Hi laurynn,

Your description of your dental problem indicates an infection in what is called a retained tooth up in your maxilla bone and it's possibly partially located in your sinus cavity as well. This is a very different issue from the other posts discussed on this thread here. Your tooth is not present/visible through the bone or gum tissue because it never came down with your other teeth. The other questions here are about teeth that are present (visible) in the mouth and their roots are located in or near the sinus. Different issue altogether.

Your oral surgeon has performed this type of surgery many hundreds of times in 30 years of practicing dentistry. It is a complicated procedure in that he needs to get adequate access to the tooth in order to remove it and that is a bit tricky considering where it is. Depending on how far up it is and how close to the sinus it is will determine if he has to enter the sinus or not. Again, he is well versed on this procedure and will know what to do when he gets in there. Any incisions he makes will be sutured closed and post operatively you will need to take a few days to rest and take extra good care of yourself. It is important to plan a nutritious soft diet ahead of time so it's one less thing to think about at the time. Make sure you have plenty of water to drink and a really great natural homeopathic pain reliever is called Arnica Montana. It can be bought online or at a health food store. It comes in small vials and the pellets are put under the tongue every few hours. You can actually start taking it twice a day a few days before the surgery. Homeopathy is very helpful in reducing swelling and pain for all oral surgery if it is taken properly. The pellets should never be touched, use the cap of the vial to place them under your tongue and you should not eat or drink for one hour after you take them.

As for the post operative problems with your sinuses...... that all depends on how extensive the infection is into the sinus.... how much of it he can remove..... how much of the sinus is affected by the infection.... and your body's own natural healing abilities. It is imperative to be healthy during the healing phase of this surgery. Avoid illness as best as you can, keep yourself well nourished and well hydrated with water...... avoid sugary foods, hard to digest foods, and empty carbs because they all lower the immune system.

I know this is scary but you will be ok. Are you being put to sleep for the procedure?

Bryanna