I have had a sinus problem for almost 8 months now. Long story short, (I have been through a lot) I had an infected tooth #14 that I had trouble with and then a root canal on in 2010. I went to an oral surgeon on Tuesday and he pulled it and did a bone graft to prepare for an implant, I have all sorts of directions to not sneeze, fly etc. it is sore and feels weird. He told me the root was infected and infecting my sinuses. I thought finally, I have an answer! I was so excited! He put me on Augmentin. Here it is Saturday and I have no improvement with the sinuses, in fact it feels worse! Am I just being impatient or does it take a while to clear? I thought I would see some progress by now. I am so disappointed.

I realize this isn't an allergy/sinus section but I can speak about sinus issues. For my whole life prior to 1995 I had allergy/sinus issues. In 1995 I went to a lecture on Pycnogenol which was just coming into the U.S. from France and we were told among other things, it may prevent cancer. I jumped on it and about 5 days after my lifetime of allergy/sinus issues were about gone...threw away drugs and never back to an allergy MD. Years of shots etc, did nothing for me.

So I'm into 20 yrs on OPC's, powerful antioxidants. I took Pycnogenol for a year and then found the value of grape seed extract in my research etc and now on grape seed 19 yrs, so 20 yrs total.

I have found many improvements in all my years on OPC's including mouth/gum health.
Improved/stable eye health. I'm 77 so was 57 when I found OPC's.

On the teeth issues, I have a mouthful of dental work from a lifetime I'm sure of too much sugarstuff and no knowledge of dental health that we can access now. I also believe fluoride is a culprit to many health issues including the mouth. I was born and raised in fluoridated water and a mouthful of dental work....So

I have a post in the Allergy section on NT.

Hi Angels,

It's important to know that the root canaled tooth that you had was infected for several years as all root canaled teeth contain infectious bacteria inside the microscopic canals. The rc procedure does not cure the infection in the tooth as it cannot reach into those tiny canals. The rc procedure is done to attempt to keep the infected tooth for an uncertain amount of time. The proliferation of the bacteria entered your sinus long before you developed symptoms as symptoms are usually delayed when an infection is able to drain, as it is when it is in the sinus. It is when the sinus becomes overwhelmed with bacteria and either it stops draining or the immune system says I've had enough of this that symptoms become more obvious.

So in addition to the tooth being infected, the surrounding area of bone/tissue and the sinus were also infected. This is a typical occurrence for root canaled teeth and the upper teeth frequently infect the sinus.

Due to the long standing infection and then the trauma of the oral surgery and the bone graft, this site and your sinus may take a long time to calm down. The complications that can arise would mostly likely be from the site still being infected if the surgical debridement of it was incomplete and/or the site was not healthy enough to receive the bone graft. Did your oral surgeon comment on the communication between the tooth and the sinus as being large or small? Did he perform a sinus closure?

You should also know that a dental implant that is put in to replace a root canaled tooth is at a higher risk for failure due to the long standing infection in that tooth because the bacteria had altered the integrity of the bone. A bone graft does not take the place of your own bone. The graft stimulates your body to grow bone to integrate with it and become all of your own bone. However, the site and sinus has to be healthy, free of infection and the patient has to be healthy enough to grow adequate bone for a dental implant to successfully integrate into the new bone. So it is ideal not to rush into placing a dental implant in this site until it is certain that the infection is cleared and the bone is growing well. This could take several months depending on the circumstances.

I assume you have a follow up with the oral surgeon within 10 days from the surgery? If not, then it would behoove you to see him 7-10 days post op and if your symptoms get worse, see him sooner.

I hope this information helps...
Bryanna

I know your problem is likely different, but you might consider looking at Oil of Oregano tablets. I have had what I would consider just about a miracle rate of improvement re sinus infections through the use of Oil of Oregano tablets. I would recommend a good quality, name brand.

I was getting a LOT of sinus infections; perhaps one every six weeks. This went on for over a year. The only antibiotic that worked was Augmentin. Fever, pressure in sinus area, post nasal drip, etc.

Washing my hands a LOT and eating lots of veggies helped a little. But, knock on wood,what stopped them was the use of Oil of Oregano tablets.

If I get the slightest pressure in my sinus, or post nasal drip, I will take a tablet. Since doing this, knock on wood, I have t had ANY sinus infection.

I have recommended this to friends and it has stopped their colds, upper respiratory problems, sin infections etc. Some people take more than myself, but I have heard that it can "thin the blood," and this would be a problem for me. I've also heard it's not a good idea to take them more than ten days in a row.

I'm actually taking very little and the difference is amazing.

Of course, if you have an ongoing dental problem, this will need to be addressed.

But, if your problem with sinus infections is lingering, you might want to research Oil of Oregano to see if it might help.

When I've had very bad infections, I had to take the Augmentin several days...I can't recall but it was at least seven, possibly ten.

PS most doctors will laugh at the thought of this. However, to my shock, I told one of my doctors about this recently. Not only did she believe me, she told me she was experimenting with it (Oil of Oregano) herself for a problem she was having.

Sinus infections can be serious infections because the bacteria can readily spread beyond the sinus. Antibiotics or herbs or other medicinals may only mask the acute symptoms of the infection if there are underlying causes present that keep feeding the infection. Examples of an underlying cause concerning the teeth would be a retained root canaled tooth in the upper arch .... or residual infection in an extraction site.... or a periodontal abscess.

A dentist by the name of Dr James Hupp co authored a text book entitled "Contemporary Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery". In this book he mentions...

<< A periapical or periodontal infection of maxillary posterior teeth may erode superiorly through the floor of the maxillary sinus. He also mentions... <<Twenty percent of all maxillary sinus infections are caused by tooth infections, rather than any other cause.>>

Basically that means that a tooth or gum abscess concerning the upper teeth can penetrate through the bone and permeate the maxillary sinus. Clearly the intensity and often longevity of that type of infection may make it difficult to eradicate even after the cause of the infection is removed.

Everyone has their own thoughts and opinions on how to deal with a chronic infection. I personally would not use repetitive antibiotic therapy for any reason and I would not self treat a sinus infection without knowing the cause of the infection first. As long as the source or triggers of the infection are present, the bacteria will continue to thrive as they become resistant to the medications or other medicament's being used to mask the symptoms. Once the source of the infection is significantly reduced or eliminated, then standardized medicinal herbs like oregano oil, turmeric, olive leaf extract, and even grapefruit seed extract may be very useful in boosting the immune system while reducing the inflammation and harmful bacteria in the affected sinus.

As I said ....... to each his own

I found out the cause of my sinus infections. A subset of one of my immune factors, one very specific to protecting my body from the bacteria that causes sinus infections is deficient. I seem to have a mild case of something called CVID. There is very intense treatment for it that I will have to consider if it worsens. For now, taking an occasional tablet of oil of oregano and eating well is working out shockingly well. I'm watching it carefully. It seems to be improving. Even one of my blood tests showed improvement, although the doctor said it was statistically irrelevant. Lots of positive signs and I'm hopeful. Infection free, no antibiotics and positive signs for ten months taking minuscule amounts of Oil of Oregano. The stuff has been a blessing for me. I am thrilled.

I only use the Oil of Oregano for prevention and I am fortunate that I only need a very small amount. I don't wish to mislead anyone. If I actually had an infection, like I did in the past, I would try to find out what is causing them and take an antibiotic. I also am a big believer in eating well, which very generally means avoiding sugar and junk food and eating lots of vegetables both cooked and raw. When I was getting the infections, I would need to take Augmentin . And had I known about Oil of Oregano back then, I would take it with my antibiotic should the infection linger.

Thank goodness, knock on wood, just taking an occasional tablet of Oil of Oregano at any sign of trouble and eating well has stopped my infections completely. I'm very grateful!!!

Vowel Lady,

Thank you for sharing that information with us. Your immunodeficiency condition, however slight it may be, makes you susceptible to infections. So perhaps it would be very beneficial for you to take a basic daily regimen of a medicinal like oil of oregano? It might even help to alternate between a few different herbs to obtain the most benefit for the long term. I am glad that you find it so helpful and that it has worked wonders for you so far!

Even though we are all pre disposed to certain DNA factors, I am of the thinking that it is always easier to "prevent" than it is to "treat"

I agree that eating nutritiously every day is really important and it does have a positive impact on our health. My family is very much into organic gardening and we are fortunate to have established a garden that we can rotate different crops in throughout certain times of the year. I also buy pasture raised chicken, eggs and occasional beef from local organic farmers. I think the organic industry is growing in leaps and bounds .... and for that I am grateful

Bryanna

Thank you Bryanna. Oddly, there is a slight chance that a Oil of Oregano can lower platelets. This interferes with my already lowered platelets caused by some autoimmunity. I have not noticed it lowering them, but since I'm not in a good place at the moment with my platelet count (very low), I don't feel I can take a chance (even if it's small) of taking the Oil of Oregano more often than as needed. I believe the Oil of Oregano is some sort of wonder oil and a blessing. It is shocking how effective it is. Yes, it's wonderful to eat correctly. I mess up at times, due to temptation, but not as much as I thought I would because I notice how well I feel when I eat in a healthy manner.