Your illness and treatment can cause problems in your mouth. Your salivary glands can be affected and produce less saliva. The mucous membranes in your mouth and throat can become dry, sore and sting, whereby the risk of gum infection and cavities increases.
Oral thrush and inflammation, causing coatings, ulcers, pain and difficulty swallowing, may also occur.
Eating and drinking could become unpleasant, even painful, and it could become difficult to clean your teeth and rinse your mouth.
Talk to your doctor or nurse should any of these problems arise, as some can be alleviated with medication.
Contact us if:
Pain or discomfort in your mouth prevents you from eating or drinking
You get white coatings in your mouth
What you can do
Make an appoinment with your dentist so that you cab get an assesment of your teeth and oral mucosa
Drink 1-1½ litres of fluid daily, avoiding soft and fizzy drinks and liquids containing sugar, which may damage the enamel on your teeth
Maintain good mouth hygiene to prevent infections
Rinse your mouth frequently with water or cold camomile tea
Clean your teeth with a soft toothbrush after every meal. The brushes can by softened by holding them under hot water for 30 seconds
After use, rinse the tootbrush under running water and leave it to dry with the bruches facing upwards
The toothbrush must not be placed in a toothbrush case
Change your tootbrush regularly
Use dental floss or soft toothpicks daily, as they remove plaque and bacteria between the teeth. However, avoid dental floss and toothpicks if your gums are sore or bleed a lot
Smoking can worsen mouth problems
Alcohol may dry out your mucous membranes
Breathe through your nose instead of your mouth to prevent the lips and oral mucosa from drying out
If you have dentures, take them out at let the gums rest during the day. Clean your mouth dentures after every meal. Use toothpaste whitout abrasives or unscented soap. Rinse your mouth thoroughly before putting your dentures on again. Do not use your dentures whil sleeping. Dentures are stored in a dry cup
Reduced saliva production and a dry mouth can affect your appetite and sense of taste.
Eating fresh pineapple, kiwi fruit, papaya, crushed ice, peppermints, lozenges and chewing sugarfree chewing gum will stimulate saliva production in between meals, and will help keep your mouth moist
Wet your mouth frequently with for example tea with lemon, water or very thin porridge (consistency like soup)
Eat soft, finely cut, chopped or liquid food, as it is easier to swallow, and provides moisture to the mucous membranes
Acidic/sour food and drink stimulate the saliva production
Drink a little fluid with every bite you eat, if your dry mouth makes eating uncomfortable
Talk to the doctors and nurses about other products, which could help alleviate dryness in the mouth, e.g. lozenges, saliva substitutes/moisturizing mouth spray or gel
In case of pain or small blisteres in the mouth, you can use mouthwash
If you experience a lot of pain, or have cuts and scratches in your mouth or on your tongue or lips, you can benefit from using a local anesthetic gel applied directly on the cuts or scratches prior to eating. The painful areas should be wiped dry with a cotton bud, before you apply a generous amount of the gel. Leave for 1-2 minutes before rinsing the gel off. This should be done no more than 10 minutes prior to eating, as the effect otherwise will wear off
If the soreness is very pronounced, you may benefit from using a straw with a bend when drinking. Put the straw as far into your mouth as you can, thus leading the fluid past the vulnerable mucous membranes and into the back of the mouth
Chapped lips can be treated with unscented lip balm
Cold camomile tea may ease discomfort
Try eating soft, finely cut/chopped or liquid food, as it is easier to swallow
Avoid very hot, spicy or smoked foods
Avoid alcohol and fizzy drinks
Contact
In case of any questions. Please contact the Oncology Department. Telephone number are on your contact card., or go to:
Brug ikke informationen på denne side til at stille dine egne diagnoser, og følg kun instruktionerne i vejledningen, hvis hospitalet har henvist dig til siden.
What you can do
Contact