Ongoing Pain - Don't know what to do

[Jade Whyley]

Hi all,

I have not posted like this before, but I am in a desperate situation.
I have a root Canal, that I believe also has a pin, and is crowned. This is at the top on the right hand side. This was done in 2012, and has never cause much aggro, apart from when I am particularly tired and stressed, it would be painful. In the last 6 weeks I have had constant pain all in this area, as well as all round the air. It is not sensitive and I can eat fine, it is just sharp and incredibly painful.

I first off went to the Dr as I thought it could be sinus infection, as I had had a cold recently but she advised me to go the dentist. The dentist done an X ray and said there was some inflammation from the sinus coming down so gave me antibiotics. The tooth pain got a bit better, but the ear had not, so they sent me back to Drs. He said there is definite tenderness around my ear and Jaw, so thinks it could be TMJ and thinks I have been exhausted so to rest over Xmas and he believes it will go on it's own.

Last night the pain around where my root canal tooth is, was unbearable pain i was in tears most of the night. I simply do not know what to do.

It is very weird as last Xmas I had nearly exactly the same thing, and I went to emergency dentist due to tooth pain in the same place. They said I would probably need the tooth extracted. I was pretty devastated by this, but weirdly the pain went off, and for almost a year, so I am wondering whether this will happen again.

I am very worried. Should I visit a different dentist for a second opinion, should I wait it out and see if it gets better?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
Jade

 

[svor1988]

It would be helpful to know which tooth this is.

For example the top molars lie under the maxillary sinus. Research 'Maxillary sinusitis root canal' if this is the case. The issue here is that you have a root canal treated tooth (a dead tooth) perforating the sinus. Bone tends to subside from not-living teeth. And treating a tooth with a root canal does not always clear out all source of infection in that tooth due to a network of ingestible tissue (by pathogens) in those roots.

Treatment would be a saline sinus rinse, multiple times daily as needed for pain, and then for a few days after for good measure. You don't need a doctor or a fancy product. Just salt, water, and a shallow bowl/cup: http://www.wikihow.com/Flush-Sinuses

In my case, the clean infection free environment caused by saline sinus rinses eventually allowed the bone to grow up over the perforating object (in my case an implant). The floor of the sinus does rise and lower. It was indeed years unbearable pain during the repeating chronic infections with which many doctors did not know how to help me... they all happily took my money though... I had to figure this out on my own. Through this perforation oral flora goes up, and sinus flora comes down, and they overwhelm the bodies defenses and infect the bone there, spreading.

But your situation may indeed not be a perforation of the maxillary sinus of dental cause. It would be helpful to know which tooth it is and see an xray, though I suspect I have identified the issue based on your description.