As I approached the treatment for the cancer, I was warned by my sister, that I needed to take care of my mouth. I had no idea what I was in for. My mouth hurts! Wow, taking care of your mouth IS important when you are having chemo. I need to use mouth rinse several times a day and it really helps if I put melaleuca oil with my mouth rinse. When I say many I am talking about 10 times a day.
The dentist made trays for my teeth and I put special toothpaste in them 3 times a day for an hour. I am not supposed to eat or drink one half hour after that. This takes a lot of timing and planning!
I can tell if I am not taking care of my teeth because they feel loose, and the sores increase. Another thing I can do for oral health is chew gum, use mints or brush your teeth with products that use xylitol as the sweetener.
I use a very soft tooth brush. I got mine from my dentist. My gums and teeth are definitely getting worse with each chemo treatment. At times I have thought that I will eat nothing but liquids. But by diligently taking care of my mouth, I can eat pretty much anything I want. Cold smoothies feel really good! Frozen berries and ice cubes are wonderful also.
I have 22 more days until my last chemo so I know it will need to keep on top of this and it may get worse. But these are some of the things that I have found that give me relief.
I went to the doctor and he told me to rinse with soda and water. It works also. I just do it all!