Tooth-and-sinus story
 

Just wanted to share this. My only question (if I even have one) is whether my understanding of it sounds correct:

About 10 years ago I came down with an infected tooth (#18). My dentist decided it would be best to extract it and put me on penicillin about a week beforehand. The extraction and the healing afterwards went just fine.

For at least 10 years before that incident, I'd been having left-side headaches once a month or so. Aspirin seemed to relieve them. I suspected they might be sinus-related because half an hour or so after taking the aspirin, I'd feel (or at least imagine I felt) a sinus in that vicinity pop open and start to drain.

After the tooth incident, the sinusy-feeling left-side headaches stopped completely. If the tooth had been anywhere near that sinus, of course I would've blamed it for the headaches. Since it wasn't even in the upper jaw, it doesn't seem as if it could've affected the sinus in any way. I'm guessing, then, that it had to be the course of penicillin that made the difference -- and that the sinus had been infected all along with some bug that was sensitive to penicillin.

Anything I'm overlooking?

Hi FooZe,

Tooth #18 is a lower left molar and has no direct association with your sinuses. However, if you had a long standing infection in that tooth and it was draining through a fistula, then the bacteria would have migrated down the back of your throat and you could have sniffed it up into your sinus. The removal of the tooth... removed the source of the infection and the antibiotic took care of the residual bacteria.

Sound logical to you?

Glad you are feeling better....thanks so much for sharing this story!!

Bryanna