SINUS HEADACHES AND DENTAL HEALTH - Headaches and Dental Health

SINUS HEADACHES AND DENTAL HEALTH

FAMILY GENTLE DENTAL CARE
DR. DAN PETERSON
1415 SAGE STREET
GERING, NEBRASKA 69341

308-436-3491

Sinus Toothache?

Sinusitis is important to dental patients because one of the symptoms of maxillary sinusitis is pain that can mimic pain of dental origin.
Causes Treatment
Evaluation of diagnosis Decongestants
Symptoms and Signs of sinusitis Antihistamines
Sources of pain Antibiotics

There are 7 sinuses (air filled cavities) in the head. Sinusitis, an inflammation of the sinuses, is a common dilemma.... the fifth most common diagnosed problem requiring antibiotics to be prescribed.

Causes:
allergic responses
chemical irritation
infections mechanical obstruction
infected maxillary tooth

The sinus that most commonly becomes infected is the maxillary sinus due to it prominent exposure to the environment and the anatomy that allows drainage of the cavity. In the maxillary sinus the mucus must move upward to drain from the sinus and to the nasal cavity. When a person is standing the maxillary sinus does not drain easily. This drainage pattern makes the maxillary sinus prone to infection. These infections can cause pain in the upper teeth. Tooth pain is often the symptom that brings patients to the office after the cold has gone away.

Step to evaluate sinus pain versus tooth pain:

1. History of previous episodes of sinusitis
2. Clinical exam, palpation of maxillary bone over the sinuses
3. Evaluation of teeth to identify a possible dental origin
4. X-rays, including P.A. and possibly panorex
5. Vitality testing of the tooth by electric pulp testing, ice, heart percussion
6. Rule out sinusitis by treating the pain with medication

Signs and symptoms of sinusitis
bullet tenderness over sinuses
bullet nasal congestion
bullet headache
bullet foul odor
bullet discharge down the back of the throat
bullet nasal discharge
bullet fever
bullet dental pain
bullet If you have sinus pain, especially pain on both sides of the face, as well as tooth pain, than it can be likely that the sinus is the source of the pain

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