Originally Posted by bbano

Hi, I too have been having the exact same problems since a root canal two years ago. I've since had the tooth extracted and a dental implant placed - but still my condition is the same. I've been to every oral surgeon, ENT, allergist, jaw specialist (even a chiropractor) under the sun and nobody can figure out what the problem is. I'm very curious to see if anybody has any luck with their problem.

Originally Posted by Becdedo

I'm so glad I found this board. I'm going to apologize for the long post in advance. I have a tooth (I believe its #13) that had a root canal 10 years ago and never really got better. The dentist who did the work told me at 6 months that pain that long wasn't unusual and everything was fine. I have always had a lot of sinus issues and had sinus surgery to correct several issues about 5 years ago. The pain I felt in my tooth was unbearable while my sinuses healed. I went to a different dentist 3 years ago who sent me to an oral surgeon, who did another root canal on the same tooth. About a year ago the filling came out and I have had nothing but problems. I don't currently have dental insurance so I have been going to dental schools and dental clinics with sliding fee scales trying to get the tooth fix or preferably removed. They keep quoting me outrageously high fees to do yet another root canal. This past weekend I woke up in extreme pain and with a lot of facial swelling around that tooth. I went to the ER who put me on keflex (I'm allergic to penicillin and sulfas) and pain killers then referred me to another dental clinic. The dentist cleaned out the tooth and then tried to "open up" the abscess so it could drain. It didn't and caused more pain than I ever thought possible. I went back the next day in extreme pain, saw a different dentist who said it looked like the jaw is infected, once again tried to get the tooth to drain, and said I probably have a sinus infection when I mentioned that lots of pus had been draining out of my sinuses on that side. He told me to stop the keflex and put me on clindamycin and a stronger pain pill and said when it heals I need to get a root canal. A couple of other things-I notice the sinus/tooth problems either happen together or one after the other, and why can't I find a dentist willing to just extract the tooth? It's cost me thousands of dollars and more lost hours to debilitating pain that I would rather have put toward work and family. I checked the website I've seen mentioned several times but unfortunately there aren't any dentists in my area. I have been using cold packs several times a day, taking 600 milligrams ibuprofen every 6 hours, rinsing with warm salt water but am still not getting any relief.

Originally Posted by Becdedo

Thanks for your Reply Bryanna. I know the oral surgeon and the second dentist I saw this week both said that the roots sit right under the sinus cavity and that is why when one acts up the other soon follows. I have been begging to have the tooth pulled but haven't found anyone willing to do it for me because, "its a good tooth, we can save it." To which I usually reply, "I don't think it wants to be saved. Lets put it and me out of our misery and just pull it." It's reassuring to have my gut feeling backed up and hear that if I go for root canal #3 I'll just be prolonging the infections and pain. I have been trying to find someone who will set up some sort of payment arrangement with me so I can get the work done but so far no luck. I am starting a new job with dental insurance so hopefully I can get the work done soon. I did notice today that the pain and swelling are better overall, however I've developed a round lump under my eye on my cheekbone. It's warm and painful to the touch. I had cellulitis in my leg after a spider bite several years ago and it reminds me of that. I'll keep up with my search for someone to take out the tooth and thanks again! While it makes me feel less alone to see so many others having the type of problems, it seems to also say something about how the dental industry in the US pushes for more expensive, less effective treatment. Or maybe it's just me and the bad experiences I've had coloring my view.

Originally Posted by clvaughnsr

I am writing for my wife who has been experiencing pain on the left side of her face (cheek, jaw, ear, & face) ever since a wisdom tooth extraction in April 2009. To this date no doctor has been able to specify what exactly is wrong with her, nor can they offer relief. There are many details so I apologize in advance for my randomness:

Her initial complaint was tenderness in and around her upper left molars. Her dentist decided to extract the wisdom tooth himself rather than refer her to an oral surgeon. The procedure turned out to be more difficult than he anticipated and took nearly 30 minutes of pulling and prying to remove the tooth. The dentist told us weeks later that he also removed pieces of bone along with the tooth.

My wife was in a lot of a pain following the procedure, more so than was normally expected. We noticed the next day that her left jaw protruded right at the joint whenever she opened her mouth, but not on the right side. It wasn't like that before the procedure and it's never gone away. She has had an MRI, two CT scans, and numerous X-rays but so far no doctor has found anything they felt was out of the ordinary.

Over the last 18 months she has been to numerous doctors and specialists which include: General Practitioner, 2 ENTs, Chiropractor, Oral Surgeon, Physical Therapist, TMJ Specialist, and Allergist.

The TMJ doctor told my wife that she did have TMJ and treated her for a period of time. This treatment included medication and a bite guard that she wears at night. During his exams he stated more that once that something was odd about her left jaw area but couldn't pinpoint it. On her last visit he told her the TMJ was gone, but that she should continue the medications he prescribed (Flexeril and Arthrotec 50) and continue wearing the nighttime mouth guard.

In February of 2010 we adopted a cat. A few months later my wife began having a lot of nasal congestion and drainage. Our GP suspected allergies and it was confirmed with a blood test that she was indeed allergic to our new cat. We promptly gave the cat up, and cleaned our home top to bottom, steam-cleaned everything in sight, and purchased HEPA filters. Her allergy symptoms have improved, but have not completely gone away.

Here's a point that I find interesting. Whenever my wife has a lot of sinus drainage, her pain subsides somewhat. And when the drainage stops the pain increases. This cycle has happened many times over the past months, so we don't believe it's a coincidence. It's as if the sinus and jaw issues are inversely related somehow.

Also, since day one, my wife has noticed what she calls "swelling" inside the left side of her palette. None of the doctors can see what she's referring to, but she insists it's always there. And the area she's referring to is in the same place she had complaints about when first visiting the dentist.

There are so many more bits of information but I don't want to inundate anyone with them. My wife has been suffering for so long with this ailment and to this date she's no closer to relief than she was back in April of 2009.

She's had good days and bad days throughout all of this. She's a wonderful woman and deserves a break from the bad ones, once and for all.

Thanks for reading.

-Craig V.