Hi Vowel Lady,
First of all, if your blood work was done anytime during the course of the antibiotics or even within several days after you stopped taking the antibiotic, your test results may not be accurate. Which means they should be repeated to check for inflammation and infection.
You said you're having weird dental problems..... are you referring to just the right side of your mouth or elsewhere?
The problem with tooth #31 had several contributing factors....
...The tooth was obviously broken down/decayed underneath the onlay which then required a bit more drilling away of tooth structure to place a crown on it. This could have resulted in trauma to the nerve which would cause the pain that you described. The fact that the new crown would break repeatedly indicates a problem with the way the tooth was prepared by the dentist and/or the way the top teeth occluded into this tooth.. meaning the occlusion (bite) is too strong on this tooth. So adjustments needed to be made to the top teeth to allow for a better fit.
Root canal therapy only made matters worse because it just causes more inflammation to an already inflamed tooth and the bacteria left behind in the tooth after this procedure sets up for a nice infection. So if you think about it... Tooth #31 had decay in it, then it was repeatedly drilled on, then the root canal added more insult to injury... therefore it was festering from the onset of the decay until it was removed.
I'm thinking your ongoing fever and other physical symptoms are not just related to #31 but also to the root canaled tooth in front of it tooth #30. The fact that the root canal filling is now exposed is not the real problem... the fact is that #30 is also infected as all root canaled teeth are and the trauma to #31 and that surrounding area of bone has stirred up the bacteria that's been living in an around tooth #30.
In all fairness to you, when #31 was being evaluated for a new crown... for the root canal.... and for the extraction... each one of your treating dentists should have been diagnosing #30 as well. Root canals are not able to cure infected teeth they simply allow a person to "retain" an infected tooth for an undisclosed amount of time. The the older the root canal, the more the tooth is infected.
Placing bone graft material in an area of jawbone that is not healthy can cause systemic symptoms..... referred pain to areas unassociated with the original site, fever, malaise, elevation in BP, etc.
Have you had any dental scans other than regular xrays?
Bryanna
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vowel Lady
I need of MAJOR help re: persistent low grade fever after an extraction (actual question below).
Background:For six months, I have been having weird dental problems and now they are potentially serious.
It actually started with NO problems.....no pain, fever...NOTHING. This concerns tooth #31 (lower right)
I had an onlay fall off. I went to the dentist and she said a crown would be better. She had GREAT problems putting on a crown. It broke repeatedly. Then, she put on one with permanent cement and it cracked before I left the office! Perhaps there are lab problems...I just don't know. Eventually, that tooth became over the top painful, I believe from the trauma.
I ended up with a root canal. The next thing I know, I had ear pain and a weird bump next to that tooth. I was dx'd with two sinus infections, but later an ENT checked me out and told me he didn't think they were sinus infections, but dental concerns.
Flash forward:
I went to a new dentist and extracted the tooth. He also did a graft. That was 11+ days ago. The actual surgery went well. I was on antibiotics...ended up on two of them at the same time. The only thing is next to the tooth that was extracted, I had a root canaled tooth from many years ago. During the extraction, it was ripped apart and the filling is exposed. The dentist has said repeatedly it is not of a concern, but considering the fever...I'm concerned.
Since the day after the extraction, I have had a low grade fever. 99 to 100 degrees. This is high for me. My blood pressure has gone up and my B Pressure medication had to be doubled. Also, my ear pain continues. Also had malaise.
I went to my internist and he is running many tests. So far, no sign of infection, so I got off the antibiotics. I did two CBCs before making this decision. AFter getting off the antibiotics, I feel generally a little better, but the low grade fever persists. And the ear pain persists.
I went back to the ENT and he said my sinuses look great. I went back to the dentist and he said the surgery site looks great.
There are still many, many tests that have not come back yet. I have to go to the hospital for a few more tests next week...biologic testing. The actual site of the extraction/bone graft looks good...no redness, etc. I've had little pain at the actual site of the extraction/bone graft.
Has anyone had a low grade fever for a VERY LONG TIME after an extraction? What might this mean? Other than blood work, what else might I look for?
I am very concerned.
Thank you.
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