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     While chemotherapy and radiation therapy help treat cancer, it can also cause other things to happen in your body called side effects.
     Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to treat cancer. Radiation Therapy is when radiation is used to treat cancer. These methods kill cancer cells, but they may also harm normal cells, including cells in the mouth. Side effects include problems with your teeth and gums; the soft, moist lining of your mouth; and the glands that make saliva.
It’s important to know that side effects in the mouth can be serious. The side effects can hurt and make it difficult to talk and swallow.

It is important to see your dentist before any chemo or radiation therapy. If you go to the dentist before cancer treatment begins, they can help prevent serious mouth problems. Side effects often happen because an individual’s mouth is not healthy before cancer therapy starts. Dental care providers will provide the following services.

• Take X-rays
• Take care of mouth problems
• Show you how to take care of your mouth to prevent side effects
• The dentist will do a complete exam.
• What can you do to keep my mouth healthy?
• Check your teeth

                          To avoid dry mouth symptoms and complications during treatment

• Use sugarless gum or sugar-free hard candy
• Use a saliva substitute to help moisten your mouth
• Drink a lot of water
• Suck ice chips

  To prevent plaque build up and different fungal or bacterial infections, clean your mouth, tongue, and gums.

• Brush your teeth, gums, and tongue with an extra-soft toothbrush after every meal and at bedtime. If brushing hurts, soften the bristles in warm water.
• Use a fluoride toothpaste
• Don’t use mouthwashes with alcohol in them
• Floss your teeth gently every day. If your gums bleed and hurt, avoid the areas that are bleeding or sore, but keep  flossing your other teeth
• Dentures that don’t fit well can cause problems. Talk to your cancer doctor or dentist about your dentures

  

If your mouth is sore, watch what you eat and drink

• Choose foods that are good for you and easy to chew and swallow
• Take small bites of food, chew slowly, and sip liquids with your meals
• Eat soft, moist foods such as cooked cereals, mashed potatoes, and scrambled eggs
• If you have trouble swallowing, soften your food with gravy, sauces, broth, yogurt or other liquids
• Sipping liquids with your meals will make eating easier

                          Remember to stay away from:

• Sharp, crunchy foods, like taco chips, that could scrape or cut your mouth
• Foods that are hot, spicy, or high in acid, like citrus fruits and juices, which can irritate your mouth
• Sugary foods, like candy or soda, that could cause cavities
• Toothpicks, because they can cut your mouth
• All tobacco products
• Alcoholic drink

Many medications cause the adverse reaction of dry mouth (xerostomia). In fact up to 1800 different drugs are known to have this as a side effect. And 80% of the leading drugs cause dry mouth. It is important to know if you are taking any medications that may have this side effect due to the oral problems it can lead to. Below is a list of common medications that may cause dry mouth symptoms:

Actonel, Accutane, Allegra, Atropine, Atrovent, Benadryl, Cipro, Claritin, Dicyclomine HCL, Diet Drugs, Ditropan Elavil, Exedrin, Fentanyl, Flagyl, Hydrochlorothiazide, Lipitor, Lisinopril, Lovastatin, Midol, Nexium (Esomeprazole magnesium),Prevacid (Lansoprazole), Prilosec (Omeprazole), Simvastatin(Zocor), Sleep medications, Spririva inhaler, Sudafed, Zyrtec.

When you have severe dry mouth, that means there is less saliva to wash food particles away. Bacteria is able to multiply faster in a drier environment because these food particles are left behind and there are less salivary components around to fight the bacteria off, and prevent bacterial growth.

Dry mouth may also cause problems with swallowing and tasting your food, both in which saliva is an aid to. Along with the basic discomfort of dry mouth, severe burning sensations may arise. This is called burning mouth syndrome, and is extremely uncomfortable. Burning mouth syndrome is usually a result of severe dry mouth or combining dry mouth with acidic or salty foods. However, burning mouth syndrome has no known etiology, and may develop on its own without dry mouth needing to be present.

To treat dry mouth, an OTC (over the counter) method may be used at first; Biotene is a company that has developed a toothpaste, mouth rinse, tongue ointment, and tissue spray, all to treat dry and burning mouth symptoms. However, if this is not helping speak to your doctor about either reducing or changing your medications. There are also salivary stimulants such as Pilocarpine (Salagen), or Cevimeline (Evoxac) that can be prescribed.