Hi, I had my upper molar removed almost two months ago. I had a bad infection in the tooth and I was given a course of antibiotics before the extraction.

Two - three weeks passed and the gum area healed well but I started to get pain and uncomfortable feeling in my jaw and cheek.

Then my teeth felt all sensitive as if they were going to fall out and it was an awful feeling. The dentist sent me for an x-ray and we could see that my sinus area was all white and he said this was an infection in the maxillary sinus.

The first set of antibiotics (I was on for a week -zenat), did nothing, i was then switched to amoxycillan, still with no signs of getting any better, my cheek swelled and was very red and hot to touch. Went to my GP by the third week and was given Doxycycline, antihistimene, nasal spay and painkillers, fast forward two further weeks down the line and I am still sitting here with the same problem/ feeling of infection and nothing seems to be getting rid of this.

I have been referred to ear nose and throat at the hospital and now waiting on a CT scan.

I am suffering and feel so tired so fed up of feeling ill like this. Does anyone have any tips or advice or been through anything like this before?

I am normally a healthy person but ever since this tooth extraction my health has really gone down hill and i'm fed up of having a swollen sore cheek, feels like this uncomfortable feeling will never leave.

Not sure if my sinus has also been perforated. Would be really useful if anyone had any advice. Thanks

When you go for your appts. and your CT scan. You might want to ask the doctor about leviquin, I am not sure of the spelling. This is a hard hitting antibiotic that is used for infections that are really bad or don't want to go away. It is the top of the line kind of antibiotic, and I would question your doctor about it as a possible course of action. I am so sorry you have this infection, and I know how bad you feel. I was given this drug after an ear infection refused to go away in 6 weeks of pain. It worked for me, when other antibiotics failed. Just a thought to bring up to your doctor. I hope you are able to get rid of that infection. ginnie

I had my upper molar extracted back in August and I had a sinus perforation. I never did get a sinus infection but it was slow healing and Oral Surgeon did have to go in and do a surgical debridement. When he did it he pushed up with an instrument and found out it closed on its own but it took a few months. We did Sudafed to dry Sinus out and Augmentin 875 2x a day for a week. I also feel as though my health declined afterwards. Not so much my health but my dental health. Now i am looking at 2 extractions again 1 on a root canal tooth and the other on the one next to it. They are lower but I fear a dry socket. I cry all the time cause my mouth is falling apart and with two small kids that need me i am not happy. Now I just had a root canal done by a very good dentist and I am hoping that it calms down because she was not able to out a temp crown on because it took to long and we ran out of time. I had about 10 injections cuz i could not get numb and my face is very sore. Dental work really gets you down.
I hope you are feeling better
Nicole

Hi fed up,

By any chance did the extracted tooth have a root canal in the past?

Infected teeth in the upper jaw can not only infect the sinuses but the infection can proliferate further into the head. Most of the time the infection in the sinus is not from the actual extraction, it is from the infected tooth. Sometimes the infected areas are neglected during the extraction or it is difficult to surgically debride the area completely.

Latent infections of this type are generally surgically debrided through an incision in the gum area and/or through the nasal passage. They can be very serious and can spread to other areas of the head. This infection should not be ignored, so please follow through with your ENT doctor and another oral surgeon that perhaps this ENT guy could recommend to you.

Please keep us posted on what's happening...
Bryanna

I have been reading some of these post n I'm glad to see im not imagine things . I had a root Canal done in this tooth but was not finished they put a temp n I never went back . After a while tooth cracked n I had to have tooth extraction on a wed. despite I had the root canal it is evident that the nerve is dead but even before I went for extraction I always felt sensitive to hot n cold. Anyway tooth was extracted n I went home n when novacaine wore off I was in pain the whole night called dr he put me on penicillin on Thursday. Since t the extraction my symptoms are pain back of my upper neck ,eat, Temple, eye socket n my glans are swollen. I also have heart palpitations n chest pain , very tired , sweats n very clammy, dizzy ness. I just feel ill went back to dentist n he thought it was dry socket n it wasnt. He said I should go to my family dr . What can it be ?!!!!#

I am no expert, just a friend who has had some unpleasant RC's. Glad you had it out. If your dentist has passed you off to your PCP. Perhaps an ENT visit would be better. You may have infection into the bone that needs treatment. You do sound sick, your primary may refer you to another specialist. These infections do make you sick. Bryanna will be here to talk to you. She is the best on NT for good dental advise. I wanted you to know that there is help here, and maybe advise on how best to proceed. I sure hope you get well soon. Dentists don't tell you that RC's aren't the best option from the beginning. Take care, and hang in there. ginnie

Hi sicky,

Just to help clarify some things for you...
During a root canal procedure the blood supply is cut off from the blood vessel to the tooth making the tooth non vital (dead). Although the tooth is no longer being fed nutrition via the blood it is still sitting in a live ligament and live bone. So root canaled teeth can be sensitive to temperature and/or chewing. Root canaled teeth are never healthy because they will always harbor dead nerve tissue inside of the tiny canals and eventually the bacteria spreads to the jaw, etc. So it's actually healthier for you that you had the tooth removed.

Your symptoms indicate you have an infection. It may or may not have anything to do with the infected tooth.... but it could be coming from the jaw bone where the tooth was because maybe the dentist did not remove the infected tissue and bone when he did the extraction.

It is best to consult with an oral surgeon as this is a dentist who deals with oral infections all of the time. You should bring the xray of this tooth with you to this appointment and the OS will take another xray to compare it.

If it is a bone infection, it would require immediate attention before it progresses. So this is not something that you should wait to get checked out.

Your medical doctor will not know if it is dental related and might just prescribe an antibiotic for you... but that medication alone will not cure an infection that is residing in the tooth socket. So it's best to see an oral surgeon first.

Hope this information is helpful to you. Please let us know how you are doing.
Bryanna

Wow, I could have written this this myself. You are not alone! I am going the same symptoms following the same procedure on a premolar with the same history. Although my cheek is not hot to touch, I feel that something is wrong and it seems like an infection to me. The OS is more concerned about the gum healing closed because I would not have an opening from my mouth to the sinus cavity anymore. I don't feel confident that when this heals closed it will stop the symptoms with all the sinus fluids.

Its nice to know that im experiencing the same sypmtoms as you! I was going to go into urgent care cuz I have been feeling dizzy, nausea, sweating, chills, blurred vision and a awlful taste in my mouth when I blow my nose or sniffle. I had a tooth extracted in my upper left side 5 weeks ago and it still hasn't healed yet?! so what was your outcome sicky?

Sinusinfect,

Did you have a sinus infection or sinus problem prior to the tooth being removed? Was the tooth previously root canaled? Did the dentist that extracted the tooth mention anything about the tooth being close to the sinus or that you had a sinus perforation?

I think you should see your dentist to evaluate your symptoms because if they are related to infection from the tooth, you will need to be treated with meds, etc.

It may also be wise to see you physician as well.

Bryanna