Booklet - The Oral Health Care Before and After Radiotherapy

2. Pay attention to the diet To ensure a fast recovery, a balanced diet is important. However after radiotherapy, the secretion of saliva will be reduced. You need to choose foods which are soft and have high water content, in order to aid swallowing. You should avoid eating foods such as potato crisps and biscuits which are hard and coarse as well as spicy and hot foods etc., in order to avoid hurting the oral mucosa. Furthermore, you should reduce the snacking frequency in-between regular meals so as to reduce the incidence of dental decay. 3. Using fluoride mouthwash daily The use of fluoride can effectively prevent dental decay. Therefore, apart from using fluoride toothpaste every day, it is important to use fluoride mouthwash before and after meals; and before bed; only then can the teeth be given additional protection from dental decay. When choosing mouthwash, you should consult your dentist or doctor.