At Salt Lake Dental Care – Clint Blackwood DDS, many patients come in with a toothache. In some cases, the toothache is a secondary symptom of a sinus condition. Let’s discuss the relationship.
Your maxillary sinuses are very close upstairs neighbors of your top teeth. In some areas, only a sliver of tissue separates the upper tooth roots from the bottom of the sinus cavity. It’s no wonder that when there is a pain in that general area, the distinct location can be hard to pinpoint.
Allergies, infections, and the common cold can irritate sinus tissues. When sinus tissues become swollen and infected, it can affect the teeth.
In acute cases, swollen sinus tissues can actually move the teeth slightly, changing the bite. The reverse scenario can also occur. The infection surrounding an abscessed tooth can easily travel to the sinus cavity.
An abscess is an infected pocket of pus in a tooth and/or the surrounding bone and tissue. The most frequent type of oral abscess begins in the pulp of the tooth and is frequently caused by decay.
When an abscess is small, it may go unnoticed but it will eventually result in pain.
An abscess can cause complete tooth loss and the infection can also destroy jawbone.
If an abscess damages the tooth until it is beyond saving and requires extraction, a dental implant is one replacement option – but only if there is enough bone to anchor the implant.
How can you tell an abscessed tooth from a sinus infection?
Sinus pain generally manifests itself as a dull, continuous pain while the pain from an abscessed tooth increases in intensity. If you tap on an abscessed tooth, you will probably feel a sharp shot of pain.
You have several sinus cavities, and pain can emanate from any or all of them, so if you have an infection in more than one sinus cavity, you may have pain behind the nose and eyes. As mentioned previously, it’s possible to be in a world of hurt with both dilemmas—an abscessed tooth and a sinus infection.
Call Salt Lake Dental Care – Clint Blackwood DDS if you have pain in your upper jaw and lower sinus area. An abscessed tooth should never be ignored. If it’s a sinus infection, your doctor can help you. This is a situation where you need advice from both your dental and medical care provider.
Contact Salt Lake Dental Care – Clint Blackwood DDS:
801-938-8855
Location (Tap to open in Google Maps):
279 E 5900 S Ste 202
Murray, Utah
84107
