Thank you for all of the information pained. I will definitely look into it. That is some scary stuff.
I am on day 11 after my extraction. I have been on 2 different antibiotics and have been seen by an OS 3 times, including an emergency visit on Saturday night for an abscess drainage. The abscess is as large as it was on Saturday. I am going back tomorrow for a follow up, which will include another drainage, I assume. For some reason the antiobiotics, first Zithromax and then clindamycin, are not working. I am allergic to penicillins. Ugh!

I hope you are feeling better, Buster! Any updates on how you are doing?

Hi Buster,

So sorry for my delay in replying to you. I have been so busy with school and work.... will try to make up for some lost time here.

Did YOU bring up anything about the sinus being involved or did you just assume that the dentist would just automatically mention it to you? This is something you have to bring up to him as he may not think it's something he needs to tell you. Some patients do not want to know too much and some dentists make that assumption automatically.

Tooth #13 can be sore from the extraction procedure due to the bone being traumatized during the removal of the adjacent tooth.

He thought there might be a fracture? Did he elaborate on that at all?
Sometimes the buccal ridge portion of the bone is fractured during the removal of a tooth. But this can usually be seen on a post op xray.

Did he take the xray? Can you post it here?

Bryanna

Hi Buster,

I just replied to your previous post to me. So please look for that okay.

The information about the disinfectants used during root canal therapy as "pained" wrote about are a very important topic. They certainly warrant attention simply because people should be informed of their toxicity. It is very true that formocresol is something that is never "safely" used in the mouth. It is also true that once it is used, there is no way to rinse it out as that is the purpose of using it.. to continue to kill off all live tissue. So yes, there can be residual problems in the bone, sinus and beyond when formocresol has been used during a root canal procedure.

You can find out what was used by requesting your dental records from the dentist who did the root canal on #14. Legally he had to record what he used. Do not tell anyone at the office when you request the records why you want them as it is too easy to alter them. Keep in mind that no one can refuse to give you your records, they are legally your property.

I have a feeling that the abscess is sinus related and the only way to determine what antibiotic is effective in treating it would be to have the bacteria swabbed and cultured. An oral surgeon or perhaps an Ear Nose and Throat specialist would do this. Infections, especially those related to the mouth and sinus, can contain multiple species of bacteria. Repeated antibiotics are not going to kill off the bacteria unless they are sensitive to the species of bacteria causing the infection. It is not healthy to be on antibiotics in the first place, never mind repeated dosages that are obviously ineffective.

If your dentist is not willing to check further into the cause of your infection, then please seek a different oral surgeon. Also you may need to consult with an ENT physician as well.

Are you taking a probiotic? I may have asked you this before, I just don't remember. It is imperative that you take a multi strain probiotic as by now you have lost a great deal of healthy intestinal bacteria and can end up very sick from that. A good multi strain probiotic is made by Custom Probiotics. They have a few different ones but the one I use is the Adult Formula CP-1. There are several places online that carry it. The place I purchase mine from is pureformulas.com.

Bryanna

Well, things are finally better! I had my gums drained. After that the throbbing and pain went away, but they were still swollen. A few days later I accidentally hit that area with my toothbrush. It bled like crazy and I thought it was a bad thing, but the swelling went away and everything cleared up a few days later.

Before all of that, I asked the oral surgeon to take an X-ray, but he said the small bones wouldn't show up, so no X-ray.

I asked the oral surgeon if I could have a hole into my sinuses. He said they normally close on their own and we should wait. I contacted my ent and he said the same thing.

I asked theOS about sargenti paste and he said nobody in this area (madison, wi) uses it. He said my X-ray from before the extraction shows gutta percha, not sargenti. Thanks

Hi Buster,

So you had an incision and drainage done again in that same area. I am glad that it's feeling better but to be honest, I know exactly what your dentist is doing and I think you may have a pocket of infection that keeps filling up and it could be in relation to your sinus. A radio graph should have been taken as that may have be helpful to see if that is what is happening. Also, I am concerned that the OS has not confirmed that there was or was not a communication into your sinus. He should be making that diagnosis very clear as to one or the other.

Not all sinus perforations heal on their own especially those that are open due to infection and the OS and ENT are completely aware of that.

If this fills up again, please see a different oral surgeon and make sure an xray is taken.

Regarding the sargenti paste issue.... just so you know it is unfortunate that the dentists that often use this stuff, do not admit to it and there is no governing body to tell them to stop using it. Besides that there are other products that contain formaldehyde or a comparative substance that is used during the root canal therapy. Unless the treating dentist honestly discloses what he used, no one would ever know.

Bryanna


QUOTE=Buster23;1110223]Well, things are finally better! I had my gums drained. After that the throbbing and pain went away, but they were still swollen. A few days later I accidentally hit that area with my toothbrush. It bled like crazy and I thought it was a bad thing, but the swelling went away and everything cleared up a few days later.

Before all of that, I asked the oral surgeon to take an X-ray, but he said the small bones wouldn't show up, so no X-ray.

I asked the oral surgeon if I could have a hole into my sinuses. He said they normally close on their own and we should wait. I contacted my ent and he said the same thing.

I asked theOS about sargenti paste and he said nobody in this area (madison, wi) uses it. He said my X-ray from before the extraction shows gutta percha, not sargenti. Thanks[/QUOTE]

I just read this and am wondering if the OP Buster is still around and how did all of this finish???

I've read too many threads here that have no ending, no updates.

It would be so great if more people would keep reporting and updating on their case. I think it is important. I think many more of us could learn and benefit from sharing our stories. Too many times a thread just stops - all while the OP is still having issues - and then we can never learn. I guess the world is not ideal, but I cannot believe that all these "no-completion" people just disappear or lose ability to write and therefore can never tell their story in full!

I guess you may say I'm a dreamer (but I'm not the only one ) ... so I am appealing to whoever reads this and has a story to tell and asks for help here - to keep telling it until the resolution. I think it is fair - you ask for help, you get help, therefore you should give something back, shouldn't you!

And at the same time - a very big thank you to all those people who keep updating us with their progress as they go through their dental ordeal!

Femlex,

It seems that people only come to a "dental forum" when they have a problem. Dentistry is not a favorite topic for most people.... me included!!

But it would be nice to hear back from those that have shared their story with us to give an update on how they're doing. I do have a feeling that there may be a lot of people reading these threads, both established posters and non members, who stop by often just to read. Which is okay too!

Bryanna