IT DOESN’T HAPPEN every time, but sinus infections sometimes trace back to the teeth. To understand why, we need to understand tooth infections. Tooth infections happen when decay or injury enables bacteria to get past the enamel and dentin layers to reach the pulp at the core of a tooth. Tooth infections are often very painful and they can lead to particularly painful abscesses. However, sometimes, the only symptoms are sinus problems.
For some people, the roots of the upper molars actually reach into the sinuses. If one of those teeth becomes infected, the bacteria could actually drain into the sinuses and cause sinus infections (maxillary sinusitis of endodontic origin, or MSEO) instead of the typical tooth pain and dental abscesses.
Symptoms of MSEO are congestion, runny nose, facial pain, post-nasal drip, and a foul taste and odor — just like a sinus infection. Someone with these symptoms will probably go to a doctor for treatment instead of any kind of dentist, and they’ll get treated for sinus infection instead of tooth infection. Prescription antibiotics can only temporarily treat the symptoms because they don’t get at the cause, which is the infected tooth.
Only root canal therapy can stop MSEO. Anyone experiencing sinus problems that don’t seem to respond to normal treatments might benefit from an endodontist’s opinion.
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