Need a root canal in Mount Holly, NC? Then come see Dr. Koneru for a short consultation to get your tooth treated and restore your oral health swiftly!
But if you’re like a lot of other patients, you might have looked into root canals and found something strange online. Lots of patients say they developed a sinus infection after getting this treatment.
Is that actually possible? Could you get a sinus infection after a root canal? Let’s unpack this.
The short answer is no. A root canal will not give you a sinus infection.
One is a dental procedure, and the other is an illness that occurs when bacteria enter the body, multiply, and start to affect the natural tissue.
Root canals cannot cause sinus infections because they don’t add bacteria; they’re used to remove it from an infected tooth.
Judging by the number of people online who swear they’ve experienced a sinus infection after a root canal, it’s easy to think the two are closely related.
And they can be, but not in the way you think. Here are two possible explanations for dealing with a potential sinus infection post-root canal therapy:
A tooth infection is bad news for your oral health because the longer it goes untreated, the more likely you are to need an extraction.
But tooth loss isn’t the only problem. Infections can spread to nearby tissues as well and attack other parts of the body. If you get a tooth on the upper arch infected, bacteria can travel from the root to your sinuses, kickstarting a completely new infection.
And yes, you might get your tooth treated and only begin to show the symptoms of a sinus infection afterward. But it’s not the treatment that caused it—just the initial tooth infection.
Sinus communication is a condition where the sinus lining is damaged, which can happen during a root canal. The procedure involves using special tools to remove bacteria from the canals of the root, which are very close to the sinuses.
Sometimes, a dentist can accidentally tear your sinus lining in the process, and the symptoms are similar to those of an infection. Luckily, most cases of sinus communication go away on their own in around a week.
If you’re experiencing symptoms for longer than that, reach out to your dentist as soon as possible.
If you’re dealing with a tooth infection, Mount Holly, NC dentist Dr. Koneru can help save it through root canal therapy and restore your overall oral health.
Call us at (704) 703-3393 today to request an appointment, or conveniently schedule your visit online!
