Q: I was diagnosed as having cancer in my mouth 4 years ago. That time I could close my mouth slowly. I was operated upon and after a few days when radio therapy was completed, it came back to normal. Then I was advised a second operation which failed. I could not open my mouth by even a quarter of an inch. I could not eat solid food so had only liquidised food and drinks. My teeth are not aligned. It is a terrible situation. My consultant advised a 3rd operation but the percentage of success is only 30%. What should I do, please advise.

A:The difficulty in opening the mouth is partly due to the surgical management (half jaw is removed some times) and partly due to fibrosis, after radiation. It may be difficult to open the mouth with simple conventional means. Surgery may be the only option to improve the opening and the surgeon may be able to adjudge after evaluating the case.