What Helps Jaw Pain From Sinus Infection

Get Sinus Relief From Allergy & Ent Associates In Houston Tx

Sinusitis can be an extremely painful condition that can develop into a more serious medical issue if left untreated. If youve been suffering from a sinus toothache or sinusitis, seek treatment with the board-certified sinus treatment specialists at Allergy & ENT Associates. Whether your sinus issue is a result of allergies, asthma or structural problems, our sinus treatments can provide relief. Our services include surgical treatments like rhinoplasty, septoplasty and functional endoscopic sinus surgery. Call us at MY-SINUS to schedule your appointment today!

How Your Sinuses Affect Your Teeth

The pressure and infected tissue in your sinuses behind your cheekbones affects the nerves near the roots of the molars on your upper jaw, creating the pressure-like pain that youll feel. Movement that affects the pressure in your sinuses, such as bending over or jumping, may also affect the pain you feel in your teeth.

Symptoms That Can Occur With Either Condition

One of the big difficulties in distinguishing between these conditions is that they can often present with very similar symptoms. Some of the symptoms you might see with either condition include:

• Toothaches not related to cavities
• Earache or fullness
• Tinnitus
• Sore neck

If you have these symptoms, you could be experiencing either condition. Although the mechanism is different, the results are the same. In TMJ, jaw muscles are responsible for the pressure and pain in areas ranging from your jaw to your ears to your eyes. Your sinuses run through your skull in nearly all these areas as well, so the pain you feel could be related to congestion and swelling from a sinus infection.

If youre experiencing sinus infection jaw pain, its caused by pressure on the sinus cavity from the sinuses being blocked, from swelling in the area, or from the infection spreading to other areas. Ear infections are common with untreated sinus infections for that reason. If you want to know how to relieve jaw pain from a sinus infection its by treating the sinus infection. Once the infection clears up, the jaw pain should subside. On the other hand, if TMJ is the cause of your jaw pain, treating TMJ will relieve it.

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Can Sinus Infection Make Jaw Hurt

If you have a sinus infection, you may experience pain in your sinuses. Your sinuses are swollen and inflamed, which causes a dull pressure in them. Pain may be felt in your forehead, on either side of your nose, in your upper jaw, or between your eyes. If you experience headaches as a result, you should seek medical attention.

What Is The Connection Between Sinus And Jaw Pain

When the sinuses become inflamed, a condition known as sinusitis, the effects can be felt in unexpected places. Due to the positioning of two of the largest sinuses, there is a link between sinus and jaw pain. By treating ones sinusitis, it is usually possible to relieve pain in both places. It should be noted, however, that a dental infection may sometimes be to blame instead.

The sinuses are air-filled, mucus-membrane-lined cavities found within the skull. Each person has four sets of sinuses, which are spread over the front part of the head. Occasionally, one or more of these sinuses can become blocked by excess mucus. Such a blockage creates a warm, moist environment that can prove welcoming to bacteria and other foreign bodies. When the sinuses are infected by these foreign bodies, they become inflamed.

As they swell, infected sinuses can put pressure on nearby body parts. Simultaneous sinus and jaw pain usually occurs due to an infection of the maxillary sinus, which lies within the cheek area. A swollen maxillary sinus can put pressure on the upper jaw. This pressure often causes tenderness and pain in the jaw area, particularly at the area over the upper molars. Sometimes this pain is also joined by discomfort in the upper teeth and the ear.

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Other Reasons You May Experience Jaw Pain

There are other reasons that you may be experiencing jaw pain. Stress often triggers pains in the law area because people are straining their facial muscles when they are feeling stressed. Some people have also reported jaw pain in association to allergic reactions. There have even been reports of jaw pain being associated with colds and flu symptoms.

What is most important to understand is that most jaw pain is a symptom of another underlying medical condition and should be taken seriously. It may the sign of an infection or injury, and autoimmune disorder or heart condition. Jaw pain is not always related to TMD issues concerning bite patterns and grinding teeth.

If you are experiencing jaw pain, consult with your dentist immediately to determine what is causing the pain. Your dentist will be able to provide you with the right treatment plan and information to help you manage or relieve your pain, or recommend you to a physician for further treatment.

Not Responding To Treatment

If youre suffering from jaw pain and your doctor prescribes you medicine to treat a sinus infection and your jaw pain still doesnt go away, it might be a different underlying cause.

Unfortunately, the way that many people find out they have TMJ is that they find out the treatment their doctor recommended just isnt working. Or maybe youve been trying home care, hoping that the problem would go away, only it hasnt.

In either case, it may be time to talk to a TMJ dentist. We have scientific equipment that can give us a precise diagnosis of TMJ or eliminate it altogether. If your pain is from a toothache, we can also help diagnose and treat you.

Its time to stop wondering about your condition and learn for sure whether a toothache or TMJ is responsible for your symptoms. To schedule an appointment with a TMJ dentist in Savannah, please call today at Beyond Exceptional Dentistry.

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Sinus Pressure In Teeth

Sinus infections, or sinusitis, are so common that many of the telltale signs are recognizable: congestion, postnasal drip, facial pain and tenderness, sore throat, fatigue, and fever. But many people also experience teeth pain. Well explore the connection between sinus infection and toothache, and take a look at some rare complications from sinus infection.

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One of the problems with getting good treatment for TMJ is identifying it. Thats partly because many of the symptoms of TMJ are often found in other conditions, too. So ruling out possible confusion can lead you to get the right treatment to relieve your symptoms.

One of the conditions that can be difficult to distinguish from TMJ is chronic sinusitisrepeated sinus infections.

So how do you tell the difference?

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What Are The Best Ways To Treat A Painful Tooth

Painful teeth calm down quickly once you treat the underlying problem. Sinus infections may be treated with home care strategies, such as using steam and avoiding allergens. Antibiotics and decongestants are useful for treating infections that dont respond to self-care methods.

Pain that has a dental origin will require treatment such as dental fillings, crowns, or root canals. Extractions are a last resort method that is used when other treatments are not possible.

Tooth pain from both sinus infections and dental problems is often severe and unrelenting. In both cases, the problem can rapidly get worse if you dont seek treatment.

Identifying the source of a toothache is tricky. It is best to get your dental and sinus health evaluated by a professional. Whether you have a sinus infection or a tooth problem, early diagnosis, and treatment help you find comfort faster.

Is It Sinus Or Tooth Pain

Its springthat beautiful time of year when everything is in bloom. But for allergy sufferers, spring may forecast a season of struggle and discomfort. Spring allergens can cause nasal inflammation and lead to sinus infections.

What does all of this have to do with your teeth? Plenty. On top of everything else a sinus infection brings, it can also cause tooth pain. How do you know if the pain youre feeling is from a sinus infection or a tooth that needs attention? Read on to find out.

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Can Teeth Problems Cause Sinus Infection

Sometimes, a tooth infection can lead to a sinus infection, called odontogenic sinusitis. Odontogenic sinusitis can be caused by trauma, infection, decay, or abscess in the maxillary teeth, with infection spreading from the teeth to the maxillary sinuses. This can happen when the roots of the teeth are very close to, or even protruding into the maxillary sinus. This proximity would generally not be an issue unless the tooth becomes infected.

Sometimes recurring sinus infections can even be a sign of tooth decay. When tooth decay causes a sinus infection, its called Maxillary Sinusitis of Endodontic Origin . In some cases of MSEO, the patient may not feel sensitivity or discomfort in the teeth, so it can be difficult to diagnose.

If problems of the teeth are causing sinus infection, simply treating the symptoms of sinus infection wont resolve the issue. If the source of the infection is with the tooth, you will have to have a dentist or endodontist provide treatment. If the sinus infections persist after managing dental issues, its a good idea to consult an ENT.

Whats The Difference Between A Regular Toothache And A Sinus Toothache

All pain is not created equal. Typically, a toothache thats not caused by sinus problems will only involve one tooth. Conversely, if youre experiencing a sinus toothache, youll probably feel discomfort in several teeth, particularly the top molars . A toothache thats accompanied by sinus problems usually includes some or all of the following symptoms:

• Pressure or tenderness around the eyes or forehead
• Bad-tasting nasal drip
• Sore throat
• Inability to smell and taste

These symptoms all intertwine because the position of the nasal cavities causes discomfort across a persons entire face, head, and neck region, whereas a single toothache may be caused by decay, damage, or sensitivity in one tooth.

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When To See A Doctor

If you experience tooth pain that you think may be caused by sinusitis, it’s best to see your dentist about the issue before consulting your doctor. Many dental-related causes of tooth pain are time-sensitive issues that could get worse if left untreated.

If your dentist has ruled out all possible dental issues but you are still experiencing pain in your back teeth, wait a little while to see if the problem clears up on its own. If the pain does not improve after two weeks or you have already had multiple sinus infections in the past year, make an appointment with your doctor. They will examine your sinuses for any signs of infection or other medical issues which could be causing your symptoms.

If your doctor does diagnose you with sinusitis, they may prescribe a course of antibiotics to see if your symptoms improve. They may also refer you to an otolaryngologist for further examination. These doctors have received additional training in diagnosing and treating sinus conditions and should be able to help you determine what is causing your pain.

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Whats The Difference Between Sinus Pain And A Toothache

There are several indicators that can help you tell the difference between sinus pain and pain from a toothache in the same area. Among them:

• Location of the pain. Dull, generalized pain is more likely to be sinus-related, while sharper pain that is concentrated around one tooth is probably due to a problem with that tooth.
• How the pain responds to changes in altitude. If your pain gets worse when you go down a flight of stairs or put your head between your legs, it is probably related to a sinus condition.
• Whether the pain is on both sides of your jaw or just one. Sinus problems almost always affect both sides of the sinus cavity. Dental problems are usually present in just one tooth.

Paying close attention to your symptoms can help you determine which cause is more likely. Be sure to tell your doctor or dentist about your observations to help them make the correct diagnosis.

Toothache Caused By Sinus Infection

As we can see, problems with sinuses can have a wide range of symptoms but sometimes people experience nothing but a common toothache. The tooth pain is often what brings patients to the dentist and at first glance, this pain can seem completely unrelatable to sinuses. Sometimes, it is the sinus causing tooth pain and making you feel uncomfortable and not your tooth.

A panoramic x-ray or CT scan can show nothing wrong with the tooth but may show congested sinuses. This is the key sign that sinus infection causes toothache, especially if that pain affects other teeth as well.

Sinus toothache can happen suddenly and usually when you chew. That is why people often confuse it with a regular toothache. Some other signs that indicate toothache caused by sinusitis include facial swelling, swollen gums, strong headaches, runny nose, and even fatigue.

This condition can make it difficult to have decent oral hygiene but fortunately, all of these symptoms are easily resolved by detecting and treating the sinus infection.

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Sinus Infection Side Effects

One of the possible side effects from a sinus infection is that you may start breathing through your mouth. Mouth breathing promotes a dry mouth, and a dry mouth can increase your risk of dental health problems. Saliva in the mouth helps digest food and wash away the bacteria that can cause tooth decay and gingivitis.If you notice signs of dry mouth after sinus infection tooth pain, try the following:

• Use a fluoride toothpaste and mouth rinse daily.
• Drink plenty of water.
• Try to breathe through your nose as much as possible.

Can Tmj Cause Sinus Problems

While TMJ wont cause sinus problems, the symptoms of existing sinus problems can make TMJD worse. Nasal congestion and bruxism can trigger snoring and restless sleep. Sinusitis can cause breathing problems because of congestion, leading you to breathe with your mouth open. This pulls the jaw out of its natural resting position, which can stress the jaw and contribute to bruxism, or teeth grinding. Sinus issues like allergies can also cause sneezing, an action that can cause your jaw to click or pop, or even dislocate entirely.

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Talk To Your Doctor About Sinus Pains In Teeth

If you are unsure whether a sinus infection or dental problem causes your toothache, see your doctor. They will ask you about the symptoms to determine the cause of the pain. If a sinus infection causes the pain, the doctor will advise you to take over-the-counter medications. These medications will alleviate the pressure in your sinuses and clear any mucus present.

If you take these medications for some time and notice that your symptoms are not reducing, probably another issue is causing the pain. When this is the case, you will need to visit a dentist to determine the issue. The dentist will perform an x-ray to examine your oral cavity and mouth to determine if the pain is due to tooth decay or abscesses.

Recognizing Tmj And Sinus Symptoms

If you have a sinus issue due to a cold, allergies, or chronic sinus inflammation , you may notice:

• Stuffy nose and difficulty breathing through the nose

• Yellow or green mucus in the nose

• Trouble with smells or tastes

• Headaches

• Upset stomach or lack of appetite from excessive nasal drainage that gets swallowed

• Ear pain and pressure

• Pain in the throat

• Pain, tenderness, and swelling in the face, especially around the eyes and nose

Now take a look at some of the symptoms of TMD, and how they overlap with sinus problems:

• Jaw pain or soreness after eating or talking

• Jaw popping or clicking

• Headaches, which may occur when waking in the morning, after eating, or during periods of stress

• Lack of appetite due to pain that occurs after eating, and inability to enjoy chewy or crunchy foods

• Ear pain and pressure

• Pain in the neck, back, and shoulders

• Pain, tenderness, and swelling in the face, especially around the sides of the face, above the mouth, and near the ears

Notice that the bolded symptoms are shared between these two issues. Not only can these two problems mimic each other, but they can actually compound each other, making symptoms like ear pain, jaw soreness, and headaches much worse. This means that someone with a sinus problem and TMD together will likely have more intense symptoms, especially if they dont get a full diagnosis of both issues.

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How Do I Fix The Problem

To get rid of your sinus toothache, youll need to clear out the mucus and reduce the inflammation in your sinuses. Once the inflammation goes down, there wont be any more pressure on the nerves leading to your teeth. It may be best to try one of these non-medical, and more affordable or even free solutions, prior to visiting your doctor or an urgent care clinic:

• Sleep Your body needs downtime to repair itself, especially if your sinus infection is the result of a cold. Be sure to keep your head elevated so you arent trapping mucus in your sinuses.
• Hydrate Drink plenty of fluids, like sugar-free juice and water, to hydrate your sinuses. Try to avoid coffee, as this can make symptoms worse.
• Breathe in steam Steam can open up your nasal passages and allow mucus to drain. Take a hot shower, breathe in the steam from a homecooked meal or sip some warm, caffeine-free tea. Do this a few times a day for the best results.
• Apply compresses Warm compresses and towels can be applied to the face to soothe pain.
• Use saline rinses Its best to use distilled water, but you can also boil and purify tap water for the same effect. Then, flush your nose with a neti pot, nebulizer or another safe device.
• Tweak your diet Spicy foods like horseradish, garlic, black pepper and chili peppers can thin mucus. Certain spicy foods can make things worse, so proceed with caution. If youre not a fan of spiciness, try peppermint.