Sinuses are the four air-filled hollow cavities around the nose. A sinus infection happens when we develop a cold and the mucus cannot be drained out from the sinus cavities, leading to growth of germs there. When the sinus and nasal passages become inflamed, it is known as sinusitis.
Sinusitis usually happens due to viruses, bacteria or allergies. Although anybody can be a victim of sinusitis, older children and adults are more likely to get sinus infections than young children. This is because the sinuses in our body develop fully only when we are of age 9 or above.
Overall symptoms of sinusitis
The most common symptoms of sinusitis include:
· Cold that lasts for at least a week
· Severe headache around the eyes and pain at the back of the neck
· Runny or stuffy nose
· Post-nasal drip (mucus at the back of the throat)
· Redness and swelling of the eye
· Slight or high fever
· Thick yellowish nasal drainage
· Nausea and occasional vomiting
· Bad breath
· Ear pain
· Dental pain
Teeth pain from sinusitis
The four sinuses in our body are maxillary, ethmoid, sphenoid, and frontal. The maxillary sinus is located very close to the maxillary teeth and can be actually seen on doing a dental X-ray. Hence, when the maxillary sinus gets infected, it can actually affect the molars on your upper jaw. Maxillary sinusitis is therefore the inflammation of the maxillary sinus. Usually it irritates the nerves at the root of the molars on the upper jaw, and that causes tooth disease.
Symptoms of maxillary sinusitis
All sinusitis have common symptoms like headache, runny nose, post-nasal drip, coloured drainage and severe headache. But in case of maxillary sinusitis, you can experience an acute tooth pain that is quite different from the regular tooth pain.
A regular tooth pain is usually more intense than one due to maxillary sinusitis. In case you have maxillary sinusitis, your tooth pain will be less intense and can be eased by lying or sitting down. However, the pain can shoot up on bending over or bowing, that puts extra pressure on the teeth.
Treatment of maxillary sinusitis
Maxillary sinusitis is usually treated by doctors by prescribing broad-spectrum antibiotics.
Bad breath
Due to sinusitis, mucus accumulates at the back of our throat. The mucus is usually thick and odoured, and the colour varies from yellow to green. This mucus can cause your mouth to smell really bad all day long. A lot of people mistake it for the bad breath you get on maintaining poor oral hygiene. Most of the time, the smell goes away by using mouthwashes, but sometimes, antibiotics may be required to treat it.
Dry mouth
More often than not, sinusitis treatment involves antibiotics (in case of bacterial sinusitis) and antihistamines (in case of allergic sinusitis). These medications can leave your mouth really dry and can easily add to dental complications.
Sinusitis after root canal treatment
A root canal is an orthodontic procedure where the inside (pulp and nerve) of a decayed tooth is removed and filled with a rubber-like substance to save it from decaying further. In this process of cleaning the inside of the tooth, bacteria can easily penetrate to the root of the tooth and thus, to the sinuses around. This can lead to further pain. Symptoms of this include:
· Feeling of the air passing through the teeth whenever you inhale
· Runny or stuffy nose
· Post-nasal drip (mucus accumulating at the back of the throat)
· Severe headache
The way to go about the treatment for such a problem is usually antibiotics, or surgery in severe cases.
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