Hi Bryanna,

My dentist took some x-rays and said that the RC teeth are not looking good (dark areas around the roots). He said that the options would be re-treatment or extraction, and given my range of symptoms and the fact that the onset of the symptoms coincided with the initial RC, that surgical extraction by the oral surgeon would be the way forward.

I then saw the oral surgeon, he looked at the x-rays and he agreed that the RC teeth are not good. But before proceeding with the extraction, he wants to investigate my submandibular gland first (it swells slightly every time I eat), so I'm waiting for a CT scan appointment. He said that he wants to rule out the possibility of my symptoms being caused by some sort of long-standing chronic inflammation/infection in the gland. The ultrasound of the gland from last week showed no stones, but he wants a CT scan to be sure.

Bryanna, in your experience, have you seen this kind of submandibular gland behavior as a result of RC infection?

Hi dr teeth,

A couple of things....

Dark areas around the roots of root canaled teeth indicate that the bacteria from inside the tooth has spread to the bone. This does not mean that the infection has "moved out" of the tooth and into the bone making the tooth healthy again. It means the tooth and the bone are diseased. I just wanted to clarify that for you and everyone reading this.

Re treatment will not alter the infection because it will not remove the dead infected nerve tissue inside of the tiny canals.

I concur with the oral surgeon ..... remove the infected teeth, clean up the bone. It is wise to have the scan to evaluate the submandibular gland. Yes, infected teeth can and will infect the glands. This is just another health risk associated with "retaining" a chronically infected and/or root canaled tooth that is never explained to a patient prior to performing the rc procedure.

The scan may or may not be totally conclusive with the origin of the infection in the gland unless it shows a direct tract from the area of the oral infection to the gland. But that still would not rule out the correlation between the two. The scan will give the surgeon a clearer view of the total picture which is important to know before he removes those teeth as this will offer him a particular approach in treating this both during surgery and post operatively.

What did the surgeon say about the #14 site? How is that area feeling by the way?

Bryanna

Hi Bryanna,

Thanks for the excellent info.

I'm glad to hear that you agree with the surgeon. I'm strangely reassured to hear that infected RC teeth can infect the glands - it just proves even more to me that the RC teeth are probably to blame for all this. I really hope that once the source of the infection is removed, the other symptoms will resolve. I've read many horror stories about people who go for years with similar mystery symptoms, and many find that their lives return to normal when RC teeth are extracted.

He didn't say anything yesterday about the #14 site. Last week, he said that in his opinion, it should be left alone for now. I asked my dentist to x-ray it yesterday, and there was no indication of infection. It has been throbbing occasionally, maybe once every few days. Nothing painful, just a mild throb.

dr teeth,

The #14 site... could that be a sinus issue?? Does it throb if you bend over with your head down towards the floor? Or when you lay down?

Bryanna

Hi Bryanna,

Perhaps it is a sinus issue! A friend once told me about being on holiday and visiting a dentist for an upper toothache, only to find that it was a sinus issue. I tried bending over to see if I could persuade it to throb, but no luck. The last time I noticed it, I paid close attention to it and the throb went up under my eye, so I suppose that might be consistent with a sinus issue?

It usually seems more localized around the #14 site, but as I mentioned, my friend was absolutely convinced that he had a toothache when it turned out to be a sinus issue.

It would be good if the #14 site doesn't need to be opened up again and debrided!

dr teeth,

It could very well be a sinus issue with throbbing that goes up under your eye. It could also be a nerve issue that is healing.

I would inform the doctor doing the scan for the gland to make sure to scan the #14 site if at all possible. Better to get it all diagnosed at once instead of having to do that multiple times.

Bryanna


QUOTE=dr teeth;1002112]Hi Bryanna,



Perhaps it is a sinus issue! A friend once told me about being on holiday and visiting a dentist for an upper toothache, only to find that it was a sinus issue. I tried bending over to see if I could persuade it to throb, but no luck. The last time I noticed it, I paid close attention to it and the throb went up under my eye, so I suppose that might be consistent with a sinus issue?

It usually seems more localized around the #14 site, but as I mentioned, my friend was absolutely convinced that he had a toothache when it turned out to be a sinus issue.

It would be good if the #14 site doesn't need to be opened up again and debrided![/QUOTE]

That's a great point, Bryanna! I'll mention it when I arrive for the scan. I got the call today - the scan is next Monday.

Update: I had my CT scan last Monday. It was a scan of the neck, but I was told that it would also go up as far as my sinuses/eyes. So that was good news! I met the oral surgeon on Wednesday for the results. First up, the good news - he definitely agrees that the RC teeth have to be extracted. Then he told me that the scan revealed stones in the submandibular glands - a 2mm stone in the left gland, and a 4mm stone in the right gland. They're located too far into the glands to be fished out with an endoscope/basket. He told me that he would not be too concerned about the small stone, but he is concerned about the larger one. The only option he can offer me is surgery to remove the right gland.

Bryanna, I'm sure you know the sort of risks with this surgery - possible facial nerve damage and/or numbness of the tongue. I know you think more holistically than most doctors/dentists/surgeons, so I would be eager to hear your thoughts. I found another post on this forum where you mentioned a homeopathic approach for stones. The thoughts of surgery because of a tiny calcium stone seems pretty extreme! I did a bit of searching and also found an apparent case of a salivary gland stone being dissolved using Reiki.

In the meantime, my plan is to go ahead with the extraction of the RC teeth as soon as possible, and to look for a practitioner in the field of Reiki, homeopathy or maybe Chinese medicine, and to leave the gland surgery as an absolute last resort. Besides, maybe it's possible that the stone situation might begin to resolve itself when those infected RC teeth are extracted?

Hi dr teeth,

Well I am relieved to hear that the oral surgeon agrees that the lower rc teeth need to be removed! To think that your dentist told you these teeth were okay!! Unbelievable :/

Stones in the sub mandibular glands can cause a decrease in saliva and also a nasty infection. I would be most concerned about what caused them to prevent them from reoccurring. They could be from certain medications, diet, illness, or trauma. Sometimes they form in people who do not drink enough water. Just for an example.

I would also consult a head and neck surgeon for his opinion as they tend to have various techniques in removing the stones.

Yes, consult with a chinese herbalist, nutritionist.... sure!
Keep in mind that something in your lifestyle, diet, etc are causing these stones. Are they related to your dental problems.....maybe. But you have to figure out the cause so you can alter what needs altering to prevent new ones from forming. Then work on dissolving the ones that you have.

Bryanna

Hi Bryanna,

Thanks for the great info!

The oral surgeon I'm dealing with is also a maxillofacial surgeon, so he deals with head, neck, mouth, jaws - the whole lot! He's one of the top surgeons in the country where I live. Would you still recommend another opinion, or would you be satisfied that he's the guy to be dealing with? I've made arrangements to proceed with the RC extractions, and to put the gland surgery on hold for the time being.

Thanks for that! I have found someone, and I will be seeing her once a week for at least the next few weeks. I already feel a bit better after the first session a few days ago.

I will have to wait for a few weeks to get a hospital appointment for the extraction. I'll post updates when I have some news!