Sinusitis and Toothaches

Sinusitis is a common affliction where the sinus tissues in the skull become inflamed and swollen. This is typically caused by infections and allergies such as hay fever and the common cold. Symptoms can include congestion, watery eyes, headache, fatigue, coughing, fever, and even toothaches. A sinus toothache affects the upper back teeth, with severity depending on the extent of the swelling as well as the proximity of the affected root endings to the infected sinus. In most cases, a sinus toothache causes significant pain and discomfort for sufferers.

How Sinusitis Causes Toothaches

For some people, the roots of the upper molar teeth are very close to a sinus cavity. In these cases, pressure in the sinuses can affect the teeth nerves and result in toothache pain. It’s also important to note that a sinus toothache can be made worse by a pre-existing dental condition.

It never hurts to contact a dental care professional who can perform a check-up and identify the presence of a tooth abscess or problems with wisdom teeth. These issues can even lead to sinus infections themselves due to bacteria spreading from around the tooth roots to the sinus. An accurate diagnosis is important, as unnecessary dental treatments can delay your recovery from sinus inflammation.

Sinus Toothache Treatments

Unfortunately, a dental care professional can do little to help sufferers of sinus toothaches that are not caused by pre-existing oral health conditions. Treating a sinus toothache requires treating the sinus infection itself, which can take a week or longer depending on the severity of the inflammation. Medications such as decongestants may help drain accumulated fluids and mitigate the symptoms, but time and rest is usually all that is required.

Suffering From a Sinus Toothache?

Get in touch with the friendly team at East Bentleigh Dental Group and we’ll do our best to assist you with your sinus toothache. Give us a call on (03) 9575 1100 or fill out our online contact form to receive a prompt response.