Firstly many thanks for all the kind comments and messages after yesterday’s post. I find it impossible to keep cheerful and positive all the time. Sometimes you just have to take a day off and yesterday was definitely one of those days!
So onto today and the dreaded visit to the Dentist. I should probably explain first that radiotherapy to the head and neck can cause a lot of dental problems. Last April before treatment started I was sent for a thorough inspection and assessment. At that time I was xrayed and I had a fluoride coating applied to my teeth. I also had a deep clean under the gumline. It was not a pleasant experience but is apparently essential because any dodgy looking teeth need identifying and extracting before treatment starts. This is because there is a rare but nasty sounding condition called Osteoradionecrosis which can occur after radiotherapy and one of the things that can start it off is dental extractions.
I was very lucky last April as all my teeth were considered OK. I think it helped that I had the assessment done by my own Dentist and not by the one at the Hospital. I had heard that the Hospital Dentist was very enthusiastic about removing teeth. After a traumatic experience in my youth concerning the removal of my impacted wisdom teeth I was keen to preserve my teeth if at all possible.
So today I was back for the Dentist and Hygienist to see how my teeth have fared during treatment. The Dentist was pleased with my teeth but the Hygienist was not so pleased with my gums. I have always looked after my dental health with a strict cleaning regime and regular trips to the Hygienist. Unfortunately I wasn’t allowed the same standard of cleaning during chemotherapy, and I’ve not been able to visit the Hygienist for 9 months. So problems were inevitable.
I won’t give you all the gory details about what was done to me this afternoon. They call it scraping & flushing of periodontal pockets. I call it torture. Let’s just say it was worse than a session on the RT table or in the chemo ward. The pain was bad enough and then they present you with the bill. I’ve never been able to find an NHS Hygienist in my area so I have to pay for private treatment. I am told treatment has to be repeated every 3 months because if the gums deteriorate further then I will be at danger of future extractions.
It wasn’t all bad. The Hygienist was very kind and sympathetic and gave me some free samples from their store cupboard. And she told me which of my dental products are available on prescription and where to buy the rest cheaply on the internet, so she has saved me quite a bit of money for which I am very grateful. She even let me feed the tropical fish which is apparently a treat reserved for extra special clients!
