Teeth

It's his choice of course but would I risk it for one tooth?

I had to have one wisdom tooth out after RT. I got away with it but boy was I scared!

Remember, RT not only impacts the jawbone as it causes fibrosis but also can weaken teeth themselves particularly those in the line of fire. If his tooth is well away from the cancer then it will be safer

I had just such a discussion with my hospital dentist.  One molar with root canal.  As I had the tooth in front of that removed a couple of years ago and the wisdom tooth behind it many years ago.  I was not keen to have it removed to save the upper teeth dropping and needing dentures.  There was an indication of a residual infection (I certainly don't feel it) on the x-ray.

After a long discussion we decided that it could remain and the risk was relatively low and the benefits to me of leaving it more significant.  The hospital dentist said that if I ran into problems later there were still further options to deal with the tooth post RT.

It is all about risk and benefits.  Everyone has a different appetite and presentation, but I am keeping mine!

At my pre-treatment hospital dental assessment I didn't have to have any teeth removed, though I had root canal work on a molar a few years before. Now 13 months after treatment no problems so far. Not sure if that helps! Good luck to your FiL 

Hi Isabel I actually let the specialists dentist  decide to have what teeth out. I was going to get my teeth extracted at my dentist and was told by my surgeon to get the hospital to do the work which I did . I have since received treatment and have been offered implants but after future discussions last week with the dental specialist  it is deemed  risky  as potentially my jaw could die etc .  He mentioned the chances were between 2 to 7 percent of things going wrong depending on which paper you read. Personally I would not take any risk if I could avoid it by having extra teeth out ,  I think doing  anything is to be avoided rather than having my jaw rebuilt if it went wrong 

Good evening Isobel, i just let my consultant decide what needed to do mainly because if i had further problems later on with my teeth, especially the big back ones because the radiation can cause teeth to become loose not because they are rotten but the jawbone and gums can react to the radiotherapy, as Dani said you can take a chance as we all like to keep as many teeth as possible. At one time they were a bit over the top with the removal of healthy teeth but nowadays they will only remove ones that are deemed to be a problem i.e they might be in the way of the radiotherapy beam making it awkward to treat the area affected by the cancer. Good luck to your dad with his appointment with the dentist,  fingers crossed it can be saved, take care, and all the best for your dad's treatment. 

                                                                             Chris x

Hi Chris Hope you are still enjoying your pint of Guinness 

Hello Minmax, yes plus i got some real ales for Christmas so will give them a try Hope all is good with you. 

                                                              chris xx

Hi Chris Yes all good Thanks  working my way through list of things wrong with me so happy days . I no longer drink smoke or take drugs so you can have my share Cheers enjoy Regards Minmax  

Lovely to hear you are okay and so pleased you are leading a healthier lifestyle, well done Minmax. 

                                                            Chris 

As others mentioned i let the dental hospital decide and they took one tooth out ahead of treatment. I use 5000ppm toothpaste 3 times a day now.

@Minmax, really glad to see you are doing so well.