Dental Care After Head-and-Neck Radiotherapy

Head-and-neck radiotherapy remains part of your dental history after treatment has ended. It can leave lasting changes in salivary glands and other tissues, and some complications appear much later. Tell every new dental team about the treatment, even when the visit seems unrelated to cancer.^[3]

Keep the treatment details accessible

Ask your oncology team for the information future dentists will need, including the treated area and dates, and how to obtain the radiation details. Keep the team's contact information with your medical history. You do not need to interpret radiation doses yourself; the clinicians need access to the actual records.

Reduced saliva can make decay prevention more demanding. The Canadian Cancer Society also describes possible jaw stiffness, sensitivity and other dental problems after treatment. Ask for a written plan covering fluoride, cleaning, dryness and the appropriate review interval, rather than assuming a past routine still fits your mouth.^[1]

Discuss surgery before it is booked

Osteoradionecrosis is damage and death of bone associated with radiation. It may arise years later, and trauma such as an extraction can increase risk in affected areas. An extraction is therefore a decision for a dental team that knows the radiation history and can coordinate with the relevant specialists.^[2]

This does not mean every tooth must remain regardless of its condition. Ask how the team is weighing the tooth problem, alternatives and the risks of the proposed procedure. Do not use a general waiting period from another person's experience as proof that surgery is safe for you.

Report changes between reviews

Contact the team promptly about persistent pain, swelling, a non-healing sore, exposed bone or increasing difficulty opening the mouth. The Cancer Society advises reporting these symptoms as soon as possible. They need assessment; they should not be labelled as inevitable treatment effects without a review.^[2]