Bacterial Sinus Infection after extraction
 

Hi, I had my upper molar removed almost two months ago. I had a bad infection in the tooth and I was given a course of antibiotics before the extraction.

Two - three weeks passed and the gum area healed well but I started to get pain and uncomfortable feeling in my jaw and cheek.

Then my teeth felt all sensitive as if they were going to fall out and it was an awful feeling. The dentist sent me for an x-ray and we could see that my sinus area was all white and he said this was an infection in the maxillary sinus.

The first set of antibiotics (I was on for a week -zenat), did nothing, i was then switched to amoxycillan, still with no signs of getting any better, my cheek swelled and was very red and hot to touch. Went to my GP by the third week and was given Doxycycline, antihistimene, nasal spay and painkillers, fast forward two further weeks down the line and I am still sitting here with the same problem/ feeling of infection and nothing seems to be getting rid of this.

I have been referred to ear nose and throat at the hospital and now waiting on a CT scan.

I am suffering and feel so tired so fed up of feeling ill like this. Does anyone have any tips or advice or been through anything like this before?

I am normally a healthy person but ever since this tooth extraction my health has really gone down hill and i'm fed up of having a swollen sore cheek, feels like this uncomfortable feeling will never leave.

Not sure if my sinus has also been perforated. Would be really useful if anyone had any advice. Thanks

Re: question
 

When you go for your appts. and your CT scan. You might want to ask the doctor about leviquin, I am not sure of the spelling. This is a hard hitting antibiotic that is used for infections that are really bad or don't want to go away. It is the top of the line kind of antibiotic, and I would question your doctor about it as a possible course of action. I am so sorry you have this infection, and I know how bad you feel. I was given this drug after an ear infection refused to go away in 6 weeks of pain. It worked for me, when other antibiotics failed. Just a thought to bring up to your doctor. I hope you are able to get rid of that infection. ginnie

I had my upper molar extracted back in August and I had a sinus perforation. I never did get a sinus infection but it was slow healing and Oral Surgeon did have to go in and do a surgical debridement. When he did it he pushed up with an instrument and found out it closed on its own but it took a few months. We did Sudafed to dry Sinus out and Augmentin 875 2x a day for a week. I also feel as though my health declined afterwards. Not so much my health but my dental health. Now i am looking at 2 extractions again 1 on a root canal tooth and the other on the one next to it. They are lower but I fear a dry socket. I cry all the time cause my mouth is falling apart and with two small kids that need me i am not happy. Now I just had a root canal done by a very good dentist and I am hoping that it calms down because she was not able to out a temp crown on because it took to long and we ran out of time. I had about 10 injections cuz i could not get numb and my face is very sore. Dental work really gets you down.
I hope you are feeling better
Nicole

Hi fed up,

By any chance did the extracted tooth have a root canal in the past?

Infected teeth in the upper jaw can not only infect the sinuses but the infection can proliferate further into the head. Most of the time the infection in the sinus is not from the actual extraction, it is from the infected tooth. Sometimes the infected areas are neglected during the extraction or it is difficult to surgically debride the area completely.

Latent infections of this type are generally surgically debrided through an incision in the gum area and/or through the nasal passage. They can be very serious and can spread to other areas of the head. This infection should not be ignored, so please follow through with your ENT doctor and another oral surgeon that perhaps this ENT guy could recommend to you.

Please keep us posted on what's happening...
Bryanna

worried
 

I have been reading some of these post n I'm glad to see im not imagine things . I had a root Canal done in this tooth but was not finished they put a temp n I never went back . After a while tooth cracked n I had to have tooth extraction on a wed. despite I had the root canal it is evident that the nerve is dead but even before I went for extraction I always felt sensitive to hot n cold. Anyway tooth was extracted n I went home n when novacaine wore off I was in pain the whole night called dr he put me on penicillin on Thursday. Since t the extraction my symptoms are pain back of my upper neck ,eat, Temple, eye socket n my glans are swollen. I also have heart palpitations n chest pain , very tired , sweats n very clammy, dizzy ness. I just feel ill went back to dentist n he thought it was dry socket n it wasnt. He said I should go to my family dr . What can it be ?!!!!#

Hi sicky
 

I am no expert, just a friend who has had some unpleasant RC's. Glad you had it out. If your dentist has passed you off to your PCP. Perhaps an ENT visit would be better. You may have infection into the bone that needs treatment. You do sound sick, your primary may refer you to another specialist. These infections do make you sick. Bryanna will be here to talk to you. She is the best on NT for good dental advise. I wanted you to know that there is help here, and maybe advise on how best to proceed. I sure hope you get well soon. Dentists don't tell you that RC's aren't the best option from the beginning. Take care, and hang in there. ginnie

Hi sicky,

Just to help clarify some things for you...
During a root canal procedure the blood supply is cut off from the blood vessel to the tooth making the tooth non vital (dead). Although the tooth is no longer being fed nutrition via the blood it is still sitting in a live ligament and live bone. So root canaled teeth can be sensitive to temperature and/or chewing. Root canaled teeth are never healthy because they will always harbor dead nerve tissue inside of the tiny canals and eventually the bacteria spreads to the jaw, etc. So it's actually healthier for you that you had the tooth removed.

Your symptoms indicate you have an infection. It may or may not have anything to do with the infected tooth.... but it could be coming from the jaw bone where the tooth was because maybe the dentist did not remove the infected tissue and bone when he did the extraction.

It is best to consult with an oral surgeon as this is a dentist who deals with oral infections all of the time. You should bring the xray of this tooth with you to this appointment and the OS will take another xray to compare it.

If it is a bone infection, it would require immediate attention before it progresses. So this is not something that you should wait to get checked out.

Your medical doctor will not know if it is dental related and might just prescribe an antibiotic for you... but that medication alone will not cure an infection that is residing in the tooth socket. So it's best to see an oral surgeon first.

Hope this information is helpful to you. Please let us know how you are doing.
Bryanna

you must be my doppelganger
 

Wow, I could have written this this myself. You are not alone! I am going the same symptoms following the same procedure on a premolar with the same history. Although my cheek is not hot to touch, I feel that something is wrong and it seems like an infection to me. The OS is more concerned about the gum healing closed because I would not have an opening from my mouth to the sinus cavity anymore. I don't feel confident that when this heals closed it will stop the symptoms with all the sinus fluids. :(

Its nice to know that im experiencing the same sypmtoms as you! I was going to go into urgent care cuz I have been feeling dizzy, nausea, sweating, chills, blurred vision and a awlful taste in my mouth when I blow my nose or sniffle. I had a tooth extracted in my upper left side 5 weeks ago and it still hasn't healed yet?! so what was your outcome sicky?

Sinusinfect,

Did you have a sinus infection or sinus problem prior to the tooth being removed? Was the tooth previously root canaled? Did the dentist that extracted the tooth mention anything about the tooth being close to the sinus or that you had a sinus perforation?

I think you should see your dentist to evaluate your symptoms because if they are related to infection from the tooth, you will need to be treated with meds, etc.

It may also be wise to see you physician as well.

Bryanna

bacteria infection after tooth extraction
 

hi I had 3 wisdom teeth extracted on 2-26-13 I to had a tooth in my sinus cavity.i ended up with a bacteria sinus infection I cant get rid of.after two months of antibiotics that did not work.ive been to er,ent and infectionous disease doctor. the last doc I saw said to get into the salt air.now im in florida at my moms for a week,i stopped taking antibiotics 3 days ago and so far so good.if this dosent work I will have to have sinus surgery to remove all the material in my sinus, but I am done the antibiotics,no more.ill let u know if the salt air works.

hi.
 

hi, i know this is an old post, but I'm going thru the same exact problem and i will like some help and advice for this situation. thank you

Hi jimmy,

Please give us some details of your particular situation so we can try to help you.

Thanks,
Bryanna

This is very interesting- I thought I was the only one with sinus issues after extraction of a top pre-molar, and I also thought that maybe I am going a bit crazy, because I have been in constant pain or discomfort for two years straight now- I thought it all would end after the extraction, but boy, was I wrong...:confused:
I am dealing with weird sinus and upper jaw pressure at the moment too, had a tooth extracted there 3 months ago almost. And a carlson bridge put in. When the surgeon did the extraction of the previously root canaled tooth, he said, it was indeed very good that I had it extracted, because my root had a little curve in it and while it did not perforate into the sinus cavity, it did "stick" into the soft tissue of my cheek and has caused some minor infection there- at the time, he said it was nothing bad and that he was glad it was not in the bone, but "only" the soft cheek/face tissue. He also said that he removed it all.
WELL- here I am, experiencing weird pressureized feelings next to my nostril, up to my sinus and that side of my upper jaw. There is no pain or swelling, and the flesh is not reddened. All my last dentist visits, I was told everything seemed to have healed fine. BUT- I am not sure- and I am going to bring it up this coming week at my dentist's. I want an xray or whatever is needed to find out if the infection has really gone.
I SO hope I will wake up and be discomfort free again soon! I have almost forgotten what that's like, and I have lost a lot of joy of life due to my ongoing issue. I can def understand how chronically ill people can get depressed- if you wake up not feeling good every day, and it stays with you ALL day, it sucks so bad :mad:
Hope we can all find our best health again! I am doing everything I can, but sometimes I think it is not enough because STILL I am not back to my old self...

also with unexplained jaw and sinus symptoms
 

So sorry you also have to go through this Meera and Jimmy. I too have odd sensations in my sinuses, teeth and jaw. I thought it may have been a dental implant that was placed in 2008 (looked like it had perforated my sinus - but OS says it actually did not) and even had it removed recently despite x-rays showing it looked intact. I did have a large cyst directly above the implant and do wonder what it looks like now! ENT's I saw over this were not at all concerned...

The interesting thing is that tooth had been root canaled at one point and the tooth next to it was badly infected as well requiring extraction. It does make me wonder about some type of bone infection in there that has spread to my sinuses and was never caught. Both oral surgeons were instructed to debride any necrotic bone and ligaments.

I have explored the possibility of trigeminal neuralgia from the oral surgeon nicking a nerve during the oral surgery, but I don't have the stabbing, shooting pains you get with that. Instead, I have a constant sizzling sensation, burning, tingling and intermittent dental pain and jaw/head pressure. I have had some ocular migraines without the headaches too. Horrible tinnitus (ringing and hissing in my ears) also adds to my quality of life :(.

My doctor has prescribed anti-fungal and antibiotic treatment along with acetyl cysteine - all through a nebulizer that seems to be helping a bit. Candida was found on my dental implant culture so we wonder if there is a fungal component to this... The treatment is from a compounding pharmacy and apparently goes directly to your sinuses and nearby areas with less toll on your kidney and liver. But it has been months now. Very discouraging.

If any of us figure out what the cause is and are able to get better, it is so important to write and share with the others here. Please take care and keep us posted.

any updates?? Idk how to help my bf.
 

Has there been any updates prior to treatments?
Upper Molar that was absessed, had to be lanced following extration the next day.
My BF has been dealing with infections for the past 2 months, he has been on numerous antibiotics too the point that the dentist could no longer help and referred him to a oral surgeon. He has been in and out of the hospital with all the same symptoms as the orginal poster, it's has interrupted our lives and his work, he was released from his job for being out. He can barely open his mouth to eat. I'm just so frustrated and so sorry for him and anyone else that has to deal with this. They managed to see that his wisdom tooth is located in his sinus cavity, and when his dentist pulled his molar he heard a pop in his nose, which in turn he has been dealing with issues from his sinus. Along with swelling, tenderness, a white tissue like coming from where he was cut (small pin hole hasn't closed), drainage, bad taste, idk how or where to go for help. ER can't seem to do anything and our "free clinics" only take 8 people on 1 day a wk. No insurance for anything since he was let go from work.

Hi Kymbo,
Wondering what did the oral surgeon say or do (assuming your BF went for the appointment with the oral surgeon)?
Did your BF have any x-ray or CT scans of the area or the whole jaw? If yes, is that how they "managed to see that his wisdom tooth is located in his sinus cavity"?

I am also experiencing same symptoms after extraction upper molar that had infected root in my sinus. I have major sinus infection that seems to be getting worse. I had the extraction 6 days ago. But I have had sinus infection/problem for 7 months. Has anyone ever got an answer to this?

I have found the only prescription that works for me for a bad sinus infection is Augmentin.

I was getting a lot of them, but knock on wood, haven't gotten ANY, since taking Oregano Oil when I have a symptom of a cold or sinus infection. So, I use Oregano Oil tablets for prevention. There is a shocking amount of people who swear by it's effectiveness. I am amazed since I was getting them often and knock on wood, I haven't had one in ten months simply by eating well, washing my hands often and taking an Oil of Oregano tablet or two at the slightest sign of a problem.

However, once an infection has started for me, only Augmentin seem to have worked. Amoxicillin did nothing.

I mention this because along with any dental work you might need, these things might help

I have read testimonials where people with bad infections take their prescribed antibiotics and some oil of oregano and get through nasty infections with ease. They say never to take oil of oregano for more more than ten days in a row. They say it is anti bacterial and anti fungal.

It's shockingly effective against sinus infections. I call it "the sinus infection bomb."

I don't want to mislead anyone. If I had a BAD infection, especially with fever, I would definitely take Augmentin or an antibiotic prescribed by my doctor. If it was lingering, I would recommend to add the oil of oregano. In my case, I take an occasional oil of oregano tablet and have stopped (knock on wood) what was turning into a chronic problem.

Good thoughts for improved health.

Good on the Oil of Oregano. I just added it to my home made solution that I use to keep a tooth issue under control. A friend too who had two major dental issues and two crowns still has pain in these areas. She is using the solution I use also which contains drops of Oil of Oregano. To my solution I also add Arnica tablets. Learning to be creative is what I have been working on for over 25 yrs. Improving all health takes research.

Are you better yet?
 

Hi,
I am experiencing a lot of what you were going through. Are you better yet?