strange one this but I nearly 6 months after my treatment finished I am still finding it difficult to open my mouth wide.Its not painful in any way.Its just seems my muscles cant cope with it

Not that strange really Robert.If you think of your muscles like a flower in full bloom that is soft and supple,then compare it to the flower after it has died and becomes all dried up and brittle.Your muscles have neen assaulted on several fronts,and they have tightened and shrunk.The only real thing you can do is the yawning exersise and over a period of time they may slacken off a bit and make life more comfortable.There is also the posibility of a post treatment condition called Trismus which you may ned help with.There is a mechanical aid called a therabyte which which you could look into.

liz

I got Trismus after RT. At first I could open my mouth about 15mm. After 10 years it's got up to about 25mm but that's about as good as it got. My restorative dentist gave up trying to make an obturator because every time he pulled the mould out of my mouth it wrecked it on my teeth because I couldn't open wide enough. It turned out to be a result though because I ended up having reconstructive surgery instead to block the hole and it's 200% better than an obturator . I wouldn't have opted for more surgery if the obturator had worked. Therabyte worked for stretching but within a minute of stopping my mouth tightened right down again. It didn't help long term. Everyone is different though so it's got to be worth a try if you're suffering.

Hello Robert

During surgery, trauma, or radiation therapy there is commonly secondary damage to the muscles around the tumor site. As this damage heals, the body forms scar tissue at the site. As this scar tissue ages it becomes less flexible. These changes result in the limited jaw motion that is called trismus. Try using a Therabite to overcome the limited opening. It is a more expensive (or you might borrow one) than using the wooden tongue depressors but is more effective.

You may find some of the advice in these past posts on trismus useful.

Best wishes
Vinod

Hey Robert!
I have the same problem.
When i yawn it stretches and hurts.
I can't even open my mouth wide enough to fit a banana in there! (Oooo-errr)
So peoples "big mouth" comments are quite unfounded thankyou very much!
All the best,
Michelle

Bananas are a big problem for me too!
Anne

So many jokes could come from this topic .......................................................................................

Easy tiger !!!!!

Why do I get the feeling I am in a "Carry on Movie" scene

Robert...
You know...
"Carry on Cancer" does have quite a ring to it!

I can only get a Teaspoon in my mouth and cannot chew at all, anyone else have this problem ans part of mytongue removed which means have to balace the food on the bit of tongue I have left and push it down with another spoonful of food I hope that makes sense!

paul

Yeah, same here. Have to gnaw on hot dogs, which are usually to spicy and bothersome to chew and swallow anyway. Mostly its a pain at the dentist trying to open wide enough to get the x-ray film in. Believe that the damage is permanent.

I was fine after my jaw settled down post op, but R/T reduced the freedom of movement. A year on I've got a fair amount back, certainly enough to almost eat normally. Bananas? No problem.