dental problems after treatment

my husband had nasal cancer. the drs. said to save his teeth go to dentist before treatment. well we live in saginaw michigan he paid 3,000 dollars to aspen dental to save his teeth. they said it would save them. well now after radiation/chemo his teeth are falling out and apart. we need help no dental insurance. he needs to get his mouth checked out. any ideas? we have blue cross and he has medicare. someone should cover this. since its not a routine care. should we talk to his oncologist also? the treatments ruined his good teeth. a bridge he had also fell out!

Hi Laura,

I posted to you on another board as well - don't want to bother you with a repeat but did want to make sure my message reached you.  Your husband needs a dental oncologist.  I see you are in Michigan.  I would look for a dental oncologist in the nearest city and get your husband to him.  We're in Omaha and we have only one - he is affiliated with the University of Nebraska Medical Center - perhaps the University of Michigan Medical Center has a cancer treatment center?  Read my other post for more info.  Also - our insurance (United Health Care) paid for my husband's treatments with his dental oncologist.  I did not expect them too - our plan makes it very clear that it does not cover dental services.  Our DO's office told us our medical insurance would cover his services - and they did 100%.  So don't assume you need dental insurance.  Find a DO and talk to them about your insurance coverage - they will know.  I wish you the best. With everything related to throat cancer treatment - chemo, radiation, feeding tubes, on and on - the only thing my husband feared about the whole thing was losing his teeth.   I hope you can find a DO close by who can help you. 

Hi Laura,

I'm sorry - but I am still thinking about you and your husband.  What did Aspen dental do for your husband to "protect" his teeth and for $3000?  I'm feeling a little upset for you that they did this because our oncologist told us that a regular dentist has absolutely no training on how to protect teeth from radiation and what dental treatments must be done in advance.  I don't know what they did or if they claimed to be "dental oncologists" but if they didn't, sorry, you might want to talk to an attorney about getting that money back from them.  I'm not a person who believes in taking financial disputes through the courts, but if they misled you and your husband and caused him his kind of suffering and emotional pain - well that's justification to get the courts involved.  Please let us know how you're doing and if you're able to find a dental oncologist to help your husband.  My thougths are with you both!