What About My Teeth?
One of the first things you will be told about is dealing with dental health during cancer. It turns out that Chemotherapy can have very adverse reactions to your teeth. This is especially true if you have any kind of dental problem. In my case, I had cracked all 4 of my main molars many years ago in an accident. I did not know they were cracked at the time, and really did not realize it until shortly before I was diagnosed with Cancer!
A few weeks before I was diagnosed, I lost several chunks of tooth while I was eating. I realized shortly thereafter that the problem was from the accident many years ago. I guess that is a testament to how hard our teeth really are! All 4 teeth were compromised, but I had one that was almost completely gone and another one that was going to need attention soon.
My doctor advised me to see a dentist before starting Chemotherapy. Once you start Chemo, you cannot have any kind of procedure done on your mouth or elsewhere because of infection concerns and low white blood count. Of course, if you have any kind of emergency, decisions have to be made. I am talking about making a conscious decision to have any procedure done prior to Chemotherapy.
The Cost is What?
We were flat broke and had no dental insurance. However, I was really scared that if I did not have this taken care of, it would cause much bigger problems and more devastating problems down the road. We had to sell a few things to come up with the money. It turns out that getting that one tooth taken care of cost $1,200!!!! The dentist had to extract most of the tooth, clean out the entire cavity, make a temporary cap, and then order the permanent cap. Caps normally take 2 – 3 weeks to come in. However, I explained the situation to the dentist and he promised to put a rush on it so it would arrive BEFORE I started treatment.
I managed to get that one tooth fixed, but I had no financial way of taking care of the other tooth that needed attention. Unfortunately, I had to let that tooth go and had to pray for the best outcome. But I wanted to do whatever I could to protect my teeth. I started doing research, and found a recommendation for a special toothpaste that was specifically designed for Cancer patients.
Special Toothpaste for Cancer Patients
I purchased mine at a specialty grocery store focused on natural products in California called New Leaf Community Market. It costs about $8 -$9 for an average size tube. I thought I would have to buy many of these over the course of my cancer treatment, but I ended up only having to buy two tubes during my entire two year stint. I used what I needed but somewhat sparingly and each tube lasted almost a year!
The reasons to consider this special toothpaste are many. You will learn that during Chemotherapy, many patients develop mouth sores. Your teeth will actually HURT just sitting in your mouth. Any bacteria can get in and under your teeth. This is especially true when your white blood count is extremely low. It is IMPERATIVE that you brush your teeth at least twice a day. This also becomes very tenuous later on. And your whole mouth may hurt every time you brush. But in my opinion you must brush your teeth. If you do not do everything you can to cut down on the bacteria in your mouth, you could end up losing some or most of your teeth through this journey. This is even more important if you have any dental issues that you could not get resolved before starting Chemo.
I used this toothpaste through my entire ordeal, and I am happy to say that I did not lose ANY teeth, my gums survived without much trouble and I HAD NO MOUTH SORES!!! I think that part also scared me a lot. I could not imagine having to deal with mouth sores along with all of the other issues that occur when you have Cancer. There are several other issues that arise concerning eating, etc. I will cover those in a later article.
I am trying to cover as much as possible to help anyone that might be faced with Cancer. There is so much to learn and so much to know. Just one or two tips can make the difference between getting through and having things be much more difficult. If you have any concerns or need more information, PLEASE feel free to contact me or leave a comment below. I will get back to you.
