Top left teeth are constantly in Pain. Last Dentist said it was sinus

Hi Linda, Boy oh boy, you’re sure having more than your share of dental drama! I’m so sorry to hear you’re still having issues after the implant with sinus pain. Are you being treated for the sinus infection with antibiotics? Are you having nasal discharge or is this all confined in the sinus?

I am miserable!!! I have been through 3 rounds of antibiotics with steroids and nothing. I was just given 800 mg. of ibuprofen and nothing. The only thing that helps is to rub on "Kanka." But, it tastes bad and I just think, is this my life now???? My next appointment hope is on Sept. 10 to see the oral surgeon. The ENT I saw with the CT scan said, "it didn't look bad enough for surgery". Do you know how to post a picture on this forum? I would like to post a picture of the CT scan.

Hi Linda, I’m sure you are miserable! Sinus infections are awful and to have it impacting your teeth with the pressure can be almost unbearable. Because the Maxillary sinus is situated very close to the roots of your upper teeth, if irritated, they tend to swell, causing pressurization and pain. I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with this level of constant pain and that the antibiotics don’t seem to be helping at all.

So the Kank-A helps relieve the discomfort? I’m glad you’re getting some relief. That’s an oral benzocaine product so it basically numbs the area for a while. A little caution not to over use the product through.

You mentioned posting the CT scan photo. You’re welcome to do so though members in the forum are not able to interpret medical tests, diagnose or offer medical treatments. We can only share our personal experiences to offer assistance. To post your photo…when you make a reply, you’ll notice directly under the little blue box where you’re typing that it says Add Photo/Files. Click on that and a link opens with the option on how to attach the photo. Because you’re a new member you may not be able to do that for a few days.

Is there any nasal discharge or drainage at all from the side where you’re feeling the pain? Sometimes there can inflammation that causes a blockage, not allowing the sinuses to drain freely. If nothing is draining the pressure of the fluid continues to increase. But whether it looks ‘bad enough for surgery’ or not on the CT, there isn’t much room for expansion in that area and it’s going to hurt like heck!
I’d ask the ENT just what would make it bad enough?
It’s ok to be the squeaky wheel. You’re in agony and need relief!

This may sound silly but have you tried eating any hot, spicy foods? That can actually help open sinus passages to allow for drainage. Also staying hydrated may help loosen mucous and encourage drainage. Warm water compresses may help. There are techniques on YouTube for relieving sinus pressure as well. Might be worth a try in the mean time until your appt on Sept 10. There’s also a small, minimally invasive, procedure called sinuplasty which can be used to drain impacted sinuses. So there are options to get that sinus draining again!

Has it been suggested to take a decongestant, nasal saline spray or decongestant nasal spray?

Wow! Thankyou. You have given me so many options to think about. My nose is not runny. It is very dry. And I have tried the hot, spicy foods. I did read that somewhere. I also have tried prescription spray decongestant and that also did not work. It's so interesting what you said because my back upper teeth feel swollen. Every time I put something in my mouth I feel like I need to take something out first. I almost feel like those are false teeth. They don't feel natural in my mouth. I'm going to call the ENT I went too and ask about the sinuplasty. I have never heard of that and I'm really irritated with her. She didn't even have a CT Scan in her office. I had to go to an imaging center which took weeks longer. Even both of my dentists had a CT Scan in their office.
Those are also good questions for my ENT. She told me to go to the Oral Surgeon and then go back to her??

Linda, It’s not unusual when you have a sinus infection like yours or other dental infections such as an abscess, to feel as though teeth don’t occlude well (fit together when you bite), or feel natural. The expansion in the sinus can irritate nerves that supply sensation to the teeth, leading to that ‘full or swollen’ feeling. I should have mentioned before that I spent 30+ years of my career in the dental field so I have a little understanding of what you’re dealing with. ☺️

Not defending your ENT. But just a teensy bit in her defense, a CT Scanner has a hefty price tag. So it doesn’t surprise me that she wouldn’t have one in her office. But equally surprised that the two dentists you’ve visited do. Are you sure it wasn’t a panoramic dental X-ray (either film or digital) where the arm of the machine rotates around your head? Those are pretty standard in any modern dental practice.
You would have been standing or sitting, while biting on a small peg that helps the dental assistant position your head and maintain a correct placement for the imaging.
The images would have shown a darkening in your sinus, near or above the tooth that’s impacted with the implant.

Sounds like you’ve tried so many things to help clear your sinuses on your own. With having taken 3 rounds of antibiotics already, this has been going on for some time! You can try your ENT again to ask if there’s any way to help open or clear your sinuses in her office any sooner than the consult with the oral surgeon Sept 10. That’s a long time to suffer with this.
You can also call the oral surgeons office to see if they have a cancellation list so that you can get in earlier. Ask to speak with an assistant or nurse practitioner (some OS have them) and tell them this continuing infection is troubling, painful and you’d like to know if it’s a sinus infection or could this be an infection associated with the implant.
Do you have an elevated temperature at all?

Yes, the two dentists who did the CT scans were with me standing and had something in my mouth. So, maybe not as good as a CT? I thought they were the same. So, if that is the case that's why she doesn't have one. The images showed my left sinus white and my right sinus dark. And you could see the roots very close. Now with the implant it is very high. And I wonder if that is aggravating anything? The dentist I saw last week mentioned how high it was. Yes, my family has been telling me to see if I can get in earlier and the ENT I can call tomorrow and see if there is anything else she can do. I do not have an elevated temperature. Just a bunch of teeth that feel like they are bunched together and driving me Nuts. The dentist who did my implant is a holistic dentist and did a zirconia implant. He is really smart. I've known him close to my whole life. But, I am worried about the Dentists here accepting that tooth.

@linda1976 I have experience with zirconia dental implants on front teeth. I also have some cervical neck issues and have had a fusion of C5/C6 in addition to thoracic outlet syndrome which is a physical compression of nerves in the neck and shoulder. It's tighter on one side and can pull my jaw out of alignment. That does generate some pain directed to the teeth and jaw or my face. Sinus issues do also come up. I treat those with Mupiroicin ointment inside my nostrils and that clears it really fast. I feel like my teeth have orthodontic braces moving my teeth if I get sinus infections that cause some inflammation. I tend to get that moving into my lungs, so I always want to catch it early and treat it. My dentist was a holistic biological dentist and retired , so I'll be finding a new one.

Thank you so much for replying. This dentist is in San Diego, Calif.. His name is Dr. Al Fallah. He's been in our family for many years. But, we are 3 hours from him and it's easier to go to a dentist where we live and they take insurance. I do love how smart he is. We just can't afford to go to him on a regular basis.

I am still so MISERABLE. My teeth on the upper left are just driving me crazy. I have an appointment with an Oral Surgeon on the 10'th of September. Advil, nothing works. I was using, "KANKA", but now I'm afraid to use it because I had someone tell me it's not good to use often.
Does anyone have any suggestions or have had the same problems?? It started when the dentist cleaned out an old root canal and put a new cap on my tooth #12. It's never been the same and now all my teeth on my upper left hurt.

My situation is similar but I did have yellowish green drainage for months despite antibiotics and steroids. PCP finally ordered a CT and I was told the sinusitis was from an infected tooth root. I had FUNCTIONAL endoscopic sinus surgery at Emory followed by a root canal. That has been very successful. I did not have tooth pain before or after, but headaches, sinus pressure and drainage. Good luck! The oral consult was a waste and they just wanted to extract. The endodontist saved the tooth.