Dave,

I'm sorry if my post implied that your current jaw infection was the tooth that had the periodontal work done. Since I had no idea (or don't remember) which tooth was done in either case, my intention was to make a general statement about any correlation between oral surgery and jaw bone infections. My apologies for not making that intention clearer.

Both of your dentists performed procedures that are routinely done in the conventional field of dentistry on patients who present with your particular dental problems. Neither procedure is considered negligent in the eyes of what is called "standard of care". It is what they are taught to do in dental school and the ADA backs those teachings up 100% so long as they are done according to the textbook. Does any of that mean they are performed without risks to your health? No, not by a long shot.

Jaw bone infections are common and it is my experience that basically every person with root canaled teeth will eventually have them. The degree or intensity of infection varies, but like any chronic infection anyplace in the body, it is something that always puts alot of stress on the immune system. Again I apologize if I failed to make myself clear in that any jaw bone infection is serious and should not be taken lightly. By the time the infection from a tooth has spread to the jaw bone, it has been brewing for quite some time. Most dental problems do not show any signs or symptoms until they have reached a level of inflammation that sends off signals to the brain that something is wrong.

I really wish there was a way to preserve a tooth that was infected. But there is not. Teeth are vital body parts just like every other part of the body. For example, if a person crushed their finger and the circulation of blood was cut off and there was no way to restore the blood flow, the bone would become ischemic and gangrene would set. If that non-vital finger remained on the hand the chance of gangrene proliferating to the rest of the hand would be pretty certain. If the finger was removed before the gangrene set in, the chance of saving the hand would be positive. A tooth that has been root canaled is just like that crushed finger in that there is no longer any blood able to flow through it to keep it healthy. That's why a dentist will tell you, a root canaled tooth is a non- vital tooth and becomes brittle due to the lack of blood supply. Just like the finger which is only one of five others and attached to the hand..... etc........ the tooth is only one of many which share the same jaw bone and vascular system as the rest of the body.

I am just putting the information out there to help others become informed of what their conventional dentists are not sharing with them. It is easy to research on the net if someone wanted to do that. Each person has to decide what they feel is in their best interest and my intention is to just provide the information not the solution.

Bryanna

Thought I might bring this back up, rather than start a new thread.

In another thread I mentioned multiple toothaches again. I am frustrated. I do NOT blame my doctors, they are super good people. If a mistake WAS made, it is just human error. No big deal, but I am trying to figure out what I am doing wrong.

I eat Yoplait Yogurt every day with "live and active cultures", but my wife wrote down the name of the items you mentioned -- "Culturelle" and "Saccharomyces boularii".

Is there a particular brand of these things to look for? Sorry to be such a pain, I forget so much, but my wife reminded of this post.

Thanks again, Dave

Hi Dave,

I haven't read your other post yet, I'll do so after this one.

First to address your comment about "blaming doctors". No one is doubting that they have done exactly what they have been taught to do. Whether they did it according to textbook or not...... who knows. In your case, it has obviously ignited some other dental problems to now surface. Was the health of your mouth or your over all health conducive to having the procedure done in the first place? I seem to remember you mentioning that you had some health problems. A weakened immune system can definitely have a negative impact on the outcome of any type of oral surgery.

If you stop to think about it, why didn't the first round of antibiotics kill the infection or the second round? Perhaps there is an infection that can't be reached inside of the tooth/teeth and it's set up house in your jawbone? Not to repeat myself......... but root canals do not cure any infection in the tooth because the microscopic canals cannot be cleaned out of infectious bacteria.

What to do........... consult with a dentist who is in the Biological field of dentistry who will look at your dental health along with your overall well being and offer you some treatment options.

As for the probiotics to help restore good intestinal bacteria that is being killed by the antibiotics and your compromised immune system......... most commercialized yogurt contains only a smidgeon if any good bacteria. The reason being is live bacteria die quickly when exposed to heat or varying temperatures. They also die when combined with any type of sweetener. So the combination of the lengthy processing to the additive of sweeteners to the sitting on the store shelf.......... the bacteria cannot possibly survive all that so what you are left with is dead good bacteria and a bunch of sugar and preservatives. Read the ingredients label on the yoplait yogurt....... plenty of sweeteners in there!

Information on Culturelle can be found at culturelle.com and that is the brand name of that product. The Saccharomyces Boulardii can be purchased online or in a health food store and the brand that I use is NutriCology. I personally purchase both of these products at vitacost.com

Bryanna

Bryanna, here it is July 4th and I am back. I have had more trouble with my teeth since the April 10th oral surgery than I have had in at least ten years.

I was told to get a root canal, then they said #15 needs the crown removed because there was decay under the crown. We did that last Thursday. I was in the chair over 3 hours.
They found decay on the back side, down by the nerves if I remember correctly. The dentist says he fixed it and they put a temporary crown on it.

Two days later the area around it is starting to swell and I have minor pain back. I know you said to see a special line of dentists who take a person's system into the equation, but I don't know of a single dentist who would want to take me on. Plus I wouldn't trust the dentist to try to ....... figure it all out. My case (overall) is "a mess" (direct quote from my doctor).

I don't want more antibiotics. (I have been on probiotics for a few weeks now) I have been to the best oral surgeon in our area, one of the best root canals specialists and my dentist has been doing my teeth for almost 20 years. As you pointed out, under "normal" circumstances these problems wouldn't be here, but such is life. Pretty frustrating.
The tooth is pretty far to the back I guess. Before the dentist worked on it the pain was strong enough to cause "instant earaches" in both ears and the whole row of teeth on the upper left side would hurt. I used naproxen (per dentist's directions) to alleviate swelling and it helped some. I just sit and wait. Don't know what else to do or where to go. If I am having another infection in my jaw area, it may be time to see a medical doctor to find out why.

Strangest thing -- my dentist was looking inside my mouth and he told me I had one of the healthiest mouths" he had ever seen. Hard to understand.

Hello Dilfo,

Sorry you are having so much trouble. I have recently gone thru the jaw
bone scraping and scraping, biopsy, I V antibiotics and finally 2 surgeries
to first cut the jaw right thru and then second to put new bone from my
hip into my jaw. Not a lot of fun. I hope you keep pressing the dentist/oral
surgeon and your family doctor for answers and help. I was not pushy enough and ended up with a real mess. I wish you luck with your situation.

kasmi

Hi Dave,

Well, from all that you have written here, I cannot understand how your dentist can look in your mouth and say you have one of the healthiest mouths he has ever seen. I'm not doubting that he said that to you, I just don't see how his statement could be all that credible. But I suppose anything is possible.

The dental organization that I recommend is IAOMT.org.
They see people of all walks of life and most often people who have extensive medical issues and unresolved dental issues. Your case would be something that they would be familiar with, I'm sure.

Swelling in the mouth is never something that should be ignored. However, your medical dr will only refer you back to your dentist because he won't have a clue what is wrong. It could be that tooth #15 or some other tooth in that quadrant is infected and yes, it can be progressing to the jawbone. Naproxen or any other anti-inflammatory will not cure the infection. These drugs are meant to reduce inflammation and in the case of an infection, the inflammation is only reduced temporarily.

If you feel you need to see a different dentist for whatever reason, perhaps you could try the IOAMT.org and search for a dentist in your area.

Bryanna

Hey Kami!

How are you doing?? Are you feeling any better?

Bryanna ~'.'~

Thanks for asking, Bryanna.

Lots better without the infection! I don't have any sensation in the front
right quarter of my jaw, so I have sort of a quirky smile, and a large lump
under my jaw, but the infection is gone, and I can live with the rest. This
was a very bad experience, please keep up your good work warning people
of the risks of not treating problems early.

Tx, kami

Hi Kami,

Glad to hear that you are feeling better!!

The loss of sensation....... do you know if that is from the infection or the anesthetic or the surgery itself? What is the lump under your jaw?

Any information you could give us may in some way help someone else. I appreciate your honesty about your dental problems. They definitely were severe...... but unfortunately more common than most people realize.

Thanks for the kind words.... ~'.'~

Bryanna

Hi again Bryanna.

The loss of sensation in my jaw is due to the nerve being severed when they cut thru
my jaw to get rid of the infection. They say it will not recover. I am not that concious
of it most of the time, but eating is awkward as I chomp down on that part of my lip
pretty hard. Family and friends are considerate, but I still feel self concious about it.

The lump under my jaw, I am not sure. It was there after the first surgery, and didn't
get taken care of during the second. It doesn't seem to be infection, just a hard lump
of tissue...scar tissue? It makes my face look a bit lopsided, I suppose I could look into
plastic surgery, but I really think I can just live with it. None of the obviously necessary
reasons for more repairs apply. I am not in the job market, looking for a husband or trying
to impress anyone. Plus, it doesn't hurt, just looks ugly.

If you have any ideas, I am open to them, Tx, kami