Floride or not?

My oncology team recommended

My oncology team recommended it. I'm three years post treatment and I still use the trays occasionally.

I currently use a prescription floride toothpaste and see my dentist every three or four months. The treatment was hard on my dental work and I need every advantage I can get.

 

Rush

HobbsDoggy said:

My Dentist Reccomended Floride

He gave me a a floride soulution to rinse with during treatment.  I now use an over the counter floride rinse every evening.  So far just usual stuff for teeth my age.  Radiation is very hard on teeth and I see my dentist every 3 to 4 months.  I think the floride helped.

Yes

Yes, I used the trays but only made it two weeks into rads before I had to discontinue. It took several weeks post tx before I could use anything other than a polishing paste as everything burned too bad. If there is something you can do to make things better going forward, I would suggest it.

VA

Jude,

If my memory is correct, you mentioned that Ruben uses the VA for his medical. Will he be using the Dental also? If so, they should prescribe the Floride for him and where I am, they use the Previ-Dent 5000 Flouride Gel. I used the trays with Perio-Check Flouride in my first 5 years and the VA Dentist saw that when I started to see him at the 5 year mark. He suggested for me to switch to the Previ-Dent as it wouldn't brown my teeth like the Perio-Check that I was using from my Cancer Dentist.

With the Previ-Dent 5000, I brush it on and let it set for 30 minutes without rinsing until that time. I also brush regular with it, and rinse right after. The 30 minute treatment should be done at least once a day. So far I have been doing the flouride for 8 plus years, no cavities. 5 years trays, 3 years brushing. The brushing eliminates the cost of the trays which ran $400 for me when I first got them.

My Best to Both of You and Everyone Here

Jude,
Trays...YES! I did it
Jude,

Trays...YES! I did it for many years past rad, not as diligenty as I should've, but I didn't loose any teeth(including all molars I didn't let them pull pre-treatment) I am now in 13th yr post rads and now I will probably have all teeth removed, not so much pain(I think almost all left have been root canaled so not much pain anymore) but they've begun to break including just from brushing teeth. I don't think I would have had all those years of chewing without trays, flouride toothpaste and dentist. Good luck, but get them!


Rachel

fishmanpa said:

Fluoride Rinse

Jude,

My dentist recommended a kids fluoride rinse from Listerine. It's a blue candy flavored liquid that you rinse with after brushing. I've been using it since before treatment began.  Seems to be doing the job. The only thing I've noticed is a little sensitivity to cold. 

"T"

T and Jude,
It is common for
T and Jude,

It is common for us to have senistivity to cold in reference to teeth.


Rachel

rachel12yrsuv said:

T and Jude,
It is common for
T and Jude,

It is common for us to have senistivity to cold in reference to teeth.


Rachel

Please use it!
I honestly don't know what negative things you've heard but if hubby wants to do all things possible to protect his teeth he should use the flouride trays during rads treatment and use the trays and flouride once a day. One of the side effects of the flouride is staining of the teeth BUT it's extrinsic so it can be polished off by your dentist. You should be on a 3 or 4 month recall after this anyway so any stains that might develope won't be able to set in too much.
I hope maybe this makes your decision a bit easier.
Billie

thought

using the trays is a good thing, but do not forget they do not help with the gum lines which is the hardest to protect and keep clean. 

i suggest to use but to make sure you floss and brush with focus on the gum lines. my dentist at Indiana School of Dentistry suggests to brush flouride into gum lines also. I would also suggest to get a waterpic and use before you brush and floss. if your early post threatment the waterpic may be hard to use. i like to use very warm water when i us waterpic. 

john 

mls351w said:

floride trays

Why would you not use them? I never heard anything negative about floride (other than the comments made by Jack D. Ripper from Dr. Strangelove LOL).

I used them throughout treatment and every night the past six years. I now use them every other night. The Prevident has never bothered me.

If you use trays, be sure and get the gel. It goes into the trays easily. The paste is for brushing. Also, be sure the tube has a small orifice for the application. Prevident is perfect. I got a tube, brand name Rising once, and it had a toothpaste tube sized orifice, and I couldn't apply the thin ribbon of floride needed for the trays.

Mark S.

also,

Be sure not to swallow any of the floride. It made my stomach feel cramped and bloated when I did swallow some by accident.

Fluoride

I have a good friend who teaches dental hygienists and dental assistants and her husband had SCC base of tongue cancer and received chemo and radiation.  She was adamant with him and with me to be faithful users of the fluoride trays, plus brushing regularly and using the salt/baking soda rinse frequently.  She said dentists see huge problems with teeth after head and neck radiation and that you can substantially reduce the risk of dental problems by using the fluoride treatments.   She says it is important to continue to use them occasionally after treatments because, even if you did the fluoride during radiation, because the teeth are weakened and always will be more vulnerable to decay and other dental problems and also because dry mouth contributes to tooth decay. 

M