Oral Health

June 30, 2017 by Cancer Horizons

About Cancer Horizons

We at Cancer Horizons are passionate about the care of Cancer Patients anywhere in the United States. Our teams work tirelessly to bring new informational resources on cancer to our over 100,000 cancer patients and caregivers. We are also the largest directory of FREE products and services exclusively for cancer patients on the net. We are even finishing our National Directory of local cancer resources in every major city in the country. We are proud to support cancer patients, their families, and caregivers through a cancer diagnosis and all of the challenges that come with it.

Protecting oral health is an all too common theme with cancer patients. From sores or lesions to altered taste buds, chemo and radiotherapy are not very kind to the mouth. Many experience ulcers in the mouth, and struggle with inflammation of the inside of the mouth called mucositis.

Five to ten days after starting cancer treatments you may start experiencing mouth pain. Different types of chemotherapy and biological therapy drugs can make your mouth sore, due to the side effect of changing the consistency of the inside of your mouth. This may interfere with eating, drinking, talking, chewing, swallowing, sleeping, and more, and could last for several days.

Keeping the mouth healthy and salivated is important during your cancer treatments. It is recommended to rinse your mouth daily with water while undergoing treatments, and avoid mouthwash containing alcohol.

Topical agents can be used to treat discomfort and pain, and good nutritional habits can help the healing processing. Blended or semi-liquid food has also been known to help.

If you are undergoing treatment you should attempt avoiding extremely hot or cold beverages, citric acid juices such as those containing orange, lemon, tomatoes, and alcoholic drinks and tobacco products. In addition, spicy or hot and rough textured food can induce pain when mouth sores or inflammation is present.

Some cancer patients may even get inflammation of the esophagus, a condition called esophagitis. Whatever you may be experiencing when it comes to your oral health and cancer, know that we are here for you. Supporting your oral health could even include the use of bamboo utensils to keep the metallic taste away.

Giving you access to the right products to protect your oral health while on your cancer journey is important to all of us at Cancer Horizons. Your cancer family has your back when it comes to helping you keep your mouth functioning at its best.

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