Hi bbano,

The most common dental problems seen in every dental office have to do with root canaled teeth or areas of the mouth where root canaled teeth use to be. Even once the tooth has been removed, there will still be at minimum, remnants of bacteria lingering in the jawbone. Sometimes the bacteria is more extensive than others due to the longevity of the infection and/or the immune system of the patient. Most people are unaware not told that they have a problem until they develop a large swelling.

The warning signs of an ongoing infection are similar whether the tooth is still present or extracted, with a few exceptions.....bad breath, bleeding or inflamed gum(s), sour or salty taste, achy or tenderness felt in one area moreso than another, the on/off formation of pimples (called fistula's) high up in the gum area along the bony ridge, loose tooth (teeth) or crown, gum recession, deep pocketing, temperature sensitivity, swelling.....etc.

If the dental implant was placed in bone that was not healthy and/or the sinus was perforated or the mandibular canal was nicked during the placement, then you will experience symptoms similar to those of an ongoing tooth problem. Dental implants placed in healthy bone with no complications, do not feel like anything.... there is an initial sensation during chewing of the "tooth" being firmer than a natural tooth because there is no ligament surrounding the implant as there is with a natural tooth, but that sensations
subsides in time.

Obviously, you feel that your overall health is being affected by this dental issue. Did you inform the ENT, the allergist, the jaw specialist, and the chiropractor that you had a root canaled tooth extracted prior to the dental implant? Did you by chance give them the history of that tooth prior to the root canal, meaning was the tooth infected or broken.. and for how long? Was it root canaled once... twice? Also, how long after the extraction was the implant put in? Did the dentist place bone graft material prior to the implant placement? All of these things give the history of the longevity of the problem and they are meant to give them a clearer perspective of what may be going on there.

Bryanna