My story is lengthy, please bear with me. I am a 33 year old woman with a history of joint pain/fatigue for the past 12 years. It was diagnosed as 'fibromyalgia' three years ago. For the past four months I have had a flu-like illness (diagnosed as a virus in the ER). Not sure if it is relevant, or not. PCP told me that I had 'past Epstein-Barr virus exposure' in my recent blood tests.

One month ago I had tooth #14 removed. It had been root canaled 12 years ago, redone a few years later, and was a pain issue the entire time with poorly fitting crowns (I had three, the last one was by far the best). However, about two months ago I started getting a burning pain in the tooth area with swelling. The pain kind of felt like it was between by two molars and went up into the jaw. I was told at one point that a root may have been missed. I went to a well-regarded dentist and she gave me a cone CT scan and showed me the infection at the tip of a treated root. She told me that if it had been the fourth root, she'd rather treat that root than extract, but, since I'd had repeated issues with this tooth, her recommendation was an extraction and an implant or a partial (my preference, since I have health issues that some doctors think is fibromyalgia with sensitivities/allergies).

So, I get the extraction after being in a strange burning pain heck in the left side of my face. I assume that this could help me feel better as I'd had flu-like symptoms that were pretty bad for four months. I should mention that I'd been deterred from extraction many times over the years, and I weighed the pros and cons, so this was a big decision, but easy to make, due to pain.

The extraction was without sedation, it was 'less than ideal', according to the dentist, and it took many shots (more than I've ever had--the dentist said more than they give 250 lb folks, usually). At this point I'm worried. But, the infection makes it harder to dull the pain. During the procedure, my arms started to go numb on both sides, and I had to sit up. They finished the last half of the procedure with little/no pain relief. It was a very difficult experience, and I fully regretted not taking any sedation. Again, I'd hesitated due to sensitivities to drugs. I did not have a bone graft to avoid an immune response. The dentist did not want to stitch the site.

Fast-forward to the first night. I wake up with not just pain, but searing, acidic nerve pain, shooting into my scalp, my nose on the left side, my ear, and pins and needles pain down my neck, shoulders, and mostly left arm. I was terrified. I made it through the night, called the dentist the next day, and he basically told me that I was overreacting.

My husband had to take off of work to help me work through the intense, burning nerve pain. I missed sleep for many nights over two weeks. I went to the ER, had pain meds thrown at me, a bag of Levaquin and a script for it, that I could only make four days of before I stopped from intolerance. I became nearly suicidal (which is *not* like me, prior to the extraction, I was planning excitedly (even with fibro fatigue and a virus) for my brother's graduation) from the pain, grasping at straws at what cocktails I could tolerate/that would actually be effective in numbing this type of nerve pain. I called my father who lives 850 miles away and cried like a baby, telling him that I worried that something was seriously wrong. I felt neurological symptoms, like weak arms, rapid heartbeat, feeling 'off', etc. I had a bad virus prior to this extraction, including a couple of scary episodes of feeling confused, so I was really wondering if I made a huge mistake in taking the tooth out. All of the facets/nodes on the left side of my neck were huge, inflamed, and my neck, face felt hot, yet no fevers.

I went to see my local dentist, my PCP, ENT, and neuro, and all though the extraction site was clean, even though it still burned three weeks out.

I have had numerous blood tests ran for autoimmune disease, infection, mercury toxicity (the tooth contained mercury), adrenal insufficiency, Lyme disease, diabetes, so many things.

I have a cardiology appt tomorrow to check my heart function, because I woke up two nights gasping for breath, and my PCP just wants to be sure that it's functioning properly, especially since I have fatigue/palps. My next step is an MRI with/w/o contrast.

My point is that this was no regular procedure. It triggered an extreme nervous system response that paralyzed me with pain, fear (I was suddenly terrified to be alone), and scary symptoms. I now have periods of extreme fatigue, spaced-out feelings, burning skin, a strange sensation in my left eye, and attacks of terrible nausea. Last night, around 4pm to bedtime, I felt more like myself than I have in over a month. I was sad to realize that I was afraid to enjoy it, because it would go away. It did, and I awoke to burning in my scalp, nausea, what my husband says is an acidic smell in my mouth, and weepiness. The mood swings are probably the worst part, are totally strange, and, while a normal response to intense pain, still come on after having several nights of okay sleep.

In addition, I am not certain that my wound is healing properly (it's been 27 days). It's pink, has some burning in it at times, and the bone above the extraction site is tender to the touch. There is an issue with molar 15, in that it has kind of floated downward since the extraction and now my bite is off. I wear TMJ splints on my molars on both sides (I grind very hard), and I was only wearing them on my right side while the left side was healing in the first handful of days. I have noticed some white stuff in the wound, and after reading, I am concerned about fatigue being triggered by necrosis/poorly-healing bone. My dentist are hesitant to give antibiotics, and I understand why. But, I just don't know why I feel so unwell for much of the day. If anyone has a similar story or any advice, I would love to hear from you. This has been an emotionally destructive experience, simply because doctors don't seem to know, at all, what is happening to me. I don't want to be written off as 'anxious' or 'depressed' and that's it. I want to know why I had such a severe reaction and why I still have burning pain in the socket of my tooth at times/why it won't heal up quicker.

I have attached the best picture that I can get. Again, 27 days post extraction, the skin is red around the edge near tooth 15 with calculus. I am careful to clean it and rinse with saltwater, but it persists. You can kind of see the white spot in the center that collects there. I am concerned that it is pus. I have burning pain in my scalp as of right now, burning pain radiating from the extraction side into the left side of my upper palate and into my sinus (again, my sinuses are clean), and some scalp nerve pain (that I had a little of before the extraction). If you've made it this far, I commend you. And, I really hope that someone has some advice/helpful thoughts. I am going nuts with weird pains/worry. I do have Klonopin, but it gives me some rebound depression, so I only take it when I absolutely have to.

Note: I have tried flipping my picture several times, but it keeps showing up upside-down. That is not my lower jaw, that is my upper-left jaw with the extraction site.

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Hi greany,

I am in the dental field and can try to help you. I'm sorry you are going through all of this.... I can imagine how difficult it must be.

The molar behind the extraction has either dark stain or a cavity on the (mesial) side nearest the extraction. It also appears to have a chip out of either a filling an/or the tooth itself in the back biting portion (distal occlusal). Is the last molar removed or decayed? On the picture it appears very dark like a new extraction site or a badly decayed tooth.

Regarding root canals.... teeth that have been endotontically treated are never made healthy again. The procedure does not remove all of the necrotic nerve tissue from the microscopic canals rendering the tooth chronically infected. So this tooth has been infected for at least 12 years. So that will give you some indication of how sick this tooth and the bone had become. With that said, it is not all that unusual for someone to complain of lingering pain, burning pain, even neurological type pain after an extracted root canaled tooth.

What is interesting is that you had the tooth root canaled 12 yrs ago.... you've had joint pain/fatigue for 12 years. Could there be a correlation? Maybe. There has been a long history of chinese medicine that believes our teeth are connected to the rest of the body. Each tooth shares meridians or nerve pathways to other specific areas of the body. Here is a chart showing the correlation between the teeth and other areas of the body.
http://toothbody.com/wp-content/uplo...v2.1_rehme.swf

A few other things come to my mind while reading your post...

One.. you said you grind your teeth. This alone can and will cause various pain in the head, neck, face, shoulder...etc. Even more so when there is any trauma in the mouth like an infection and/or oral surgery. Wearing your occlusal guard on one side and not the other is bound to throw things off also.

Two... the antibiotic Levaquin is known for causing toxicity with lingering side effects... similar to what you have described. It is beyond an intolerance it is a toxicity. This has become a great concern over the last few years because so many people have become affected by it. Support groups are popping up like crazy. You may want to google levaquin toxicity and see if any of it relates to what you are going through. Make sure you mention the Levaquin IV and then your reaction to the oral rx to the cardiologist.

Three.... Are you rinsing with anything? The extraction site looks irritated, almost burned. Are you rinsing with Listerine or anything like that? Are you rinsing with peroxide or chlorhexidine (peridex)? Do you use a fluoridated and/or whitening toothpaste?

Bryanna

I am so curious to know the root cause of my problems and doctors just want to patch the pain.

Hi Greany,
I am new here. I am so sorry for your pain and strange symptoms. I also have many of the symptoms that you have described. I found out recently that I have a fistula in the roof of my mouth, which seems to be draining bacteria from an infection in tooth 15, which had a root canal about 2 years ago. It is next to a dental implant that was placed in 2008. I have had burning/tingling sensations and dull pain in the left side of my face, skull, eyes, and my ear feels full with changes in ear pressure. The fistula is often painful and it leaves a horrible taste and odor in my mouth. My tooth extraction is scheduled for next week, but I keep calling the oral surgeon's office to see if they can book me sooner.

The strange thing is that 2 1/2 years ago, I suddenly lost almost all hearing in my left ear (same side as infected tooth). This was followed by horrible tinnitus (buzzing/whooshing/crickets) that has never left me. I developed sensations of internal vibrations or tremors and learned that I had lost half of my vestibular functioning by tests my ENT did. I also developed these strange mood swings with tearfulness that would appear out of nowhere (no history of this!). After seeing numerous doctors, 9 months later, I was clinically diagnosed with Lyme Disease. My balance is better, but my hearing never came back.

Fast forward... I am now wondering if there is a connection between my hearing loss, tinnitus and this tooth infection. Also wondering if lyme disease lowered my immune system resulting in the infection or perhaps the other way around. I had multiple dental issues in the 2 years before my hearing loss and cascade of new symptoms. The tests for lyme disease are not very accurate, unfortunately, and there are many false negatives. That is what we figured out had happened in my case. Greany, I know our situations are totally different, but some of the symptoms we have are in common. I hope you will find some relief soon. You may want to get tested for Lyme disease by a lyme literate doctor if your symptoms continue, because it can mimic many diseases...

Bryanna, you are wonderful and I am in awe of your knowledge and thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing so much important information. I hope that I can start a post soon so I can discuss my upcoming oral surgery and this scary infection.

Wow, I am sorry that you're going through all of that. I hope that you find relief.

I am currently going nuts in pain. I extracted this tooth to help myself feel better, and instead, I triggered more pain that I ever could have imagined. I am currently sitting here with burning pain in the tooth adjacent to the extracted tooth, burning in my scalp, a feeling of fluid under my eye/pressure under the eye, burning in my ear, on the tip of my ear, and a strange taste in my mouth only on the left side with burning only on the left side of my tongue. My dentist is insistent there is 'no infection'. Needless to write, I am scared, and disheartened, and feel trapped in a weird hell.

Hi Greany,

What did the cardiologist say? Did he perform any tests? What were his thoughts on the Levaquin issue?

Are you still using the Peridex? I would stop using that if it were me because as I said previously the extraction site looks burned and that rinse could be irritating it. Salt water is truly the best and safest to rinse with.

Was there any sinus exposure when this tooth was removed? Was there an apical area (dark spot on the xray at or near the end of the root) on the xray indicating an infection at or above the root?

Do you have any sores in your mouth? Have you ever had shingles or herpes infection in the past?

Bryanna

Greany, could you go to a different oral surgeon or dentist for another opinion? It surely seems as though there is some type of infection brewing in there by the symptoms you are describing. It seems that if nothing is visible from the exam, your dentist or oral surgeon could order an MRI or cat scan to see what is going on in there.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to me!

grouphug:

Oh dear, I can relate to so many of you!!! Those of you still undergoing dental and related issues, hang in there. I think mine have finally cleared up after a year and a half, w other complications. Thank goodness. Be well, all!

Greany, how have you been doing? Any relief from some of your symptoms? Just checking in.