How to Prevent Mouth Problems During Cancer Treatment

Chemotherapy and radiation are often prescribed because they are both very effective at destroying cells that grow rapidly, such as cancer cells. Unfortunately, they can also harm healthy cells that grow quickly, such as the cells lining the inside of your mouth. Patients undergoing chemo or radiation treatment often report mouth problems, such as sores, dry mouth, or infections, because the treatments make it difficult for the mouth to heal itself and fend off germs.

To help prevent or minimize mouth problems, consider these tips:

Nathaniel Treister, DMD, an oral expert with Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center, checks a patient during an oral exam.
Nathaniel Treister, DMD, DMSc, a stem cell transplant oral health provider, examines a patient.
  • See your dentist. Try to see your dentist before treatment begins, so he or she can conduct a thorough teeth cleaning and check for potential sources of dental irritation that may cause problems during cancer treatment. Once treatment begins, be sure to see your dentist again so he or she can watch for any potential issues.
  • Maintain good oral health to help prevent infection and tooth decay. Brush three times a day with a soft toothbrush, floss daily, and eat a healthy diet, low in sugar. (However, don’t floss if it causes bleeding when your platelet count is low.)
  • To help lessen the symptoms of mouth sores (also called mucositis), ask for ice chips or sugar-free popsicles to suck on while you receive chemotherapy. Research shows that this may help decrease mouth sores.
  • Talk with your doctor. He or she may be able to prescribe a medication to help prevent sores and ease discomfort. Your doctor may also recommend over-the-counter pain relievers, such as Tylenol, to help reduce mouth pain.
  • Avoid commercial mouthwashes, because they contain alcohol that may burn your mouth. Instead, rinse your mouth with warm salt water or baking soda and water (a teaspoon of either dissolved in eight ounces of warm water).
  • Drink at least eight glasses of water or juices daily. Drinking fluids throughout the day can help with dry mouth (also called xerostomia). It is also important to avoid caffeinated beverages, because caffeine can increase mouth dryness. Dana-Farber nutritionists offer a number of recipes to help relieve dry mouth.

When your cancer therapy ends, be sure to continue good dental habits to keep teeth and gums healthy. If you’ve had radiation, your salivary glands may be making less saliva, which can put you at greater risk for developing cavities and gum disease. This means you’ll need to schedule regular dental visits and eat a healthy diet. Visit Dana-Farber’s website for more tips for mouth care during and after cancer treatment.

Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center Oral Medicine and Dentistry Program helps patients with mouth care before, during and after treatment to ensure patients remain healthy and comfortable. Learn more about the program.

10 thoughts on “How to Prevent Mouth Problems During Cancer Treatment”

  1. Great tips. Cancer treatment is basically a complicated treatment and there are the chances that a patient can face other health problems during the treatment. The tips given in the article to prevent the oral problems are really good and simple to follow. It will definitely help the patients to take care of themselves.

  2. Great tips! A particular amino acid can be used to protect the mucosa as well. L-glutamine, the most abundant and arguably the most versatile and important amino acid in the body, is a nutrient that is used by the mucosa (epithelial cells) as fuel. It is restorative for all cells along the digestive tract from the mouth to the anus. The best news is that it doesn’t interfere with any of the chemotherapies (even that alkylators). Check out pubmed for peer-reviewed studies. Good stuff!

  3. I really find this post very informative. Thanks for the tips. I usually see my cousin Sam experienced some of these oral problems. She undergoes chemo due to Leukemia, these tips are very very big help for her. Thanks a lot. I’m looking forward to read more posts from you.

  4. Good oral care is important during cancer treatment. Some anticancer drugs can cause sores in the mouth and throat, a condition called stomatitis or mucositis. Anticancer drugs also can make these tissues dry and irritated or cause them to bleed. Patients who have not been eating well since beginning chemotherapy are more likely to get mouth sores.

  5. Why do oncologist never tell you about the after effects, only the immediate side effects? My teeth are so bad at this point it’s going to cost me thousands of dollars that I don’t really have to fix them. The horrible joint pain. The insomnia, the lymphedema, eye problems and hearing loss. Chronic cough to the point of retching so hard your hole trunk is tender. And, I believe I have the start of arthritis, and fibromyalgea seems to be a given.

  6. I have been done with my treatments almost a year now and I’m still getting sores that look like burns. And what does sugar have to do with healing process.

    • Dear Virginia —
      We are so sorry to hear about your health trouble after treatment. Unfortunately, we cannot give out medical advice on this blog or over email, but we recommend you bring up these concerns with your oncologist or care team, who will be able to provide advice or recommendations.

      For more information on the link between sugar and cancer, check out this blog post: http://blog.dana-farber.org/insight/2015/05/does-sugar-feed-cancer-2/

      We hope this is helpful. Wishing you all the best.

      • Hi dear,,

        is there amy chance to get a paid online second opinion for a colon cancer patient from a well known hospital or oncology center that you recommend for us, we will be thankful !

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