Hi Clegs,

Ok, good that you don't have any other root canaled teeth and it sounds like your other teeth are pretty healthy. So hopefully at this point the infection from that (extracted) tooth had not spread too much further and your discomfort/pressure is coming this one area.

Yes, any oral infection can spread throughout the mouth... as well as into the throat, digestive system, the sinus, the brain and any major vital organ. So it is imperative to remove the source of the infection as soon as possible and not allow it to brew and proliferate as in the case of all root canaled teeth and uncontrolled periodontal disease.

You are wise to read up on subjects like osteonecrosis, cavitations and removal of the periodontal ligament. All or some of which can occur depending on how far the infection has spread... how well the surgery was performed to remove it and how healthy the immune system is of the patient.

I will reiterate my suggestion for you to see your oral surgeon so he can evaluate the site clinically and radio-graphically. Do not be shy in asking him if he removed the ligament and what his thoughts are on the risk of developing a jawbone infection from a lingering sinus infection that was caused by this infected root canaled tooth.

There are many different scenarios that can happen, but I don't want to overwhelm you with this stuff as you might not have to be concerned about any of that. Let's first see what the surgeon says..... ok?

Bryanna

Hi, I'm new and I came upon this site while looking up info concerning my sinus issues. I'm unsure if this is the place to ask this but here goes anyways:
I have had a sinus infection (or what was diagnosed as a sinus infection by my doctor) for about 3-4 months now. I was give two rounds of antiobiotics and I'm still having pain. I didn't think to tell the doctor that I've had an ongoing problem with one of my upper right back teeth. For about a year or more I've had simply pain with it from time to time. Sometime last summer, it began to swell and stayed swollen for over a week. The swelling finally went down and it was sometime after that that my sinus infection/constant headache and pressure has occured (and while the headache hurts in different places from one day to another, it most often hurts on the upper right side of my forehead). My tooth still hurts, not all the time though, and when there is pain, it swells shortly thereafter and when the pain goes away, so does the swelling, or swelling goes then pain. This happens at least once a day.
I'm really hoping that I just need to have the infected tooth taken out and that will solve the problem. Anyways, what do you think?

Hi Bryanna
I am new to the forum but hope you might be able to give me some advice or even words of wisdom! I had a tooth out in early September (on the top last one at back). The extraction was long and difficult and the dentist said I had very long roots. I know this to be true as previous dentists and x rays had confirmed I had long curly roots. After the tooth finally came out, the dentist told me I had a communication into my sinus and needed to see an oral surgeon to assess if a surgical closure was necessary. I saw the surgeon a few days later and he took an xray and told me he thought it should heal up by itself but would monitor me for a while to make sure. He also put me on a course of Augmentin to prevent infection. Despite the antibiotic I developed a really bad infection which needed further stronger antibiotics and the whole thing left me wiped out. The next visit a week or so later seemed to confirm the perforation was closing however a few days later I started to feel like I had another sinus infection and the pain and pressure in that side of my face was unreal. A trip to the G.P. ensued and I left with lots of pain killers and a 10 day course of augmentin and flagyl together which totally left me wrecked. At the end of the course I still felt shaky but put it down to the effects of the antibiotics. I mentioned it to the oral surgeon on my scheduled visit and he decided to send me for a CT scan. The scan revealed that there was complete opacification of the right maxiallary antrum and evidence of oro antral fistula. The biggy though-residual tooth root lying in the cavity of the right antrum. As the dentist had not told the oral surgeon that the extraction was incomplete, this option had not even been considered. While I am glad a cause for my ongoing infections and pain has been found, I am dreading the procedure to remove the root. I am scheduled to have it done under G.A. this week. The oral surgeon plans to open the gum at original site, go in and clear out sinus cavity, remove the tooth root and repair the defect. It has to be done but ... Does this sound like the correct course of action? What is my recovery likely to be like? Many thanks for any advice.

I am so sorry you have gone through all that with the tooth extraction. I have heard so many things these days about dentists not being totally reliable. I would have a beef with the dentist who took it out to begin with, and leaving a root behind. Bryanna will talk to you I am sure. She has such good advise to people in trouble. I just wanted to tell you that I will be thinking of you, and I hope you get a good resolution with whatever proceedure is given to you. You are right to question everything at this point. My very best wishes for a good outcome and speedy recovery. I received good information, on what questions to ask my dentist to prevent work being done without my full knowledge. ginnie

Hi pixiedust.

First let me............SCREAMMMMMMMMMMMMM............OMG!

I am so sorry you are going through this BS. The dentist that pulled your tooth is .........st*pid. Sorry, but he should NOT have attempted this difficult extraction in the first place... to make it worse, he should have stopped midway and sent you to the oral surgeon. He should have known that he broke off a piece of the root but he either didn't look at what he had removed to check if all the pieces were out OR he got scared when he saw the sinus perf and didn't look any further.

It is understandable that the oral surgeon didn't initially pick up on the root tip because by then it was probably at an angle/location that was not obvious on the 2 dimensional xray. Thus the CT scan picked it up right away as well as the nasal fistula.

Yes, the surgery to rermove the root is necessary because that root tip can cause havoc up there which would be very difficult to treat. The post op recuperation varies from one person to another mainly because of the various degrees of surgery involved, it's really a case by case situation. Generally the patient is fairly sore/uncomfortable for the first few days, thus the pain meds. It is advisable if at all possible you plan on taking it very easy for at least the first few days... plan ahead a soft diet menu with plenty of protein and fiber...take a probiotic (like Culturelle) starting now and stay on that for at least 3 months or indefinitely is actually best... drink plenty of water throughout the day (no straw)... no smoking.... no alcohol... no mouthwash....make sure to follow the surgeons post op instructions to the T to avoid complications.

If this were me.... I would call the original dentist and inform him of what you are having done...in my opinion, he is completely responsible and therefore should pay the surgery bill. Seriously.... I would suggest this to everyone... including my own patients!

Please keep us posted on how you're doing! Will keep you in our thoughts and hope everything goes well and easy.
Bryanna

Hi E.....

Is the upper molar root canaled? If not, what makes you think the tooth is infected? Have you seen your dentist and had an xray of that tooth?

If the tooth is infected it could be that it is draining either through a fistula (pimple like bump on the gum or palate near the tooth) or through an opening between the gum and the root called a periodontal pocket. This would cause an on/off swelling and pressure symptom that you describe.

A long standing tooth infection as in the case of a root canaled molar or a molar that is abscessed can cause or contribute to a moderate to severe sinus infection that can be difficult to eradicate completely. Oral antibioitcs cannot take care of this type of sinus infection so long as the infected tooth is present. The first step would be to remove the source of the infection which would be the infected tooth. The sinus would be cleaned out during the extraction and possibly mended closed (depends on the size and location of the sinus involvement). Either oral or IV antibiotics are prescribed sometimes for long term, depends on the individual case.

Hope this info helps a bit...
Bryanna

Hi Bryana,

I'm still struggling with this dental area so I thought I'd bug you again. It's now three weeks since my extraction of the 7th tooth on the upper right quadrant. That area is healing beautifully and seems to be fine at the point of extraction. Xrays show no sign of infection in the sinus or abcess around other teeth.

The problem is that I'm still have some throbbing in the area that moves a little into the sinus cavity on some days and into full headaches on others. I have been back to see my oral surgeon a number of times as well as an endodontist to check the teeth next door. They've done bite tests, cold tests, lots of tapping and although there doesn't seem to be sharp pain in any of the teeth, there is this persistent throb. I'm on 300mg of Clindamycin, four times a day and am almost done 2 weeks of that. The oral surgeon is hesitant to remove any more teeth because he can't definitively find a problem with any of them (the throb is general to the area). I agree with him on that and respect his decision not to pull until he's sure but I'm frustrated because it will seem to get better for 2 or 3 days and then will come back and I'm still needing to take Aleve to dull the throb.

I guess I'm wondering more about things like jaw infection now. The oral surgeon suggested that a jaw infection would produce swelling and pus (which I don't have). Can it be more silent than that? What sort of definitive test might help me out here (bone scan?).

Any help is always much appreciated....

Carly

It sounds like just normal sinus congestion to me. Have you seen an ENT?

I don't think that you will never feel your sinuses ever again just because the tooth is now gone. That's the boat I'm in--once this upper molar of mine is removed, I don't expect that I'll never feel sinus congestion or pressure or throbbing at times. But I will know that it's not some nasty infection caused by an old root canal! Sinuses can cause headaches, tooth pain...they're really quite a pain but without them, our heads would be solid bone and our necks wouldn't be able to hold up the weight!

Can you take Sudafed? I don't know your general health, but if you can take it, try the 12 hour sudafed for a few days and see how you feel. The truth is that most run-of-the mill sinus infections go away with or without antibiotics. Drying out your sinus with sudafed may be all you need to do now and in the future. I know right now is a horrible congestion time where I live, and I'm taking sudafed myself--but it feels MUCH better!

Perhaps Bryanna will have other ideas to help you out, too.

Stacy

Hi Carly,

Did the oral surgeon take an xray of that area?

I agree not to treat any of those other teeth with root canals or extract them at this time.

Jaw bone infections can range from slight to severe. They do not always produce pus or swelling until they are moderate to severe. The early sign of a jaw bone infection is persistent or intermittent pain. Now that doesn't mean that YOU necessarily have a bone infection.....but you could have sinus infection.

Have you tried taking decongestants? If so, do they relieve the throbbing?

Bryanna

Like other posts on this thread, I had teeth removed at 11 years of age for braces. Did not find out until I was in my 20's about the root. At that time I was told it was still live but had now been squeezed between the adjacent teeth and roots. I am now in my 50's and am recovering from the 2nd humongous sinus infection in 30 years. The whole right side of my face was swollen couldn't eat, could hardly talk. Antibiotics seem to be working. Right now it seems the pain is concentrated in my upper jaw in the bone. I am worried about erosion. The ER personel suggested I see and ENT as soon as possible. I am hoping this thread is still active and I can get some advice.