Hi everyone,

I don't typically reach out for help but I really need some.

I recently had a ten year old root canal (#14 on my upper left side) start acting up after the crown came off by itself and was put back on. About a month after the crown was reattached I had a bout of throbbing and weird sensations in that tooth. They gave me amoxicillin and told me it was inflamed and to give it some time... I took the antibiotics and they readjusted my bite because I suffer from tmj and they thought my clenching could be bothering the tooth. Then only 10 days after that round of antibiotics I started having a severe itching sensation in that tooth. From there I started having pressure underneath my left eye and mild headaches and increased tmj. I went back to the Dentist and they gave me more amoxicillin and told me that I would need to retreat the root canal or have it extracted. At this point I had already researched root canals and had come to the realization that they are pretty much bad news. So I had it extracted on Wednesday September 2nd, 2015. I'm still on the last prescription for amoxicillin but after a few days of improvement it seems I am backsliding. I've had the pressure return underneath my left eye.

I realize that I could have infection in my jaw and sinuses, or that they may have punctured my sinuses when removing the tooth. These antibiotics are making me so depressed I can hardly function (happens every time I have to take them) and with two rounds back to back I'm losing all hope. I can't bear the thought of more medical procedures (scraping my jawbone etc.) and more extensive rounds of probably more powerful antibiotics.

I typically take care of my own health naturally... I prefer to take oregano oil for an infection over antibiotics. About three years ago I started eating pretty clean, no processed foods, low carbs, high good fats, no transfats... I eat as much organic as I can but can't afford all organic. Other than some hormone imbalance I was a happy physically fit healthy person until this tooth thing started. I struggled with depression through my adolescence and early 20s but now at almost 30 I've gotten it under control by mainly changing my diet. Now on these antibiotics I'm practically suicidal again and I hate the way this feels. It doesn't help that I have no dental or medical insurance and starting down the gauntlet of money sucking doctors is an overwhelming thought... What am I supposed to do? Put a second mortgage on my house just to feel better?

After all the research I’ve done I’m really scared. I am really just hoping for some advice. Am I expecting to get better too quickly? Is there any hope that it will heal up on its own? Also I’m a pretty serious practitioner of yoga and I’ve been too scared to practice since the extraction… Seems like inversions aren’t a good idea… But when can I go back to practicing? Even downward dog is an inversion.
I’ll be so grateful for any help or advice.
Thanks,
Julie

Hi Julie,
Hope you will find a relief soon...Here is what I'm doing...I just got 3 RC tooth extracted day before yesterday and my surgeon agreed to let me heal without anti-biotics and I'm taking tissue salts (kali s, calc s, ferr p, sil) and homeopathic remedies (Arn, Hyper, Led, Symph)...
I think tissue salts can be bought without prescription - as for homeo, you should probably consult a homeopath in your area ASAP. Please remember: I'm NOT a doctor and my advice is not equivalent to medical advice - this is just what I'm doing at the moment.
Get well soon.

Hi jer87,

I know you are scared and just want this all to go away. I understand

The dentist that removed the tooth, was he an oral surgeon or your general dentist? Did he inform you of a sinus perforation? Ideally, an oral surgeon would be the best choice for removal of an infected tooth, just so you know.

If your symptoms have not greatly improved by 9/8 and/or you still feel physically lousy, see the dentist to evaluate the area. Make sure to ask about a sinus perforation. A periapical xray, it's one single xray, can help determine if there is a sinus perforation.

Regarding the antibiotic.... some people feel really unwell on antibiotics. Not just with intestinal upset but ill in general. Believe it or not, this can be due to a poor supply of healthy bacteria in the intestinal tract. The best way to combat that ill feeling is to add good bacteria to your gut. Are you familiar with probiotic supplements? The one that I would recommend is called Saccharomyces Boulardii. You can purchase it in a drug store, health food store or online. Here is a little blib on it........
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3296087/

Also, oregano oil, garlic, vitamin C and D, are all great at reducing inflammation and bacteria count. Garlic is the thought to be the number one natural antibiotic on the planet! FYI.... Chopping up garlic very fine before it is consumed releases the most potency.

Regarding the yoga.... although I am not a practitioner of yoga, I too practice yoga daily. I think you would be fine and it would be beneficial to do postural poses and stretches in which you are sitting upright or standing. Avoid bringing your head forward towards the floor. Your body needs to stretch and relax... simple yoga as I have stated would be good. Also meditation.... do you meditate?

How are you feeling today, since it's been a day or so since you first wrote to us?

Bryanna

Hi Bryanna and AH2015,
AH2015 thank you for your kind words. It always helps to know you're not alone and someone is out there caring! I am currently talking to a holistic/ homeopathic doctor but it all has to be long distance because I live in a rural area. I am considering the prescription they have recommended for me instead of more antibiotics but am a little unsure at this point. I know more about herbal supplements than homeopathy but I also know that homeopathy if pretty safe and effective.

Bryanna it was an oral surgeon that removed the tooth. My normal dentist didn't feel comfortable removing the tooth because it had a root canal and because I had a sinus that was clearly draping down over the root of the tooth in the x-ray.

I was very unhappy with the oral surgeon though! I let the staff and the surgeon know that I was incredibly anxious about it because I've never had a tooth pulled. They did nothing to put me at ease. There was barely a consultation, when he injected the local anesthetic I didn't get numb on my pallet (I always have a hard time getting numb) and I told him when he came back in. He quickly injected my pallet again but was so rough that I actually felt the needle slide like it was cutting in my flesh and he hit a nerve that made me jump on the chair... I'm tough. Normally during an injection I just breathe and know that it will be over soon. I really can handle physical pain very well but that was unreal, it was almost sadistic. Like he was punishing me for not getting numb the first time... Then without giving that anesthetic any time to work he started working on the outside of the tooth to remove it. Then when he got to the inside and pried the tooth out I'm pretty sure the bad taste in my mouth was all the anesthetic just pouring out. It was a bad experience! I'm pretty sure he didn't do any scraping of my jaw or cleaning out of the periodontal ligaments. There wasn't enough time for that between the tooth coming out and the less than sympathetic nurse stuffing the gauze in my mouth.

He didn't mention anything about a perforation in my sinus. Or really have anything to say to me after the tooth was gone. I barely got any information on after care. I had paid and left within 5 minutes of the tooth being ripped out with no request for a follow up either. I think this is part of the reason why I’m so unsettled about the whole thing. Removing the tooth was supposed to make things better! Not worse

I won’t be going back to that OS for any more procedures… I had considered calling to ask if they removed the necrotic tissue etc. (I read a post from someone else that you talked to on the forum) but since from what you said all dentists are supposed to do this during a tooth extraction I’m sure they would just lie to me and say they did whether they really did or not. I’m not sure now if I should call my regular dentist or not?

I do meditate and practice mudras as well as yoga. I find them very beneficial… I went to the beach yesterday after posting for some grounding and meditated while immersed in salt water holding a healing mudra. I felt better during this but as soon as I left the pain returned. Right now I am focusing on my belly dancing for physical activity because I am afraid to lower my head down for yoga. I am stretching as much as possible but it’s really hard to keep your head elevated.

I am aware about the importance of good bacteria… I make my own yogurt and sauerkraut and take a good probiotic when I can’t keep those going. I know my body is a microcosm and that the antibiotics are like setting off a nuke in there… Most people have no idea how powerful and dangerous most of the things western doctors prescribe are. At my regular dentist I mentioned being depressed by the antibiotics and they acted like it wasn’t possible but I found research just yesterday that substantiates the claim that gut flora play a huge part on emotional health. Only about 10% of the cells in our bodies are actually human. Everything else is little bacteria running around… It’s no wonder being an empathetic person that I become suicidal on antibiotics… I’m feeling millions of creatures die in my own body.

Sorry… I digress.

Thank you for the great article and I will make sure my probiotic supplement has those bacteria in it!

Today I felt better when I woke up but as I began moving around I felt some of the pressure return. Then I went about 45 miles away to my mother’s house and had pressure disappear completely for a while, only to return after I had been there for about 2 hours. I am wondering if I’m seeing a correlation with the antibiotics and the pressure. I had just eaten and taken my morning dose when I left. Then it was almost time for the midday dose when the pressure returned. With the midday dose I took an ibuprofen because I didn’t want to let it get out of control so I’m not sure if the pressure left with that dose or stayed. Today is my last day on the antibiotics, so I’ll have a chance to test that theory during the next few days.

I’ve noticed I also have a low grade fever that comes and goes. I do natural family planning for birth control and I notice that my temp is normal early in the morning when I wake up but as I move around during the day it goes up. Nothing high just around 99.5 or so. I did read that having a low grade fever was normal but I wonder for how long? It’s been 5 days and I’m really clueless as to what to expect.

I’m also wondering if maybe all this could be a little case of dry socket? Does that come and go or is it something where the pain is steady until it’s gone?
All in all I think I might feel a little better but between the ibuprofen (I never take that kind of stuff!) and the antibiotics it’s hard to tell. The extraction site is still very open but I think some of the swelling on the outside gum is down. My pallet hurts quite a bit still but I’m not sure if that’s from the last injection or the extraction.

I know this is all a lot… Even reading back over it I feel like I should just suck it up and wait for a while before doing anything but I don’t want to damage my health.

I thank you both for helping me. I’m incredibly grateful to have someone to talk to about all this.

Hi jer,

I'm sorry the oral surgeon was a jerk and did not treat you kindly. There is never a good reason to mistreat anyone ever. I'm so sorry :/

I am concerned about what could be lurking in the surgical socket or if there was a sinus communication. The OS should have debrided the entire area thoroughly without question. But it does not sound like he did that and again there is no excuse for not doing that. Can you consult with a different oral surgeon, one that is not associated with this guy? You would need to bring your pre op xrays with you. I would recommend doing that over seeing your general dentist because to be honest, he's not going to be much help.

Have you every considered trying a Biological or holistic dentist? They are usually much more knowledgeable and understanding of the oral and systemic connection and they tend to treat their patients more compassionately. The website IAOMT.org has a listing of these dentists who are located all over the world. That type of dentist may be a better fit for you since you are into self advocacy and unconventional health care.

I think you get temporary relief with the antibiotic and pain meds because they reduce the bacteria count and inflammation. But it sounds like once that builds up again, the pain comes with it. This could be indicative of a minor dry socket or a sinus communication or just inadequate debridement during the surgery. I really think another opinion with someone who you can trust more so than the os would be a good idea.

Are you rinsing with warm salt water? You should be doing that 3-4 times a day gently but thoroughly until the hole closes over with gum tissue. Also, stick with a nutritious soft food diet for another week or so to give your jaw muscles a rest and drink lots of filtered water throughout the day to keep flushing out the toxins.

I agree with you about the antibiotics .... they are often carelessly prescribed which leads people to assume they are safe to take repetitively. I also know without a question that there is a strong correlation between our gut and our brain. Which means when our intestinal tract is being attacked by the medications, our brain is not functioning optimally. It is common knowledge that antibiotics can have profound affects on the function of the brain... in some instances it's a positive affect but in others it's not. So don't not let anyone make you feel odd about how the meds affect you or tell you that there is no correlation. There wrong and you're right.

What do you think about the possibility of seeing another OS or a biological dentist?

Bryanna

Bryanna,

Before I had the tooth extracted I had looked into a biological dentist from that very website. There are no accredited biological dentists near me but there is one who is not accredited who is about 4 hours away by car. So I may call him.

My spouse just had oral surgery last month and was referred to a different OS than I was. He had an impacted wisdom tooth that he had to be put under to have removed. The OS was a lot different than the one I went to and I'm considering calling our regular dentist today to ask for a referral for him as a follow up... The only thing is it might take me month to even get in to see him.

This morning I'm glad to be done with antibiotics because I'm in tears and feel hopeless and I know a lot of that will pass once I get some good bacteria going... But I'm also scared about the possible infection getting worse. Talk about a catch 22.

I am also going back to work today after a break from the holiday, which means I'll have a very hard time making phone calls and receiving them. I clean vacation rental homes on the beach and have literally no cell phone service out there. It also means tons of bending over (i.e. scrubbing toilets and bathtubs) so I'm a little concerned about that.

I haven't been great about the salt water rinsing... A few times a day at best. It was just yesterday that I felt like the clot was sitting more firmly in the socket so I've been pretty scared and careful. I've realized that even without a straw I create a lot of suction when drinking... I also seem to press my tongue to the roof of my mouth a lot, which creates suction in there. Who knows what I'm doing in there at night while I sleep! I'll try to make sure to rinse with the salt water more.

Thank you Bryanna for taking the time to talk with me. I, like a lot of other people, joined this forum in hope of consultation with you. I've read a lot of your other threads now and I wish all medical professionals were as open minded, sincere, and as kind as you.

Thank you!
Julie

Okay... Just to follow up.

I called my regular dentist today after being rejected by a different oral surgeon. The OS I called would not even touch another doctor's extraction. Gah. I had read that somewhere out there but never thought I would run into it. My dentist called in Augmentin for me and asked if I would like him to take a look at it. I said yes! So I will be going in tomorrow morning.

I also called a holistic/biologic dentist about four hours away from me and made an appointment for Monday.

So hopefully all this will help.

I am sorry for your experience. I had 3 back teeth extracted a week b4 you did. I had an abscess and 3 stubborn teeth. I was given a prescription mouth wash and was told to rinse after meals. I was also told to rinse with salt water these procedures are very important to your healing.

It is best to only have soft food I found anything else irritated it. Another thing I found out too much talking also irritated it

I returned to work and the next day I felt terrible my mouth hurt and I really felt punk. I called the surgeon and he gave antibiotic. I was given one when the teeth were extracted but allergic to penicillin and didn't know it so I SMTP taking it.

My mouth is still uncomfortable and hurts but it takes time to heal. Hope u are feeling better it is a shame you had unprofessional treatment with no human compassion. I hope you didn't pay him.