest growing cells in the body and these rapidly dividing cells attack the healthy cells. \u00a0Chemotherapy works by killing all the rapidly growing cells in your body, while killing healthy cells at the same time.\u00a0 Radiation therapy is generally more site-specific, targeting the cancerous lesion but healthy cells are affected too.\u00a0 The cells lining the mouth are fast-growing, making it more likely for these cells to be damaged by the treatment.<\/p>\n

Dry mouth can arise from both radiation therapy and chemotherapy treatments.\u00a0 Dry mouth is typically the root to the other side effects associated with cancer treatments.\u00a0 When the gum tissue is dehydrated and very dry to the touch, any trauma (from a toothbrush, floss, or food) can not only cause your gums to bleed, but this trauma can also cause a mouth sores.\u00a0 Because your immune system is compromised while going through radiation and chemotherapy treatments, these areas heal at a slower rate.\u00a0 When the tissues in your mouth are really dry, it may even be painful to eat and swallow, which can create nutritional deficiencies.\u00a0 Your taste perception can also be altered by these treatments, which can compound the problem of malnourishment or dehydration.\u00a0 Dry mouth is a major instigator of rampant dental caries (or decay), especially on root surfaces of teeth.\u00a0 Saliva is very important in protecting our teeth from tooth decay\u2014there are certain enzymes present in our saliva to defend against the formation of dental caries.\u00a0 Saliva helps to wash the teeth clean to remove the plaque or food debris that may be present.<\/p>\n

Maintaining a healthy mouth is very important while going through radiation therapy and chemotherapy.\u00a0 There are several things that can be<\/p>\n

done to help keep your mouth healthy.\u00a0 To help keep the mouth moistened, you can suck on ice chips, sip water frequently, chew sugar-free candy and gum, or use saliva substitutes.\u00a0 You also want to be sure to keep your teeth and mouth as clean as possible.\u00a0 Using an extra-soft toothbrush and gentle flossing will be kinder to your gums.\u00a0 Try to keep away from foods with sharp edges, like chips, to avoid any scratching or trauma to the gum tissue.\u00a0 Additionally, hot and spicy foods may be uncomfortable if you\u2019re suffering from dry mouth, as it may cause a burning sensation.<\/p>\n

Fluoride exposure is especially important when undergoing cancer treatments.\u00a0 Fluoride helps to strengthen the teeth and prevent cavities, especially when a dry mouth is present.\u00a0 Fluoride-containing toothpaste and mouthrinses are critical throughout your treatment. \u00a0Fluoride varnish treatments should be applied at your regular dental hygiene appointments.\u00a0 If dental decay becomes a problem during your treatment, your Dentist may recommend making custom fluoride trays to allow for frequent fluoride treatments at home.\u00a0 If mouth sores become a problem, your Dentist can prescribe a rinse to help with the discomfort.\u00a0 This rinse contains a numbing agent (for pain), and an anti-fungal\/anti-bacteria component to speed up healing.<\/p>\n

It is extremely important to be examined by your Dentist to ensure your mouth is in a healthy condition before you begin your cancer treatment.\u00a0 As you undergo your cancer treatments, be aware of your mouth and the condition it is in.\u00a0 Keep in mind these tips which will help you to manage the possible symptoms that may arise while going through radiation therapy and chemotherapy.\u00a0 Continue your hygiene appointments with your Dental Office and don\u2019t hesitate to call if you have any problems.<\/p>\n

The office of Norman Dental is located at 2511 Oakcrest Avenue in Greensboro, NC 27410. Their phone number is 336-282-2120. Their website: Norman Dental<\/a> You can also visit and like them on Facebook: Facebook Norman Dental<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written By: Matthew Norman, DDS and Michelle Phillips, RDH \u00a0 With the prevalence of cancer becoming more widespread, it is important to be aware of and know how to manage side effects that cancer treatment can cause in your mouth.\u00a0 Radiation and chemotherapy are two different types of treatments for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[246,247,248,249,197,250,251,252,202,203,177,178,253,254,206],"class_list":["post-2264","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-1blog","tag-biotene-mouthwash","tag-chemotherapy","tag-dental-cavities","tag-dental-decay","tag-dry-mouth","tag-exposed-dental-roots","tag-fluoride-trays","tag-healthy-mouth","tag-matthew-norman-dds","tag-michelle-phillips-rdh","tag-norman-dental","tag-oral-health","tag-oral-infections","tag-radiation-treatments","tag-saliva"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-guilford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-guilford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-guilford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-guilford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-guilford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2264"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-guilford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2264\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-guilford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-guilford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2264"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstlighthomecare.com\/home-healthcare-guilford\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}