Dental Assessments & Treatments
Dental assessment and treatments are available for all cancer patients. You may need a dental assessment and treatment if you:
- Will be receiving radiation therapy to your head or neck
- Need prosthetic care before or after head or neck surgery
- Receive treatment that weakens your immune system and increases your risk of infection. (Infections in your mouth from bad teeth or gums can lead to serious problems if not treated before cancer treatment)
- Are taking bisphosphonate medications (for example, pamidronate, Xgeva or Zometa) as part of your cancer care
- Will have autologous or allogeneic peripheral stem cell transplant or bone marrow transplant
Read more on the Dental Oncology & Maxillofacial Prosthetics website »
Please note: Most dental procedures
are not covered by OHIP.
Preventive Oral Care
We can customize a personal preventive oral care plan for you. First, we do what's necessary to make sure your mouth is healthy before your cancer treatment. We then help you maintain your dental health during and after treatment following your personalized plan.
Dental Implants
Dental implants (artificial tooth roots inserted into your jawbone) must be used with caution in people with cancer. If you need an implant, we will work closely with your oncologist to plan, place and attach the new tooth.
Facial Prosthetic Rehabilitation
Facial prosthetic rehabilitation includes intra-oral prostheses, surgical healing splints and facial prostheses. These are made on-site to help restore the form and function of the face, mouth, nose and ears.
We also treat patients referred to us by cardiac, hepatic and organ-transplant programs and by advanced medicine and surgery programs.
Suspicious Lesion Mouth Screening
At the Mouth Screening and High-Risk Oral Lesion (HROL) clinics, an
oral pathologist looks inside your mouth and checks any suspicious lesions, such as ulcers, lumps, bumps, red patches or white patches.
Some oral conditions can be diagnosed by how they look. Sometimes the pathologist will have to take a small sample of tissue from the lesion. This is called a biopsy. The tissue sample is examined under a microscope to determine what it is.
Follow-Up Dental Care and Returning to Your Family Dentist
We offer follow-up dental care after your cancer treatments are finished. Later, you can return to your family dentist for ongoing dental care and check-ups. We will tell you when you can return to the care of your family dentist.
Your family dentist plays an important part in your dental care after cancer treatment. You and your dentist should:
- Schedule dental exams and cleaning more often
- Use dental x-rays to look for infections that can’t be seen by the naked eye
- Address problems when they are small
