Dental Advice for Patients After Head and Neck Radiation Therapy Download PDF, 1.48MB, PDF Radiation therapy (RT) may be necessary to treat cancer. It uses radiation to kill cancer cells. However, this may damage healthy cells and tissues near the treatment area. RT may also result in long-term side effects such as: Dry mouthTooth decayPoor Wound Healing and Osteoradionecrosis Read on to find out more about these side effects and how you can maintain good oral hygiene after radiation therapy. [Please download the PDF file if you are unable to view the image below.]