Having had a denture made to replace upper molars that were removed prior RT I have struggled with these for some time and am now considering implants as an alternative.

I should say up front that I DID NOT have RT to my upper jaw only the lower so there is no risk of ORN.

I currently only have 7 upper and 20 lower teeth, the uppers in particular are now becoming mobile, one in particular is very loose and is imminent danger of falling out. I am even considering whether I should have the remaining uppers removed and go for the new(ish) all on 4 implants.

Has anyone here had implants either prior or after RT. I am particularly interested in the aspect of dry mouth/gums and if this is worse with implants?

Anybody offer any advice on this?

Hello, Ian. I will say straight off, I can't answer you at all on this, but I am definitely interested in the answer. I have been advised that I certainly cannot consider implants for at least another year, and on the lower jaw, maybe never, so if anyone has info. or experience in this, please tell us!

Hello Ian

Dental implants work well in mouth cancer patients, the risk of ORN and limited mouth opening being the only contra-indicators.

I suggest that you ask for a referral to your local hospital's restorative dentistry consultant for an opinion and treatment plan to find out whether, a partial denture, conventional full denture or an implant retained denture might be best for you.

Best wishes
Vinod

Hell Vinod and thanks for the reply, I am aware of the risks of ORN although in my case they don't apply to my upper jaw. I also know that I need to be assessed correctly to see if I have had too much bone loss to be able to take implants.

In this instance I was more interested to learn of practical experiences people have had particularly in relation to dry moth and whether full denture implants cause a problem because of dry gums.

I am currently being treated by the restorative dentistry department at the London Hospital. They have made me a standard upper denture, But it has take 15 months from impressions being taken for the consultant to decide they have been so poorly made and ill-fitting that they will need to be re-done.

Personally I am very reluctant, to go through this process all over again and wait another 15 months to find I still cant wear them (I suffer from gagging)

I have in the past repeatedly asked about implants only to be told the risk of ORN is too high, when I say I have not had radiotherapy to my upper jaw I am told they will need confirmation from my oncologist. This I have done 3 times now twice by letter on once by email. When I raise it again its like it never happened.

Its been an incredibly frustrating experience and not one I am keen to repeat hence me know looking to get this done privately.

Hi Ian. I have recently been discharged after 5 years of post cancer treatment check ups. I had RT for base of tongue cancer and all through this time my teeth have degraded. I have had crowns,extractions and countless fillings. My remaining teeth are in a sorry state. Recently I had an appointment with the Birmingham Hospital Restorative Dentistry team and have now been referred to the North Staffs team for a consultation on the 14th December and hopefully this will be the start of the process for implants. I will let you know how I get on.

Thanks Robert, I hope you had better luck than I did. Hopefully Birmingham will do you proud,