Flouride

Ok my question of the day: Before my husband started radiation he was seen by a dentist and had flouride trays made. He never gave him any flouride though.

So, 1. When do you start using flouride. Are you supposed to be using it while getting radiation or do you start when finished with treatment.

2. Where do you get the flouride?

Thanks for all your help.

Joan
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Comments

  • blackswampboy
    blackswampboy Member Posts: 341
    mine is prescription SF 1.1%
    mine is prescription SF 1.1% gel from Cypress Pharmaceutical. Can't remember who gave me the prescription.
    I don't have trays, but I started using it right away (during tx) and I still use it.
  • Fire34
    Fire34 Member Posts: 365
    GC MI paste here
    Joan
    My dentist recomended this paste, she advised a samll amount rub on the teeth every night. I purchased it on Amazon for about $11.00 a tube. A tube usually lasted about a month or so. I ddint start until after treatment but during treatment would have been better. I did not have any dental issues though. My ENT advsied fluoride will be a lifelong treatment now, that your saliva has changed. I am curently 3 years out.
    Wishe & Prayers
    Dave
  • luvofmylif
    luvofmylif Member Posts: 344
    Fire34 said:

    GC MI paste here
    Joan
    My dentist recomended this paste, she advised a samll amount rub on the teeth every night. I purchased it on Amazon for about $11.00 a tube. A tube usually lasted about a month or so. I ddint start until after treatment but during treatment would have been better. I did not have any dental issues though. My ENT advsied fluoride will be a lifelong treatment now, that your saliva has changed. I am curently 3 years out.
    Wishe & Prayers
    Dave

    Ok, thanks guys for the
    Ok, thanks guys for the info.

    Best to all of you. Godspeed.

    Joan
  • KareGiver
    KareGiver Member Posts: 301 Member

    Ok, thanks guys for the
    Ok, thanks guys for the info.

    Best to all of you. Godspeed.

    Joan

    My recommendation
    Would be to use it diligently - every night. The doctor did give him a prescription for the flouride gel to use with his mouth trays. My husband did not use it every night (as he was supposed to) and now is having problems with his teeth. Truly, I can't stress enough how important it is to stay on top of this! Good luck.
  • Hard12Find
    Hard12Find Member Posts: 217 Member
    Hi Joan,
    Yes the flouride is preventative, and should be started asap and continued long past treatment, this will be part of your husbands new normal. My Dentist wrote the script, and I fill it at my HMO's pharmacy, for around $16.00 a bottle.
    Hope things are going well with you two....
    Jim
  • hwt
    hwt Member Posts: 2,328 Member

    Hi Joan,
    Yes the flouride is preventative, and should be started asap and continued long past treatment, this will be part of your husbands new normal. My Dentist wrote the script, and I fill it at my HMO's pharmacy, for around $16.00 a bottle.
    Hope things are going well with you two....
    Jim

    Joan
    I too got my trays and prescription from the dentist. When I told the RAD ONC I had them and was using them, he snickered and said they wouldn't last a week. I proved him wrong and went two weeks. Not sure if you have Dr. Guy or not. Anyway, following tx I tried several times but it just burned too bad. 5 months post tx and I can only use the CI Paste mentioned above. My dentist gives that to me and it does not burn at all. he said it's not actually a toothpaste but better than nothing at all. I find the small soft brush he gave me very helpful. I had horrific lip sores throughout tx and the only thing I used then was the sponge mouth swabs. By the time I was told to gargle w/baking soda and salt water, you likely heard me scream in O'Fallon. Hindsight, I wish I had started to gargle before and maybe prevented the sores on my lips. In addition, I would have gooped the Aquaphor on my lips before each rad tx just to see if that would have helped. I'm sure we each will have our lingering thoughts of the worst of tx, I think mine will forever be the lip sores. Happily, they improved week 1 post tx and were gone week2 but 5 months later my lips are sometimes still sensitive.
  • D Lewis
    D Lewis Member Posts: 1,581 Member
    hwt said:

    Joan
    I too got my trays and prescription from the dentist. When I told the RAD ONC I had them and was using them, he snickered and said they wouldn't last a week. I proved him wrong and went two weeks. Not sure if you have Dr. Guy or not. Anyway, following tx I tried several times but it just burned too bad. 5 months post tx and I can only use the CI Paste mentioned above. My dentist gives that to me and it does not burn at all. he said it's not actually a toothpaste but better than nothing at all. I find the small soft brush he gave me very helpful. I had horrific lip sores throughout tx and the only thing I used then was the sponge mouth swabs. By the time I was told to gargle w/baking soda and salt water, you likely heard me scream in O'Fallon. Hindsight, I wish I had started to gargle before and maybe prevented the sores on my lips. In addition, I would have gooped the Aquaphor on my lips before each rad tx just to see if that would have helped. I'm sure we each will have our lingering thoughts of the worst of tx, I think mine will forever be the lip sores. Happily, they improved week 1 post tx and were gone week2 but 5 months later my lips are sometimes still sensitive.

    hwt - aquaphor
    Good thing you didn't 'goop the aquaphore on your lips' before each rad tx... Discuss this with your doctor. You really have to read the fine print on the creams. All the anti-burn creams I was given came with a specific instruction NOT to use them within a certain number of hours before each radiation treatment - I think it was no use for four hours prior to each session.

    Deb
  • boardwalkgirl
    boardwalkgirl Member Posts: 269
    I had the trays made before
    I had the trays made before I started treatment and my dentist supplied the fluoride gel with the trays. I used them starting a couple days before radiation started twice a day for 20 minutes each time every day. I used them for 2 weeks after treatment ended and then he told me to stop. As of now, I have had no problems with my teeth. He looked at them and said everything looked good. Best of luck to your husband
  • hwt
    hwt Member Posts: 2,328 Member
    D Lewis said:

    hwt - aquaphor
    Good thing you didn't 'goop the aquaphore on your lips' before each rad tx... Discuss this with your doctor. You really have to read the fine print on the creams. All the anti-burn creams I was given came with a specific instruction NOT to use them within a certain number of hours before each radiation treatment - I think it was no use for four hours prior to each session.

    Deb

    Deb
    Thanks for sharing. I haven't given in to getting reading glasses yet so I would never have known that.
  • MJ70
    MJ70 Member Posts: 75
    When t start fluoride
    I am eight years out and did not take it real serious at first...I used act fluoride and bio clean..Then i found out i had $2500 worth of cavities ..i say that because it is so important ...Your dentist should be able to order fluoridex as it is a prescription..I buy mine from from his office.at $10.00 per tube .I brush with it after i eat and also use ACT for Dry Mouth anticavity fluoride...have not had a cavity in years..Fluoridex in my trays were to sensitive for me so i just use it everytime i brush my teeth.. ALso us Drugstore.com for Stopper 4..for Dry Mouth..each ($6.39) 4 bottles at a time will get you free freight..This works for me.
  • MJ70
    MJ70 Member Posts: 75
    When t start fluoride
    I am eight years out and did not take it real serious at first...I used act fluoride and bio clean..Then i found out i had $2500 worth of cavities ..i say that because it is so important ...Your dentist should be able to order fluoridex as it is a prescription..I buy mine from from his office.at $10.00 per tube .I brush with it after i eat and also use ACT for Dry Mouth anticavity fluoride...have not had a cavity in years..Fluoridex in my trays were to sensitive for me so i just use it everytime i brush my teeth.. ALso us Drugstore.com for Stopper 4..for Dry Mouth..each ($6.39) 4 bottles at a time will get you free freight..This works for me.
  • luvofmylif
    luvofmylif Member Posts: 344
    MJ70 said:

    When t start fluoride
    I am eight years out and did not take it real serious at first...I used act fluoride and bio clean..Then i found out i had $2500 worth of cavities ..i say that because it is so important ...Your dentist should be able to order fluoridex as it is a prescription..I buy mine from from his office.at $10.00 per tube .I brush with it after i eat and also use ACT for Dry Mouth anticavity fluoride...have not had a cavity in years..Fluoridex in my trays were to sensitive for me so i just use it everytime i brush my teeth.. ALso us Drugstore.com for Stopper 4..for Dry Mouth..each ($6.39) 4 bottles at a time will get you free freight..This works for me.

    Yes, was surprised the
    Yes, was surprised the dentist made the trays buts that all...no toothpaste, no flouride. I will have my husband call tomorrow.


    And, yes, Dr Guy is or rad onc dr. We meet with him tomorrow and will check with him. I bought Biotene mouthwash with flouride. Wondering if that is ok since most of you all mention ACT mouthwash.

    Thanks for all the info

    Joan

    And, hwt, that burning in mouth sounds horrific. When again did mouth sores start? So far none for my husband but only first week.


    Also, what about Magic Mouthwash?
  • Skiffin16
    Skiffin16 Member Posts: 8,305 Member
    OralB STOP
    My dentist gives me tubes of OralB STOP Flouride Gel.

    I didn't have trays..., I use the gel on my toothbrush like toothpaste. I used it every few days during treatment and for awhile after. Now at three years post Tx, I use it about once a week.

    Oral B - STOP Gel

    JG
  • Jimbo55
    Jimbo55 Member Posts: 590 Member
    Colgate Prevident
    My dentist made the trays during my first visit to her. Also supplies me with a flouride gel by the name of Colgate Prevident. She insisted I start using it immediately and nightly. I still use it every night at 2 years out. So far, so good. Additionally she recommended a toothpaste by the name of 3M Clinpro Tooth Creme. It has a higher % of sodium flouride and tri-calcium phosphate. Cheers.

    Jimbo
  • CivilMatt
    CivilMatt Member Posts: 4,722 Member
    teeth
    Hi Joan,

    For me it was fluoride before treatment began and again after treatments ended. I had great teeth before this started, don’t know now. I put dental rolls (4 of them) in my mouth just before putting on my mask to provide additional protection to my teeth. My rad onc mentioned a number of times how good my teeth looked. It is no wonder, I had not eaten anything to stain or mess them up in months.

    Best,

    Matt

    Oh yeah, my dentist gave me a big bottle of fluoride gel I use with my whitening trays.
  • hrowe
    hrowe Member Posts: 57
    Prevident 5000
    My dentist made me some and wrote a script for Prevident 5000. I used them at the start of rad treatment, but after the 4th week or so, the flouride started burning my mouth so I stopped using them.
  • Greg53
    Greg53 Member Posts: 849
    Fire34 said:

    GC MI paste here
    Joan
    My dentist recomended this paste, she advised a samll amount rub on the teeth every night. I purchased it on Amazon for about $11.00 a tube. A tube usually lasted about a month or so. I ddint start until after treatment but during treatment would have been better. I did not have any dental issues though. My ENT advsied fluoride will be a lifelong treatment now, that your saliva has changed. I am curently 3 years out.
    Wishe & Prayers
    Dave

    Joan (and Fire34 - hijack)
    Joan,

    Not much to add on the flouride - except keep using it. Don't know if it will solve all the longterm issues with teeth, but definitely an area to keep up with. BTW I'm the other St. Louisan. Good luck to you and hubby!

    HEY DAVE (Fire34) - Nice to see you posting! Hope everything is going well for you!!

    Greg
  • cureitall66
    cureitall66 Member Posts: 913
    We're using...
    Rising Denta 5000 Plus by prescription. Not a likeable product. Doesn't seem to feel like the mouth and teeth are clean. We're planning to ask about something different.
  • cureitall66
    cureitall66 Member Posts: 913

    Yes, was surprised the
    Yes, was surprised the dentist made the trays buts that all...no toothpaste, no flouride. I will have my husband call tomorrow.


    And, yes, Dr Guy is or rad onc dr. We meet with him tomorrow and will check with him. I bought Biotene mouthwash with flouride. Wondering if that is ok since most of you all mention ACT mouthwash.

    Thanks for all the info

    Joan

    And, hwt, that burning in mouth sounds horrific. When again did mouth sores start? So far none for my husband but only first week.


    Also, what about Magic Mouthwash?

    We're asking for ..
    The Magic Mouthwash as the salt/baking soda isn't helping with the soreness. I hear good things about it from others here on the forum.
  • ShellyMac
    ShellyMac Member Posts: 16
    My dentist prescribed a
    My dentist prescribed a flouride toothpaste from Cypress Pharmaceauticals last Monday, knowing I would begin radiation the following Monday (22nd) and told me to brush at night before bed. He also specifically told me not to rinse if I could help it. He saidi should begin using it ASAP.

    Good luck!

    Shelly