Tissue and Bone Loss
Dec 09
Radiation therapy can cause tissue and bone in the treated area to waste away. When tissue death occurs, ulcers may form in the soft tissues of the mouth, grow in size, and cause pain or loss of feeling. Infection becomes a risk. As bone tissue is lost, fractures can occur. Preventive care can lessen the severity of tissue and bone loss.
Treatment of tissue and bone loss may include the following:
- Eating a well-balanced diet.
- Wearing removable dentures or appliances as little as possible.
- Not smoking.
- Not drinking alcohol.
- Using topical antibiotics.
- Using painkillers.
- Undergoing surgery to remove dead bone or to reconstruct bones of the mouth and jaw.
- Receiving hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a method of delivering oxygen under pressure to the surface of a wound to help it heal.
