I have an appointment at Cedars tomorrow with Dr. Schenck at Tower ENT., so they really got me in quickly.

Michelle,

I was happy to read that you were able to get an appointment so soon.

I want to point out that some of you symptoms could very well be related to an abscessed tooth. Especially the swelling that has developed over the root of the molar. Besure to mention this to the ENT.

Good luck tomorrow.

I will surely mention it again, but I have had the back teeth xrayed about 6 times since I started in with all this.

First, when I had some odd feelings of pressure in my face, which was the first thing, and some vague feeling coming from the area of my crowned and rootcanaled tooth I went to my regular dentist. (I have a sort of HMO for dental, I call it "the better than nothing" plan") which is good if all you ever need is a filling or a deep cleaning at worst. Anything else, it is "beyond their scope of practice". They will send you to an OS for an extraction and an endo for a root canal, but after that you pay usual and customary fee and are not covered.

My regular dentist took xrays and said the tooth looked infected and we should pull it, since in my root canaled tooth there was very little actual tooth left to try to do it again. I was sad to pull the tooth, since I have all my teeth, and other than fillings have had no dental issues except for 2 root canals, which both seemed to go well five years ago.

So I had the tooth (number 13)pulled in August, and the site seemed to heal well, but all my face and head issues remained and as weeks went by, the area above the back tooth seemed swollen and seemed like something was not right, it seemed like it was pushing into my cheek. I went back to the oral surgeon, and he took panoramic xrays and said it looked fine, nothing wrong with back tooth and site was healing. Meanwhile my throat is hurting and glands in neck seemed swollen. I went to my primary and then to the ENT (still was on medical HMO, got PPO on 11/1). He barely looked at me and said take antibiotics, maybe it is my sinus. Took antibiotics about 3 more times in last 3 months. By late October my back tooth was numb and the one in front of the one that was pulled too. Went back to ENT and had CT scan of sinus, and that looked fine. Went back to dentist, and he deep cleaned around back tooth and shot antibiotics into a pocket around the tooth and gave me more antibiotics. Well, gums are still inflamed and I feel a bump on the gum, and gum hurts all the time, teeth are still numb and discomfort in neck, throat, clavicle area still there. Pain is excruciating, and have face pain and sometimes numbness and tingling. My tumor has caused things like this, but not as consistently, this is not vague and not letting up. I have made about 5 trips to the dentist and they do not want to see me again, lol. They have washed their hands of me! They told me to have a head/neck exam by a good ENT.

I initially thought maybe TMJ from trauma of having the extraction, which preforated my sinus cavity, and he had to go in and get bits out of the root area. Also I have a small piece of amalgam in my gum visible on xray, but very tiny and I am told this is not uncommon and would not cause my issues. I have felt bad since the end of June, and just getting worse.

I do not think I should still have all these issues from an extraction, and if I am correct, lower teeth getting pulled have a chance of damaging nerves more than upper, no?

Thank you sincerely for your response, I will let all know what happens at Cedars tomorrow.

Best,

Michelle

Best of luck with your appointment tomorrow.

You are correct in assuming that the problems are probably not related to the extraction. Bubbles on the gum can be indicative of a root canal problem or a gum problem. Since you had antibiotics put into the gums, that would indicate a pocket in the gums. Neither of these problems would lead to the type of pain that you are experiencing and although they may exist, they would not be the cause.

You will be in good hands at Cedars and hopefully they will get to the bottom of your problems and that it will not be cancer related.

Hopefully we will hear good things from you tomorrow.

Thank you!! I will let you know what happens!!!

I find your post intersting and for what it is worth, you have all of the prayers I can muster with you. You seem like a great fighter with a good brain to think thses things thru. The best to you.... Jim