Your cancer centre has asked for a dental review, and the form is sitting on the counter. If you are coming from Burlington, we can complete the assessment and keep the details flowing to your oncology team.
A dental clearance letter can look like a box to tick. In practice, it asks the dentist to find anything in your mouth that could cause trouble once cancer treatment is under way, such as infection, gum disease or broken work. It does not require a full overhaul, and teeth with older fillings are not automatically a concern.
That form usually tells us something about the therapy, but we often need more. Chemotherapy, radiation directed at the head and neck, and some related medicines have separate effects on saliva, oral tissues, healing and infection risk. The details of your own plan guide what we check and recommend, far more than the name of the diagnosis does.
Call from Burlington once you have a proposed start date, and tell us straight away if it is soon. Dental timing is something we agree with your oncologists. Please keep your cancer treatment on schedule; it should not be delayed by you in order to fit dental work in first.
Paperwork tells us what the hospital wants. Your own description of pain, swelling, loose work or chewing trouble tells us what may need attention first.
An aching tooth, gums that bleed, a filling that has come out or a denture leaving sores can all be important before therapy. Say when it began and how it behaves, and the dentist will weigh it against the days or weeks you have.
Referral letters, dental forms and an outline of the planned therapy all help. Where radiation involves the head or neck, a particular dental process may apply. Ask your team whether a hospital oral medicine or dental service is already involved.
Tiredness, dryness, a jaw that will not open far or a weak grip can change what prevention looks like. Let us know what you can comfortably do each day and whether anyone helps, so the advice is something you can follow.
Started therapy already? Tell us before any dental appointment is arranged. Timing and precautions may be different, and medical information might need to be confirmed first.
Returning the dental review early can leave time to manage what needs treatment and to check how it heals. You also get to talk through the mouth-related effects of the therapy you are scheduled for. No single number of days suits everyone, so making contact quickly is better than working to a deadline you have heard about secondhand.
Getting ready may reduce some complications, yet it cannot rule them out. Ask which signs to report and where to report them. When care is shared among several clinicians in different buildings, knowing that route in advance is reassuring.
Patient information: NIDCR — cancer treatments and oral health
A written record of today's findings helps everyone tell older problems from later changes. Please mention any past radiation to the head or neck, relevant medicines and any specialist dental care that is ongoing.
We distinguish what is urgent, what is preventive and what can be postponed. For each recommendation, ask how it relates to the therapy schedule and why now is the right time.
Products, brushing technique, denture habits and how to report new symptoms are simpler to practise before treatment, rather than once soreness or fatigue makes learning something new more of a strain.
Please bring the hospital's contact details, your medicines and the paperwork they gave you. We will check how results should be sent, so you do not end up carrying incomplete notes from one office to another.
We look at the treatment proposed, the dates involved and your medical history. Mention any medicine that affects bone or slows healing and any earlier radiation near the jaw. More detail from the oncologist is sometimes needed before procedures are scheduled.
Teeth, gums, existing restorations and any denture are checked for decay, infection, gum disease, damage or irritation. X-rays are taken when they will clarify a particular concern. Tell us about pain and anything that makes meals or cleaning harder.
Treatment and its timing are planned around the cancer schedule. Removing a tooth or other invasive care requires careful consideration of healing and your overall health. Specialist advice can be appropriate, especially before head and neck radiation.
Once treatment is finished, a review may confirm healing, and requested paperwork can be completed. We go over your routine and contacts for the treatment period. If the oncology dates shift, let us know so the plan can be rechecked.
Follow the guidance prepared for your treatment and health. If instructions from one team seem to contradict the other, ask for clarification before switching products or making any change to medicines.
If you had a dental procedure, follow the instructions given and keep any follow-up. Increasing pain, swelling, bleeding or trouble eating should be reported, and both teams should hear about problems still present as your start date approaches.
Ask us which brush, toothpaste and other items to use. A soft-bristled brush and a manageable routine are often recommended. Use prescription fluoride or rinses as directed, and check with us before adding a strong product from the store.
Keep the cancer team's urgent advice line and our number together. During therapy, new mouth pain, ulcers, bleeding or an inability to drink should be reported the way your team instructs, not left for the next routine dental appointment.
Patient information: National Cancer Institute — mouth and throat problems during treatment
It is fine to call from Burlington before every date is fixed. Share what the hospital has told you and what they have asked the dentist to do, and we will arrange the appointment around it.
Phone our Bronte Street practice with your therapy date and the hospital's dental request. We will discuss the review, the details to collect and the most sensible next step. Calling early gives both care teams more room to plan.
If therapy begins shortly or you have pain, please call. Online requests do not reserve a time-sensitive appointment.
