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I had exactly the same thing the OP describec, and it was a tooth. The infected tooth can "refer" pain to other parts of your head and face, and you will think it is somewhere else, but it has happened to me three times, and it always turned out to be an infected tooth.
The first time, I went to urgent care doctor clinic first, they couldn't find anything wrong. The dentist diagnosed it at a glance. Have it pulled.
Have it pulled? Just like that huh?
To the OP: don't accept diagnoses or treatment recommendations based on what you read from strangers on an internet forum.
If you have an infection at the gumline, and that infection isn't within the tooth itself, then it's very possible antibiotics can reduce the infection and allow it to subside, without having to do *anything* to the tooth at all. If the tooth is compromised, then sure, pulling it might be advised by your dentist. But that's between you and your dentist to decide.
UPDATE: I went to the dentist, and numerous issues were found & they suggested the pain might be due to that, but he did NOT mention the existence of any infections, and he ALSO said there could still be sinus-pain issues of their own present, which it's looking more & more likely to be the case as there's quite a bit of phlegm I'm "sucking" out of my nose and when that happens it makes me feel somewhat better. He did prescribe 800mg ibuprofen (normal is 200mg), an antibiotic called amoxicillin (500mg) and an "oral rinse" called chlorhexidine (gluconate .12%). I also bought generic Sudafed.
I got lucky & found a dentist that, due to being new in the area and still apparently somewhat unknown, is running specials, insomuch that a "normal" cleaning is only $35 (although a "thorough" one is $175 x 4 for each "quadrant" and as I have not been responsible so much over the years that's apt to be what I need--and that is totally on me) and, more to the point, they did X-Rays & such without charging me a thing. No office visit charge, no X-ray charge, nothing. So in essence I at least got a free exam informing me of the state of my teeth (not good at all, but not to the point I'm about to assume the "toothless hillbilly" look if I quit being so apathetic anyway) and getting me the medication to kill this infection.
Again, I have experienced SOME tooth pain, and in fact yesterday at one point it was inflicting agonizing pain to the back of my head, but again a lot of the unpleasantness was dizziness and ears-popping, and especially the last 18 hours or so I've "sucked up" quite a bit of phlegm out of my nostrils (gross I know, just clarifying that I wasn't COUGHING it up so much) and when doing so much of the symptoms have, for a few bits anyway, gone away with it, much as I've experienced in the past when I've had bronchitis infections. Today I've felt much better in terms of that and, perhaps not coincidentally, my ears have been popping far less often.
Apart from feeling better now, here are the dental issues, which again are of my own making as I've been sloppy with maintenance (my last cleaning was nearly 20 years ago, which is wrong on so many levels) although as of late I'm starting to straighten up with that. Besides needing a "deep" cleaning ($175 for each "quadrant," so it's $175x4=$700 just to CLEAN them) also he found 4 teeth which need a root canal. Even the original one he was guessing 50/50 chance a canal would "take" but as expected its level of decay is worse than any others. This one was my top-left-side back molar (left-side from MY perspective). The bottom-left-back molars, BOTH, also need a root canal, and the bottom-right-back-one as well. They're all molars--non-cosmetic ones I guess you could say, but of course highly functional.
This is the thing--again, I realize this situations is of my own making, due to my sloppy upkeep over the years, but besides needing to at least have a "deep" cleaning done, then you have the issue of how expensive root canals are. They quoted $1800 each (including crown) so that's $7200, which I come nowhere near having. However another option emerged which I hadn't though of--partials. I was quoted about $2800 to do partials, which included pulling the 4 out. That sounds like a viable option to me, versus eventually having to pull all 4 and (again) start assuming the "toothless hillbilly" look, at least with partials I'd still have the functionality as well as not having that "look" either.
However, I've heard some say partials introduce problems in the form of gradually loosening the teeth they're clipped onto. Also, as only the 1 hurts any, my inclination is to just pull it (after all, even the dentist was saying it's only 50/50 chance of it being "eligible" for a root canal) and hold onto the other 3 as is to put-off having them pulled while I still can't even afford partials much less a root canal. If my tax refund next year is similar in size of what it's been before, I should have enough to at least afford partials, if not a root canal or implants etc.
I personally wouldn't do partials, because it'll be difficult to chew with them, and that's what your molars are supposed to do best. The root canal costs are a bit high; even if it includes crowns (which it would need to do, with molars that you chew on). You could try and find a second opinion from some place that doesn't offer "specials." The reason I say that, is because often a dental group will offer a special to get you in as a patient - and then suck every cent out of you with overcharges for services you might need, other than whatever they have "on sale" that week.
Some won't - but some do. It's unfortunate but there are people like that in every profession, and dentistry isn't immune to them. Often, the ones that don't run "specials" charge reasonable prices and don't feel any need to run a "special" to get patients onto their roster. Again, not always, but some. It might be worth a couple of phone calls, at the very least.
If you have decent credit, you could ask about CareCredit. It's a medical credit card - I've never used it, but it seems pretty popular among people who can't afford dental visits or veterinary care for their pets. There are applications for it in my dentist's office, for what it's worth.
unless I missed it, you didn't say where the tooth is located. Upper teeth impact the sinus cavity so it's possible it's both. I would start with the dentist.
I'm glad you found a dentist who examined your teeth and provided you with medication that might combat a sinus infection too. That's why I recommended a dentist first since finances were a concern. I knew a doctor wouldn't be able to tell you anything about your teeth, but a dentist has the ability to write prescriptions for antibiotics. That's why I thought going to the dentist first was the best course of action for someone on a tight budget, especially someone who declined a root canal last year.
I don't know much about root canals. I've never had one. I had one tooth that needed a root canal, but an antibiotic resolved the pain and the pain hadn't returned in over 5 years. I have one cap from a tooth that fell apart 15 years ago. My whole point in sharing this is my wondering if a cap is necessary for a root canal. I just did some quick research and a crown isn't required, but there is a risk of the tooth fracturing if it isn't protected by a crown.
I'd wait to see if the antibiotic relieves the pain first before trying to decide which course of action to take. If the antibiotic works, plan to do one tooth at a time, spreading the cost over as long as you need, even if it takes 4 years doing one tooth at a time. Hopefully the dentist can identify which tooth is worst and start from there. But if you're going to spend the money for a root canal, I'd protect that investment by getting the cap. It will be money down the drain if it cracks without a cap.
Most importantly, I'd call around and get quotes for root canals from other dentists (not endodontist because they're prices will be more expensive). If you find a cheaper root canal elsewhere, still get your teeth cleaned by this new guy to give him business for helping you out, and I'd continue to use him for your biannual cleanings. You can also even give him the option of doing the work for you by telling him the lowest quote you received and see if he will match it.
Definitely call around, even if you have to call 50 dentists until you are satisfied you've found the best price. Check dentists that are in a different county even. It might be worth it to drive a distance for a root canal. Prices can vary and it pays to shop around for medical care. An example, when we were briefly without insurance, I called physical therapists to find pricing. I found one that was willing to do it for only $20/hour. Meanwhile, I paid a $50 copay when I had insurance. I actually found cheaper treatment without medical insurance.
Check online for dental discount plans, you can sign up for one and get 20-80% off the treatments you need.
Depending on your personal conformation, you may have larger sinuses, as I do. My dentist once showed me an xray and that the root of my molars are a bare 1/4 inch from the base of my sinuses. And did say that tooth issues can cause sinus infections and that it can be tough to tell if its teeth or sinuses as the source. They are practically linked together.
As for your ears, when was the last time you cleaned them, or had the ear wax cleaned out? You can buy an OTC kit anywhere for about $8 or less, drops in your ears for 15 minutes then rinse them with warm water with the provided bulb. Do that for 4 days and see if they are better.
You need to get to the bottom of this without delay. Modern diagnostic x-rays in an Endodontist office might reveal that you have an abscess in that tooth. That can be fixed. It won't be cheap but it will be a whole lot cheaper than if the infection spreads to your brain as it did with one fellow I knew who had excruciating teeth pain. He wound up in the hospital and was initially diagnosed with a brain tumor. But it was an abscess and he had epilepsy after they cut it out.
In some cases it might be best, if the other teeth are bad just to get all the upper teeth pulled and an upper denture made. I've got all my teeth except for three and I'm 69, but I wouldn't hesitate to have them yanked if I had problems with my upper teeth. You can go bankrupt paying for the work, bridges and the like and still lose them.
You need to get to someone who really knows his business and get to the bottom of this.
You might have a sinus infection and that also needs to be taken seriously. A daily rinsing with salt water solution (I use Nell-Med) should keep those at bay.
Find out what the problem is and then you can check your bank balance and make an intelligent decision. Let us know how this turns out.
Actually root canals are a piece of cake. But sometimes they have to be "repaired" when an oral surgeon has to go in on the top of the tooth through the gum to seal it off. I had to have that done twice, under a local but it can be done also under general anesthesia.
I'd get to a top-flight endodontist if I were you. Those modern x-rays are quite remarkable.
Update: I still basically don't know what's going on, but I found a cheaper place for doing extractions and having partials made, and have an appointment with them this Monday, in 3 days. At times I suspect my upper-left-backmost molar (#14 I believe) is the cause (that's the tooth that gave me problems last year) other times I think it's just a sinus infection, maybe even bronchitis (which I've had before). Also I called the dentist back to get confirmation on any teeth which were INFECTED, and they stated that tooth (although apparently not the others) was indeed out & out infected. I did stumble across this new post here (//www.city-data.com/forum/healt...ody-aches.html) where someone else is discussing sinus pressure and pain which has been going on a long time for them, maybe that will be a helpful read for me.
Here goes.
When I wake up, I'm typically fine, just like before, only to develop a "fatigue fever" right around 11 am that then will not go away no matter what I take--exactly as it was in the past when I was believed to be bronchitis (maybe it was a sinus infection then too). Right now, as I'm typing this, I feel so great--without any pills, mind you--I could bike-ride 20 miles. I could jam loud Green Day and head-bang. (Last time I took pills was 9 pm when I went to bed last night, after I type this I'm going to take the antibiotics & my own ibuprofen, vs their strong 800mg they gave me, just to stay in the routine even though I feel fine at the moment.) I am full of energy and ready to attack the world. However if it holds true to form, about 11 or so I'll start getting that "fatigue fever" and basically feel like crap the rest of the day. Again, this is exactly as it was before. Also, prior to this starting, my tooth, although it had acted up pretty badly a year ago, was feeling no pain at all the entire time since. Also, yesterday especially, there was a LOT of yellow-ish phlegm present--again just like in the past instances.
The differences versus last time: before, there was no tooth pain involved at all, whereas now there is, although at times I have tooth pain and no symptoms and, much more often, the symptoms with no tooth pain--sometimes, less often, both are at the same time. Also there was no sinus pressure and ears-popping, as there most certainly is now. There weren't any headaches in terms of sharp jabbing or tension sensations near the back of my skull, as there is now. The phlegm before was produced by coughing most times, seldom was it produced my "nostrils sucking," whereas this time almost all of it is produced by "nostrils sucking." Again, as I mentioned, the dentist did say that the upper-backmost-left molar (#14 I think) was out & out infected.
That said, the other 2 teeth which I've lost were also upper-molars (left & right second from the back--so far all of my bottom teeth are still with me) and never did any of those infections cause any of this, and one of those infections was so brutal I stormed into a dentist office screaming in pain to where they just extracted it on the spot and told me "make sure to pay us later when the pain's over," they didn't ask me to pay and didn't even bother having me do the usual "take antibiotics and come back to have it pulled" dance, they pulled it right then--even with that tooth, never did any of this sinus pain happen.
I did check around other dentists and yes, the one I saw for free seems to have higher prices than others. The one I went to last year at first (I also went to a second one for another opinion) charges $125 for an extraction, vs $185 for the place I saw 3 days ago. Meanwhile, one post I found in a search here mentioned a place called "Affordable Dentures" (Affordable Dentures, dental implants, tooth extraction, partial dentures) as an outfit to look for with lower prices, and yes, they only charge $85 for an extraction & have good prices on partials as well (which I'm considering having done when all is said & done).
I have an appointment Monday with affordable dentures, for $100 they'll X-ray everything and assess what to do. They said I could get X-Rays from the place I saw & then they'd only charge $25 for the office visit, but money issues aside, I'm thinking it would be a crummy thing to do to ask for the X-rays from the place I got the free assessment from down the road & use them to get work done elsewhere--I'm sure they did what they did with the idea that I'd return to them for any work. That doesn't mean I HAVE to return to them for any work, but to use their X-rays I'm thinking would be sort of tacky. Regardless my inclination is to have this "Affordable Dentures" place do all my future work if they seem respectable, so having them do X-rays is a logical thing to do this Monday I think.
Hopefully I can make it to Monday--again, right now, I feel great, but if history is any indication, almost like clockwork at 11 a.m. (no matter whether or not I take medication) the pain will return & I'll be basically out of it the rest of the day. Every single thing--any tooth-pain, phlegm production, sinus pressure, "fatigue fevers," lack of any energy at all--they all pretty much show up all at once, and almost exactly at 11 a.m. as if it was a bus arriving at a bus stop on its daily schedule. Even if the "back of the skull headaches" don't show up (or the ibuprofen keeps that much at bay) the ear-popping, sinus pressure and "fatigue fevers" will still make me all but wish I would just die already.
I was with someone when they got all their uppers extracted and it really wasn't that bad. Three abscesses sealed the deal. The upper denture looked great and all the problems went away. The bottoms are still intact and in good shape.
Typically infections in the bottoms are less of a threat than the uppers although extractions are sometimes more of a problem than the uppers. I had to have an impacted lower wisdom tooth extracted years ago and that was a most unpleasant experience but it had to come out because my jaw was going numb. But once it was out and it healed I have had no further problems.
I see upper dentures in your future. You may never have to have a lower denture and that will just be fine. I just wouldn't be shelling out a small fortune only in the end have to have them out anyway. But to confirm it I would still see a thoroughly modern endodontist. The detail of the x-rays are quite remarkable. Not cheap but then there will be absolutely no doubt and you might find other abscesses forming you didn't even know about. There is a point when throwing good money after bad makes no sense.
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