Hi aliya,

Sometimes the dentists will take a "wait and see" approach which means they will monitor your growth pattern and determine if or when the impacted tooth should be moved or removed. So it is important for you to see your dentist every 6 months so they can intervene at the right time.

Try not to worry about it. There is nothing you can do to change this situation. Just mark your calendar every six months for your next dental visit and ask your parents to schedule you an appointment.

Bryanna

Hi ginnie,

So glad to hear you are almost done with your dental work....and everything is going well.... YAY!!!!!

Thanks so much for keeping an eye out for everyone here..... ;-)

Bryanna

I've just joined this forum, but not sure if it is still 'live'. I really hope so!

Bryanna - your posts have been so informative, and I've spent the last couple of hours reading all the old messages. I feel much more confident with my visit to the dentist this afternoon.

I have had an ongoing 'niggle' with a cracked tooth for 8 years. I have had it refilled twice, and several months ago an overlay was added, but still I have the minor discomfort and reaction to cold liquids. I notice it more when lying down but that could be because I'm not distracted!

I have just had a consultation with ENT because of ongoing sinus issues. I'm referred for an MRI next, as he couldn't find any evidence of sinusitis, but I can feel the throbbing in my upper molar radiating up into my face. I have had repeated sinus infections. I also have post nasal drip.

I now wish to have the tooth extracted, but would it be best to have a cone beam CT scan to check the root/sinus area first? Or will the MRI reveal enough information about the tooth as well as the sinuses?

Fingers crossed you are still around.
Thanks again
Lynney

Hi Lynney,

Cracked teeth can be a chronic problem depending on where and how big the crack is. Sometimes a crown will fix the problem but if the crack is in the root structure, a crown will have no effect on it. Root canaling a cracked tooth does not solve the problem it just exacerbates it. Total waste of money.

If you are having chronic sinus issues... it could be related to this tooth. The fact that the tooth bothers you more when you lay down can be indicative of sinus involvement. What did the dental xray of this area show? Can you post it here?

Bryanna

patients chew ice and other hard objects that crack teeth all the time. It's a problem that we need to raise awareness of. If the tooth isn't fixed timely, it certainly can lead to "deeper" issues.

Hi there,
Just read a lot of the previous posts seems to be a lot of responses that make sense here. I learned a lot. six months ago I finally got to start going to the dentist to deal with my mouth, have chronic periodontal issues that had been put on the back burner due to other injury issues. I also started grinding and clenching while sleeping after being injured due to stress most likely. the dentist came up with a treatment plan that included root planing, injectable antibiotics and 3 teeth were slated for probable removal.
I have taken oral antibiotics last spring as well as now because of the number two molar mainly being infected, one of the ones slated for removal. It has been chronic and has gotten acutely painful, radiating up through my ear into my temple and down to my tonsil on that side. I also have swelling of the palate near that tooth as well as pus. I also have chronic sinus problems and headaches and didn't realize until I just read the posts here that they could be related. I called my dentist and they lined me up to have the tooth extracted within an hour of my call at a dentist I had never seen but I was kinda freaked out so I asked for antibiotics instead but they are not helping very much.
I am getting from your site here that I really need to get the tooth pulled for sure and soon. could you tell me what I should say to the dentist who does the extractions to make him aware that I may have sinus and or bone issues as well? I am very worried about this whole thing, I am supposed to have bariatric surgery next month and don't want to compromise that or my recovery. Thank you

I will answer a bit here, and welcome you to Neuro talk. I agree those infected teeth need to come out. However if you are not getting the feedback, and information from your dentist, don't have that person do the extractions. You need an oral surgeon, as there are other issues involved such as infection, that sounds extensive. You need to be 100% sure of all that your physician wants to do ahead of time, not have problems after, that were not addressed before the proceedure. I hope Bryanna will come by for more adequate explainations. She is by far the best for knowledge as she has been in the profession for many years. Call an oral surgeon, and tell him of your problems, I don't think they will make you wait long under the circumstances you have. Keep us informed, and Neruo Talk will be here for you. I sure know about being afraid at times too. ginnie

Thank you for the welcome Ginnie,
I realize it is the weekend and a holiday one so Bryanna may not be on line right now. It is good to have support in these specific dental problems it is too hard to explain to people around me.
I looked up the Dr. my dentist referred me to after I posted last night and he is an oral surgeon so that is the right step at least.
I think partly the reason this got so acute is that the dental guard I was fitted with in August still allowed my back teeth to be grinding and my dentist said that was why my back teeth had gotten so bad in the last few years. It seemed to help at first but I think my jaw got around it. I am concerned about grinding when I sleep preventing the extraction site from healing when I have tooth pulled.
Hope you are doing well, Terry

Yeh you are not alone in dental issues for sure. Glad the man is a oral surgeon, just make sure he "talks" to you. Some of their chair side manners aren't all that good with some of them.
I too let my teeth go for over 10 years. I had 9 sugeries in that time, and actually couldn't figure out a time inbetween where I had to do dental work, much less the money it costs. I owe alot to a very compassionate doctor now, but my teeth are in good shape. Had three removed, but no infection. It was my gums, and surgery was out due to cost. We all do what we can Terry. Hope your issues are resolved soon, and that the infection goes away once and for all. There are guards you can purchase even at Walgreens to prevent clenching of teeth or grinding. take care. ginnie

Hi Terry,

I'm in the dental field and can offer you some help here. I am going to list some significant issues that need to be addressed PRIOR to your bariatric surgery. It may be in your best interest to postpone that until your mouth is in better health because the overall infection (from the teeth and your periodontal disease) are a systemic concern and the bacteria could compromise your surgical outcome. Antibiotics are NOT enough to bring your situation under control. So please understand that irrelevant of how much antibiotics you are taking, the infection is still present until it is physically removed.

1) ALL of the teeth that are to be extracted, should be done ASAP and definitely before any periodontal treatment. Infections in the teeth, especially long term, are not limited to just the teeth... the bacteria rapidly spreads to the jawbone and surrounding tissue which means it is also in the blood stream.

2) Periodontal disease is not limited to just the mouth. When left untreated, it becomes a systemic infection in which the bacteria flows through the bloodstream throughout the rest of the body. Various organs can become affected over time and often symptoms of that go unnoticed or misdiagnosed. So it is imperative to get this disease under control especially BEFORE undergoing any other surgical procedure or you risk systemic complications.

3) The physical problems you are having associated with tooth #2 indicates the spread of that infection. In order for it to travel into the palate, the sinus and the tonsil means it is has become systemic. Removing the tooth is an integral part of the treatment to reduce this infection because the tooth is the original source. Some of your symptoms may temporarily subside once this tooth is removed. However, the bacteria from your periodontal disease and your other infected teeth will keep the infection active.

With regard to the injectable antibiotics that are done following periodontal treatment..... these are given via a syringe but they are not "shots" as you may imagine. A cartridge of the medication is loaded into a syringe that has a skinny tube at the end. This tube is gently placed in the pocket between the tooth and the gum. This procedure is done after the root planing procedure.

I know this information is not easy to hear and I'm pretty certain your dentist has not gone into such a descriptive explanation. I believe patients have the right to be properly informed. It is the only way for you to understand your situation and make smart decisions that you believe to be in your best interest.

In your case regarding the extractions... an oral surgeon is most experienced at dealing with these cases. With the proper radiographs he will be able to see the relation between the tooth, the infection and your sinus cavity.

Ideally it would behoove you to get a game plan down with your dentist. Discuss the removal of the infected teeth and get yourself scheduled to have them removed. The spaces caused by these missing teeth is really a secondary concern at this point. Then treat the periodontal disease... let everything rest for about 3 months then follow up with your dentist for a professional cleaning and see where everything is at. This allows time for unexpected issues to arise and be treated with regard to the infection. If your oral health is stable, then go forward with the bariatric surgery.

It has been my professional experience (30+ years) that patients who treat their oral health first generally recover very well from future surgeries. On the opposite side of the coin, those who have long term untreated perio disease and/or infected teeth generally have a more difficult or complicated recovery with their surgeries.

I hope this information is helpful to you and rather than being alarmed by it, hopefully you feel empowered by it and will seriously consider treating your oral health first.

I wish you the best of health.
Bryanna