Reconstruction can replace the bone and dentures can be made to accommodate chewing. Radiation therapy is a type of therapy, which targets cancers locally. For example, if the head and neck region is treated with radiation therapy for plasmacytoma, only that part of the body would be affected. As a result, the side effects of treatment are also localized. If a person is to be radiated in the head and neck region, a dental consult is usually obtained prior to treatment.
Chemotherapy is a systemic type of cancer treatment.
That is, chemotherapy enters the body and treats the whole body. The purpose is to treat any cancer cells that may not be addressed with localized therapy. One of the side effects of chemotherapy is inflammation of the mouth lining, thus breaking the first barrier between organisms and the blood stream, as well as a reduction in blood counts, making a person more susceptible to infection. If a person has unhealthy teeth, an infection could arise and, during chemotherapy, spread due to the low blood counts. An infection in the bloodstream can make a person very ill and, may be, life threatening.