Side Effect Support, supporting patients through cancer and beyond

Thank you to Young Dental for the opportunity to share information about Side Effect Support in the Hygienicated Blog!

By Jill Meyer-Lippert

March 31, 2022

According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in every 2 women and 1 in 3 men in the US will develop cancer within their lifetime. (1) In 2022 alone, there will be an estimated 1.9 million new cancer cases diagnosed in the US. (2) There are many types of cancer therapies and complementary medications used in the treatment process that can affect a patient’s mouth. As a dental health provider, do you feel prepared to help your patients or a loved one who may face a cancer diagnosis?

 As I was starting my career in dentistry (about 30 years ago), witnessing my own mother suffer from very painful dry mouth and mouth sores from chemotherapy thrust me into a quest for answers. She was already suffering in so many other ways from her treatments with a radical mastectomy, extreme exhaustion, hair loss, and nausea, it felt unacceptable that her oncology team was unable to provide her with more guidance or relief. It felt even more frustrating to realize that my new dental connections and dental hygiene instructors couldn’t provide me with answers. After all, it’s the mouth!

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