Chemo, Cancer and Mouth Sores

Biotene which you  can get at the drugstore is a toothpaste that doesn't contain Sodium Laurel Sulfate (SLS) and doesn't cause much irritation.  The mouthwash is soothing and and gentle.  The mouth moisturizers might help lubricate the mouth and help with dry mouth.  A low acid, bland diet is also helpful.  Avoiding citrus fruits and juices and anything hot and spicy is recommended.  Soft and pureed foods are easier to get down than foods that require a lot of chewing.  Ensure,Slim- Fast or Boost shakes are easy and they are packed with nutrition and the calories they need.  Your dentist or oncologist can prescribe viscous lidocaine and rinse with it as needed.   If you are doing it before eating this will numb the mouth and palate.  Some need to take anything from Tylenol to Vicodin depending on the pain level an hour before meal time.  Even with a sore mouth try hard to clean the mouth thoroughly -secondary infections can occur and fungal infections or Thrush can happen during chemo.  The flouride tooth paste ProDenX made be Zila  is SLS free.   A mixture of equal parts of liquid Benadryl and Malox is a great rinse for radiation patients.  Be sure to get  fluoride trays made at the dentist so it will help protect the teeth from root caries which are bacteria which will cause a lot of decay quickly- these trays should be used daily with a small amout of prescription fluoride which is 5x stronger than regular toothpase.

Can You See It Or Not?

What do you do when you dentist tells you they see 2 cavities in your teeth?  At our office we can show you what they look like by digital x- rays  and Intra- Oral Cameras.  The camera is an amazing device that is and actual minature video camera that displays a closeup picture of the inside of your mouth.  You can see for yourself what work needs to be done and which teeth are doing fine- Then you become a participant in each dental decision.  You will love how this works.  Digital X-rays are a fabulous newer technique that  gives 90%  less radiation of a  normal X-Ray.  We can make the image look bigger so that you don't have to be a dentist to see the cavity in your teeth. We have a  Digital Panorex which goes around your head and takes an x-ray picture of your whole jaw.  We even have a special type of X-ray that we can take on little kids who can't   bite on the x- ray taker because their mouth is too small - then we can see if they have any flossing cavities in between thier teeth--so Can You See It Or Not --You Can At Dr. McGarry's Office!!