What to Do If You've Lost Your Teeth After Chemotherapy

24 June 2020
 Categories: Dentist, Blog

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Going through chemotherapy can be a harrowing experience. No matter where your cancer is located, it's a difficult therapy to go through and recovery can be tough. Unfortunately, there can also be unwanted after-effects that can leave people with problems long after they've beaten cancer. If you've had severe tooth decay or tooth loss after chemotherapy, this is what you should know.

It's Not Your Fault

People who lose their teeth tend to feel guilty about it, regardless of the circumstances leading up to it. However, if you lost your teeth or started to experience severe decay after chemotherapy, you should know that it isn't your fault this happened to your teeth.

Chemotherapy damages cells. It doesn't discriminate between unhealthy cells like cancer cells and healthy ones, like those making up your gums and teeth. It's an unfortunate part of treating cancer, but if you received chemotherapy or radiation in the neck and head area or both, there's a high likelihood that your teeth could have been damaged or even lost. Don't blame yourself for this; even the best dental hygiene in the world may not have been enough to preserve your teeth.

Recovery Comes First

You should know that you can get help for this problem, but if you're still receiving chemotherapy, fighting cancer, or recovering from the other effects of chemotherapy, you should wait a bit first.

Dental implants are typically the recommended procedure for replacing lost and severely damaged teeth after chemotherapy. However, this procedure requires undergoing surgery, and the risk of complications due to a weakened immune system rises if you're still under the effects of chemotherapy. If chemo is ongoing or recent, ask your oncologist about when you can expect to undergo intensive dental care.

Getting Help

Once you're healthy enough, you should contact a cosmetic dentist for help. Cosmetic dentists can provide you with as many dental implants as you need to get your smile back.

Dental implants are small titanium posts that are inserted into the gums that then support dental crowns on top. Dental implants are great not only because they're extremely long-lasting, but they help to support the natural circulation and bone maintenance processes your body is accustomed to from real teeth.

Dental implants can restore your smile and give you a confidence boost. There's no reason to suffer from damaged teeth just because you had cancer. Once you've beaten cancer, it's time to take back your smile. Contact clinics like Kemper Pond Dental to learn more about cosmetic dentistry.