Advice about tooth and health issues

[susie1978]

Can anyone give me an opinion on this scan - had some trauma to a front tooth in July and probably now looking at an extraction and implant. I've been told the tooth is abcessed but dentist doesn't want to treat until October. However I'm now having health problems including the onset of cluster headaches - is that likely to be down to this abcess. So stressed and anxious at the moment as well as feeling ill - don't know what the nest course of action is at all

 

[Gordon]

Can't tell anything meaningful from that kind of x-ray sorry.
Cluster migraines are horrible, it's not likely down to the abscess but they're definitely stress related so there could be a sort of link.

 

[sudzs]

Hi Susie. I'm not a dentist but have a problem that is bit different but also a little similar to yours. I had a filling in an upper incisor and 24 hours later I had a migraine aura followed by mild headache. Up to this I've had about 3 migraines over 50+ years!

The tooth continued to give me problems with flare ups of pain and heat in the palate. During some flare ups I would also get those migraine symptoms. I put it down to prostaglandins being produced in the inflammatory response going on with something in the tooth. These are known to be associated with triggering migraines and I think they are triggering the trigeminal nerve to cause the migraine. Now it's just a theory of mine but I thought your post was interesting as there are some similarities to my issues.

I know cluster headache is different to migraine but it's still pain in the head. I hope you're problems resolve when you get treatment. Good luck

 

[susie1978]

Hi, thank you both for your replies, they're much appreciated. Unfortunately things have got much worse in terms of my head - having cluster episodes a couple of times a day now and very scared. I have had chronic migraine since my last bout of dental work a few years ago so my tooth is definitely some sort of trigger and think this is definitely some kind of trigeminal nerve thing due to the type of pain. I haven't had any work done yet though this time so very worried the abcess itself is spreading and causing problems. I did have an x-ray done at the same time Gordon but I only have a copy of the CT scan unfortunately. Not sure what to do at the moment - barely functioning which is not great as I'm a single parent with two children. Sorry to hear about your condition too Sudz - definitely sounds like it could have been triggered by dental work like my issues originally - hope you manage to get some relief

 

[sudzs]

Sorry your headaches are getting worse. But what about some antibiotics for the abscess, have they been tried? Could you try that? Hope things improve for you soon.

 

[Gordon]

I haven't had any work done yet though this time so very worried the abcess itself is spreading and causing problems.

They don't do that (in otherwise healthy people living in the West). Try not to worry about it.

 

[susie1978]

Think I've made a mistake and not sure what to do now. So my head got much worse - ended up being hospitalised for a couple of days and now I'm on various medication. That's subsided a little bit so I think it was separate from the tooth issue although I'm still not great. Due to how hellish its been I postponed the plan for the original tooth - extraction and implant - and rearranged for a couple of months down the line. Since then though somethings definitely going on at that side of my mouth though. Maybe I can feel it more because the extreme pain at the other side has subsided? (Got a neurology appointment about that in a couple of weeks but think the new medication has helped) I am worried now about what might happen with the tooth in the next couple of months - I've taken on board what you said about abcesses not spreading @Gordon but there's definitely something going on there. The pain - actually more tenderness really - does move around a bit though - it seems more focused in the next tooth which was abcessed years ago and has never felt right since. Don't know what I'm asking really - maybe would pain from the extruded tooth refer like that? The discomfort sort of moves between my cheekbone and inner cheek - could that still be an abcess?

 

[Gordon]

Don't know what I'm asking really - maybe would pain from the extruded tooth refer like that?

Maybe. A better x-ray would help narrow things down a bit.

 

[susie1978]

Thanks Gordon - I did have an x-ray as well as the scan at the time. That's when the first dentist said there was no infection but I don't have images. Since then I don't seem to be able to get anyone to rescan it - even when I sought a second opinion. Feels like there's a lot of emphasis on aesthetics - which don't get me wrong is very important to me too - but I need a proper clinical opinion about infection right now. The teeth are only sore when I touch them but my cheek is definitely weird. Feel totally lost with it now and very scared but I can't tell if things would have been better if I'd gone ahead with the implant