Hello,

I have been viewing threads on this discussion board for the past three or so years since I learned on my own the hard way that my tooth #13 (root canal tooth/cracked), #3 and #14 were all badly abscessed and the direct cause of my chronic and worsening health issues for close to 30 years. Thanks to Bryanna and her very informative advice to other members, I have been able to research and pinpoint this problem with my health and overcome the challenges of navigating through the maze of dental specialists, etc. I learned that you have to be your own advocate not only with medical doctors but even more so with every dental specialist (know your complete history) to clean this mess up and start to recover. No one has your best interest at heart except yourself.

However, while recovering, I realized my wife was dealing with the same chronic health issues as I was. Lucky I have her medical and dental records for nearly 30 years. She already had 5 root canals by the age of 23 and three more over the next 20 years!! Surely only one or two of all of these root canaled teeth at the most had to be actually infected.

Long story short, even though we have both started to get some of this mess under control and cleaned up, we just learned that her root canal tooth #2 extracted in Nov 2014 (problem tooth since the 80s and root canal 17 years ago) has at least one if not two retained and badly infected roots and she was never informed of this by the OS. The PA x-ray still shows the infection above this tooth (root) #2 and a CBCT 3D scan last month shows at least one of these roots in the palatal area and possibly another in the mesial/buccal area of the socket.

She just went to a holistic dentist with this recent scan and PA x-ray and the dentist agrees with the report that there is some sort of sclerosis or "abnormal healing" in the socket ". He debrided the surface area/bone from #1 thru #5 (other teeth extracted prior) but did not attempt to look or to remove any roots in the #2 socket. He thinks this is probably not a root (s). With all of the issues we have dealt with I am sure I can see the infection in the sinus above where the root was (is) even again with sinus surgery after the extractions last year. 1" cysts were removed from each maxillary sinus but now there again is a cyst in the right sinus.

We have recently moved to another state from where the OS did the extraction one year ago. I am sure this has to be common complication with root canal extractions. Has anyone else experienced this issue, were you informed, and how or what type of specialist did you go if needed? It appears that the root (s)? are deeply embedded in the jawbone and my wife is still dealing with significant inflammation/symptoms caused by this remaining infection in the bone/sinus. I know there is not going to be an easy solution since it has been one year since the extraction.

I have PA x-rays from Oct 2014, Nov 2015 and Dec 2015 and can post if authorized for review.

Hi, it's so sad to hear of such a long history of dental issues, and this sentence captures my feelings as well: "No one has your best interest at heart except yourself"!

Anyway, when you say "my wife is still dealing with significant inflammation/symptoms caused by this remaining infection in the bone/sinus" - can you be more specific about her symptoms? Does she have any pressure in the palate or bones somewhere else, or burning sensation, or fever, or something else? Thanks.

Most of the issues are referred elsewhere in the body and not directly felt in the jawbone area except for occasional pressure. She has rheumatoid arthritis symptoms/stiff joints on the right side (same side as the remaining infection in tooth #2) to include migraines, right side neck/arm/shoulder/lower back pain, sinus pressure/swelling of the right side face/eye area, excessive sweating/temp sensitivity, erratic high blood pressure readings, sleep problems, referred nerve pain etc. that are all related. I have had these same exact symptoms which have mostly resolved. Almost all issues are related to the side with the main problem.

Doitashi,

I am not ignoring you... your situation is complicated. Because I am a volunteer here, the time that I am able to spend here is limited. I will get to you as soon as I can. Hope you understand.

Bryanna

Hi Doitashi,

I will re post some of your original thread and reply in bold type.

<<I have been viewing threads on this discussion board for the past three or so years since I learned on my own the hard way that my tooth #13 (root canal tooth/cracked), #3 and #14 were all badly abscessed and the direct cause of my chronic and worsening health issues for close to 30 years. Thanks to Bryanna and her very informative advice to other members, I have been able to research and pinpoint this problem with my health and overcome the challenges of navigating through the maze of dental specialists, etc. I learned that you have to be your own advocate not only with medical doctors but even more so with every dental specialist (know your complete history) to clean this mess up and start to recover. No one has your best interest at heart except yourself.>>

WHAT TYPE OF DENTIST (GENERAL, SPECIALTY, HOLISTIC, CONVENTIONAL) WAS THE MOST HELPFUL TO YOU? WHAT DENTAL PROCEDURES DID YOU HAVE DONE THAT YOU FEEL BENEFITED YOUR OVERALL HEALTH? HOW IS YOUR DENTAL AND SYSTEMIC HEALTH NOW?

<<I realized my wife was dealing with the same chronic health issues as I was. Lucky I have her medical and dental records for nearly 30 years. She already had 5 root canals by the age of 23 and three more over the next 20 years!! Surely only one or two of all of these root canaled teeth at the most had to be actually infected.>>

A ROOT CANAL PROCEDURE IS DONE TO ATTEMPT TO "RETAIN" A TOOTH FOR AN UNCERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME. THE PROCEDURE IS DONE FOR DIFFERENT REASONS, NOT JUST INFECTION. I WILL LIST SOME REASONS:

1) PULPAL INFECTION
2) DEEP DECAY OR FRACTURE
3) TOOTH TRAUMA
4) EXCESSIVE LOSS OF ENAMEL AND/OR LOSS OF TOOTH STRUCTURE ABOVE THE GUM LINE MAKING THE RESTORATION OF A VITAL TOOTH IMPOSSIBLE.
5) FORCEFUL AND/OR TRAUMATIC ORTHODONTIA (BRACES)
6) ROOT RESORPTION
7) CHRONICALLY INFLAMED PERIODONTAL LIGAMENT
8) PERIODONTAL DISEASE
9) EXCESSIVE TEMPERATURE SENSITIVITY OR OTHER PAIN DUE TO EXCESSIVE GUM RECESSION
10) JAW BONE CYSTS WHERE UPON REMOVAL ALTER THE VITALITY AND INTEGRITY OF THE HEALTH OF THE TEETH IN THAT AREA.
11) RC'S ARE DONE ALMOST ROUTINELY IN SOME OFFICES PRIOR TO MAJOR DENTAL WORK, LIKE CROWNS OR BRIDGES.

HOWEVER, RETAINING A NON VITAL TOOTH IRRELEVANT OF HOW IT BECAME NON VITAL OR HOW WELL OR POORLY THE RC PROCEDURE WAS DONE, IS GOING TO BE A SOURCE OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATION DUE TO THE BASIC BIOLOGICAL FACT THAT EVERY ORGAN OF THE BODY REQUIRES VITALITY TO BE HEALTHY. THE TOOTH WILL ALSO HARBOR INFECTIOUS BACTERIA INSIDE THE DENTIN TUBULES AND VERY LIKELY THE LARGE CANALS AS WELL DUE TO INABILITY TO COMPLETELY ERADICATE THE MICROSCOPIC NERVE TISSUE.

ANY ORGAN, INCLUDING TEETH, THAT HAS PERMANENTLY LOST IT'S VITALITY (OR IN OTHER WORDS ITS CIRCULATION) IS GOING TO BE A CHRONIC BURDEN ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM.

<<Long story short, even though we have both started to get some of this mess under control and cleaned up, we just learned that her root canal tooth #2 extracted in Nov 2014 (problem tooth since the 80s and root canal 17 years ago) has at least one if not two retained and badly infected roots and she was never informed of this by the OS. The PA x-ray still shows the infection above this tooth (root) #2 and a CBCT 3D scan last month shows at least one of these roots in the palatal area and possibly another in the mesial/buccal area of the socket.>>

ROOT CANALED TEETH DO NOT "GET BETTER" OVER TIME. IN FACT, THE MICROORGANISMS OF BACTERIA THAT INITIALLY RESIDE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF A ROOT CANALED TOOTH ARE EVENTUALLY JOINED BY OTHER SPECIES OF BACTERIA MAKING THE INFECTION MORE DIFFICULT TO ERADICATE, EVEN AFTER THE TOOTH IS EXTRACTED. THEREFORE, LEAVING ANY RESIDUAL TOOTH ROOTS, DISEASED TISSUE, OR BONE IN THE JAW BONE DURING THE TOOTH EXTRACTION IS LIKE HAVING THE INFECTED TOOTH STILL PRESENT.

<<She just went to a holistic dentist with this recent scan and PA x-ray and the dentist agrees with the report that there is some sort of sclerosis or "abnormal healing" in the socket ". He debrided the surface area/bone from #1 thru #5 (other teeth extracted prior) but did not attempt to look or to remove any roots in the #2 socket.>>

DID THE DENTIST PERFORM ANY BIOPSIES OF THE TISSUE AND BONE THAT HE REMOVED?

<< He thinks this is probably not a root (s). With all of the issues we have dealt with I am sure I can see the infection in the sinus above where the root was (is) even again with sinus surgery after the extractions last year. 1" cysts were removed from each maxillary sinus but now there again is a cyst in the right sinus.>>

THE DIAGNOSIS AS TO WHETHER OR NOT THERE ARE RETAINED ROOT TIPS NEEDS TO DETERMINED. THE EXACT LOCATION OF THEM ALSO NEEDS TO BE DETERMINED. DURING THE SINUS SURGERY, WERE THERE SCANS TAKEN OR WERE THEY JUST TAKEN PRIOR TO THE SURGERY?

IF THE SINUSES APPEARED "CLEAR" ON A 3D POST SINUS SURGERY SCAN (AFTER THE SINUS SURGERY WAS DONE) BUT THEN LATER "NEW" CYSTS APPEARED IN THE GENERAL SAME AREA.... THIS COULD BE DUE TO OLD OR NEW INFECTION. MEANING, THE BACTERIA CAUSING THE ORIGINAL CYSTS COULD STILL BE PRESENT AND DIFFICULT TO SEE ON THE SCANS. OR YOUR WIFE COULD HAVE OTHER REASONS WHY SHE IS DEVELOPING CYSTS IN HER SINUS. ARE THERE OTHER ROOT CANALED TEETH STILL PRESENT IN HER MAXILLARY ARCH?

<<I have PA x-rays from Oct 2014, Nov 2015 and Dec 2015 and can post if authorized for review>>

IF THE ADMINS ALLOW, YOU CAN POST THE XRAYS ON THIS FORUM. I WILL TAKE A LOOK BUT KEEP IN MIND THAT I AM NOT A DENTIST OR ENT DR. SO MY OPINION WOULD BE LIMITED IN THIS CASE

Bryanna,

Thank you for your reply. I found the biggest help of all was that I had a complete dental and medical history to fall back on going back nearly 30 years. Honestly, I never paid too much attention (like many others I have talked to since) to my dental records, but they did prove invaluable in pinpointing where dental problems started in the past. It took a lot of work to piece all this together by overlapping dental/medical records by dates of service and chronic symptoms, etc to realize there was definitely a dental connection to all of our medical issues. Then finally getting the right type of x-rays/scans (PA, 3D, etc) and being to able to ask the right questions and navigate through the maze of specialists was key.

I found that in our dental history/notes, the common theme was that there were never any diagnostic x-rays taken during annual exams or just bite wings taken once every year or two at best. Because our problem teeth were asymptomatic for decades, they were continually drilled and re-filled/crowned/re-crowned/root canaled without proper diagnostic x-rays being taken first. Chronic health issues persisted and worsened, but never had a clue anything was dental related even though we have always had great dental insurance with regular cleanings and check-ups.

In the past couple of years, I have had to ask for my own referrals (never provided) at first to a specialist/oral surgeon to try to deal with these known/suspected issues. I have been told on more than one occasion by dental specialists throughout that it is your family/general dentist that "steers" the ship for your dental health concerns. However, I found this not to be the case and had to be an advocate for myself, my wife, and now my kids.

It took three decades and to have a major health crisis to figure this out. It is absolutely critical to have complete knowledge of everything that happens with every tooth in your mouth, ask questions, must keep all documentation and x-ray copies, etc..

Even with my initial tooth extractions of tooth #13 and #14 by an oral surgeon (and now my wife with #2), I found they were not done properly. During a later debridement by a holistic dentist, an infected root tip from my root canaled tooth #13 was still found in unhealed bone in the area. It has taken a lot of effort,time, travel, and expense in order to try to get issues resolved.

I am now in great health, feel better, and have more energy than in many years since the problem teeth are gone and the bone/sockets, etc have finally been cleaned out and are healing. Unbelievable how many chronic and systemic health issues were related and now haven’t been to the doctor in a very long time.

As for my wife, a scan was done one month prior to her sinus surgery showing the two cysts in the maxillary left and right side and then again at two months after the surgery . The cyst from her originally extracted tooth was #14 was removed but a new cyst had re-formed in the right maxillary sinus. A biopsy was done by the ENT doc on the two 1" cysts found in each sinus and also recently with the #2 extraction site (bone and tissue) which has still not healed (very soft tissue/cavitation)for one year since the extraction. Findings from a recent 3D scan do indicate definite sclerosis at least in the palatal side of this socket of the old root canaled tooth. I also have an intraoral digital picture taken about one week after her tooth #2 was extracted where still in the mesial part of the socket there appears to be a badly decayed/brown colored root (filled hole in the middle) that was broken across horizontally at a bit of an angle.

Again, I sincerely all of your help that you are providing Bryanna. I will try to post a pic of a prior and recent PA x-ray and the socket after extraction.