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Trouble with brushing teeth and gag reflex

amy_h414
amy_h414 CSN Member Posts: 98
in Head and Neck Cancer #1
My husband has started gagging and vomiting when he tries to brush his back teeth. His gag reflex is crazy sensitive right now. My only thought was to take an Ativan half an hour beforehand because a lot of it is that he did it once, and then anticipates doing it again. But that may not be the best solution. Has anyone dealt with this problem? Was there anything you did that helped?
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  • Pam M
    Pam M CSN Member Posts: 2,196
    #2
    Wow
    has he tried using a different brush/paste? I didn't vomit when I brushed my teeth, but I found that the biotene was easier to use than my regular toothpaste (I think because of lower sudsing, but I don't know). I also had to use a baby toothbrush for a while, then switched to extra soft. Hope this is a short-lived phase for him.
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  • amy_h414
    amy_h414 CSN Member Posts: 98
    #3
    Pam M said:

    Wow
    has he tried using a different brush/paste? I didn't vomit when I brushed my teeth, but I found that the biotene was easier to use than my regular toothpaste (I think because of lower sudsing, but I don't know). I also had to use a baby toothbrush for a while, then switched to extra soft. Hope this is a short-lived phase for him.

    Yeah, he's tried different
    Yeah, he's tried different paste - he was using plain old Crest so I got him some Biotene hoping that would help. It seemed to help for a few days, but then last night he was gagging again. Maybe a different brush would help. But anything that gets near those back teeth gives him trouble.
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