McCarl Dental Group at Shipley’s Choice is delighted to sponsor the Wellness House Sporting Clays Classic. The Wellness House is a non-profit organization in Annapolis, Maryland dedicated to providing free programs and services to people whose lives have been touched by cancer. Wellness House programs compliment clinical care that cancer patients receive and are provided in a home-like setting.
You may be wondering, what is the relationship between dentistry and cancer care? Your dentist is an important member of the health care team during your cancer treatment. Excellent oral hygiene is vital prior to and during chemotherapy. Side effects of chemotherapy can include:painful mouth and gums,dry mouth, burning, peeling, or swelling tongue, infection and change in taste. Side effects happen most often when a person’s mouth is not healthy before they start chemotherapy.
Ideally, you should visit your dentist at least a month before starting chemotherapy or radiation therapy to check for plaque build-up on your teeth or periodontal disease as well as bacterial infections and nerve abscesses. Chemotherapy is given to kill cancer cells, however it can also damage normal cells – especially the cells in the mucosal lining of the mouth and throat that grow rapidly. Chemotherapy can compromise your immune system by lowering the number of white blood cells your body produces. This puts chemotherapy patients at higher risk for developing infections and decreased ability to fight infections. An oral infection that travels through your bloodstream can have very serious consequences.
At McCarl Dental Group, we frequently receive letters from physicians of our patients who are preparing to start chemotherapy asking us to ensure there are no oral diseases present that would jeopardize the success of their treatment.
For more information about dental care as it relates to chemotherapy, please visit https://www.mccarldental.com/blog/dental-care-for-chemotherapy/ .
Visit Annapolis Wellness House! All Wellness House programs and services are free of charge and available to cancer patients, survivors and their loved ones and caregivers. For a list of programs, please visit https://www.annapoliswellnesshouse.org/home