[MCOBBY]

Bryanna,

I am in desperate need of advice here. Every dental professional I have seen seems to kick the can down the road on this one. I just don't know what to do next Here is the background:

I am a 48 year old male.
I had a root canal performed on tooth #3 in late December 2015 as I had pain that I thought was normal decay. Also had sensitivity to hot/cold. Dentist found no decay but recommended and performed root canal therapy.

Following root canal, hot/cold sensitivity went away. However a dull aching above that tooth remained.

After several weeks of residual pain above the tooth and in that general area, I returned to dentist. Took more x-rays could see no issues. Saw regular dentist in Feb and March 2016.

Went to see Periodonist for opinion. March 2016.

Referred to endodontist. APril 2016 Did tests took x-rays. Referred to oral surgeon.

Oral surgeon did full exam (May 2016) and performed Laser comb 3D CT scan. Could not find anything. All usual tests for TMJ, wisdom teeth etc.
3D scan sent to radiologist. Could not find any obvious issues

Referred to another endodontist for 2nd opinion. Did exam took x-rays but can find no obvious reasons for pain.

Now they are all telling me to see a Neurologist.

Pain continues to this day and feels like it originates above the tooth #3 in the jaw, and goes to the back of eye socket and back of head. Gets very intense and feels like a migraine. However I have never suffered with migraines.

One theory the dental experts have provided is that it could be a cracked tooth (in either tooth #3 or #4) that they cannot detect on an x-ray. Also TN has been mentioned as possible cause. But they all say "Nothing Dental".

I asked about pulling the tooth but am warned that if it's not the tooth then I lose a tooth for no good reason. Also that it could be #3 or #4 that has a crack. As both teeth have had RCT.

I still feel it is the tooth/root canal on #3 that is the issue, as I had the hot/cold sensitivity there which went away after the root canal.

So my logic says the pain started in that tooth. The hot/cold sensitivity went away after the root canal. So it would be a strange coincidence if this current pain is due to something completely different. Also the pain feels like it comes from there.

My current plan is to maybe see the neurologist and request an MRI. In hopes that it might show something that has not been seen on the other images. Or else.

I feel like I am going mad because I started with a painful tooth, the tooth still hurts, but am being told it must be something else.

Many thanks for any advice or guidance you can provide.

[Bryanna]

Hi MCOBBY,

Your physical symptoms (that are associated with your "dental" problem) are not unusual concerning the ill health of ALL root canaled teeth. Nor is it unusual for conventional dentists to tell a patient that because they cannot see any blatant radio graphic signs of the infection and inflammation, that the teeth must be okay because they are root canaled. Or they give the diagnosis of cracked tooth syndrome, which could very well be true, but it does not negate the ill health of the root canaled teeth ... it just exacerbates it.

A quick lesson about teeth in case you have not read some previous posts ....

Teeth have many, many hundreds of "microscopic" canals called dentin tubules or accessory canals. I will attach a diagram of a tooth so you can see exactly how many are in each tooth. These canals contain nerve tissue and they are NOT accessible via any instrument, laser or medicament during the root canal procedure. It does not matter how many times a tooth is root canaled or how well the procedure was done these canals are not accessible.
During the procedure, the only canals that are (somewhat) debrided are those that are large and visible. At the same time the blood vessel that fed the tooth nutrition is severed. The nerve tissue inside of these tiny canals no longer has blood feeding it so the tissue becomes necrotic and infected.
Due to the tiny size of these curvy canals, the infection inside of them often does not become "visible" until the bacteria has proliferated beyond the canals into the tooth and/or the jaw bone.
Conventional dentists of course know about these microscopic canals and they know that they harbor necrotic nerve tissue after the rc procedure but they do not see that festering infection as a problem until it has spread beyond the canals. I hope I have explained that clearly enough. If not, let me know.

It is important to note that if this type of infection was occurring anywhere else in the body, it would be considered a systemic health problem. Why is the mouth different? It's not.

Have you consulted with a Biological dentist or a Functional Medicine doctor or just conventional dentists and doctors? Are you familiar with either type of those practitioners?

Your logic about your symptoms is most likely correct, they are tooth related. Then the inflammation and infection in both 3 and 4 would be contributing factors, not just #3. They or one of them may also be fractured..... as that is a common occurrence with root canaled teeth.

The only way to attempt to remove the infection is to remove the source of the infection, which is the root canaled teeth. Yes, that would leave you a large open area in your mouth that you would have to consider and discuss tooth replacement options with your dentist.

One of the problems with extracting teeth that have been root canaled is the possibility of residual infection harboring in the jaw bone and possibly beyond after the teeth are removed. It is imperative that an oral surgeon remove the teeth, not a general dentist or periodontist, and that he remove the teeth in their entirety along with all necrotic tissue and bone. Whatever is left behind that is infectious will continue to fester. Oral surgeons are trained to be very thorough with their oral surgery. However, like most professions not all are going to follow the protocol as thoroughly as they should. So it is up to the patient to let their concerns be known and inform the surgeon to be certain about removing the periodontal ligament and all diseased tissue and bone to reduce the likelihood of a post operative infection or complication.

If you want to become well informed about the topic of root canals and how easily they affect your overall health including neurological health, then I would recommend the book entitled The Toxic Tooth, How a root canal could be making you sick, by Dr. Robert Kulacz and Dr. Tom Levy. This was written for the lay person and it gives explicit information about the bacteria's in root canaled teeth and how the infection affects your systemic health. It also gives citations and other informative resources.

If you are interested in consulting with a biological dentist....
The International Academy of Oral Medicine and Toxicology - IAOMT
www.iabdm.org
Mercury-Free Dentists, Services & Organizations | ToxicTeeth.org

Functional Medicine, what is it?... and find practitioners...
Institute for Functional Medicine > What is Functional Medicine?

I hope this information is helpful to you. Don't just don't give in to the recommendation of drugs to attempt to suppress the pain as the infection will become clearly evident at some point and then it may be more involved to eradicate. Follow your instincts ....

Bryanna

[MCOBBY]

Bryanna,

Thanks so much for all the advice and information. I truly appreciate!!

I certainly feel more empowered to follow my instincts and not accept these vague answers in determining how to proceed.

I will continue to post updates.

Best,

Martin.

[Bryanna]

Martin,

You are very welcome!

Yes, knowledge is empowering and so is being your own advocate if you are trying to find the "root" cause of your symptoms. Not to sound negative, just matter of fact .... both conventional dentistry and medicine do not offer tailored healthcare to any particular individual. Their education offers a one size fits all format and unless they have sought education beyond that realm of thinking, they won't know any other way to go about treating your symptoms. This is clearly evident based on the care that you have been receiving from different professionals .... but like minded practitioners.

Please keep us posted...
Bryanna

Originally Posted by MCOBBY

Bryanna,

Thanks so much for all the advice and information. I truly appreciate!!

I certainly feel more empowered to follow my instincts and not accept these vague answers in determining how to proceed.

I will continue to post updates.

Best,

Martin.