Sinus Infections and Dental Oral Health

Introduction

Main Digest

Sinuses have several pairs of left and right sinuses including ethmoid, frontal, maxillary sinus cavities and sphenoid. Maxillary sinuses are known to be the largest of the paranasal sinuses, which are located in the upper jaw areas under the eye sockets and at the back of the cheekbones.

Maxillary sinusitis is usually caused by nasal infection due to viral influenza or common colds but sinus infection may also result from dental origins. Usually, dental infection of the teeth and gums can cause sinus infection. With this reason, regular dental checkups are necessary to diagnose and treat maxillary sinus infection.

Acute sinus infections are sometimes treated partially, resulting for other infections to be left undetected. Other anatomical causes of maxillary sinusitis include a deviated septum and enlarged turbinates. Deviated septum is an abnormality where in the ridge tends to lean to the right or the left, which causes obstruction to the nasal passage, resulting to drainage and poor ventilation of the sinuses. On the other hand, enlarged turbinates can also result to the drainage of mucus and obstruction of paranasal sinuses, resulting to sinus infection.

Oral health is one of the contributing factors of sinus infection though it is not usual. It is a given fact that sinus cavities are closely located to the teeth and mouth. Small oral cavities or infections can add to the sinus infection. Dental checkup must be performed when diagnosing sinus infections.

In treating maxillary sinus infection, it is necessary to treat other associated symptoms of congestion, inflammation and other significant factors because sinus infection may be difficult to reach with antibiotic treatments for sinus infection.

In some situations, there is a direct association between a toothache and a sinus infection. Obstruction in the nasal passage, respiratory infection, allergic reaction or tooth pain can cause sinus infection. An individual who is suffering toothache may also have a maxillary sinus infection. The neck and face may have cutaneous sinus tracts that are usually have dental origins.

Researches have shown that in most cases there is a connection maxillary sinus infection and impacted wisdom teeth, cavities, crown fracture and unfinished dental work. In addition, sinus infections that are not treated can result to difficulty in dental hygiene maintenance. Sinus infection can result to bad breath because the sinus drainage go down into the mouth.

To be able to recognize whether a sinus infection is a cause of toothache, it is essential to see a dentist, who can execute a test wherein individual tooth will be tapped gently to determine the location of the pain. The tooth where the pain is located indicates a sinus infection.

If sinus infection is not treated immediately, it may have bad effects on the teeth. Most people are having difficulty in distinguishing the difference between a toothache and a sinus infection because the roots in the upper teeth are near the maxillary sinus cavities. It is necessary to seek advice of a dentist or an ear, nose and throat doctor to know the right treatment.

Several treatments are available depending on the reason of the nasal problem that causes toothache, including allergy medication, nasal drops, antibiotics or nasal wash regimen. In addition, dental treatment is necessary to treat areas affected by sinus infection.

A Sinus Lift Can Improve your Oral Health

Nowadays, people are always in search for different effective ways on how to achieve perfection. Everyone wants to be attractive and one of the most popular qualities that people want to achieve is having a perfect smile. Aside from having a beautiful face, fair skin and gorgeous body, having a perfect smile is definitely one of the features that attracts people. A beautiful smile can improve one's self-confidence.

However, many people have dental problems resulting to teeth loss. For people who are searching for a hassle-free solution for tooth loss, dentists can easily perform dental implants. In fact, dental implants are more teeth saving compared to the traditional bridgework because implants don not need bordering teeth for support. However, sufficient jawbone is required to have the implant.

One of the dental procedures that can improve oral health is sinus lift, which is a medical procedure carried out by certified dentist or a dental specialist. Here are the three reasons why you should consider having sinus lift to improve your oral health.

1. Sinus lift is done to improve the bone mass of the maxilla or the top jaw that can help increase the success of dental implants.

Artificial bone grafting material or iliac crest is attached to the bone or endosseous, which is located below the maxillary sinus floor. The existence of sinus tends to compress the amount of bone in the upper jaw, which is also known as sinus augmentation.

2. You need a sinus lift if your upper jaw does not have sufficient bone, or your sinus is too close to your jaw for dental implants.

People who have lost their teeth in the upper jaw or molars do not have enough bone for implants. This condition may be due to the skull's anatomy wherein the lower jaw has more bone than the upper jaw. Some people may have lost the bone due to gum or periodontal disease. In many cases, tooth loss can result to bone loss. When you lose your teeth, you bone will begin to be absorbed again back to the body. There will be no adequate bone for dental implants if teeth are lost for a long time.

3. Sinus lift can surely improve oral health.

Through this procedure, teeth that are long gone can be replaced with dental implants. The need for a sinus lift will depend on the anatomy of the jaw line. A dental implant requires a critical bone mass that surrounds it to be able to bind to it and have enough stability and strength. Once dental implants are done, having a perfect smile is already possible. In addition, oral infection can be prevented due to tooth loss.

Sinus lift is done at the dentist's clinic. A certified dentist begins the procedure using a local anesthesia. Several methods can be done for sinus lift, which are all technical. However, there is one result with all these methods, which is the dentist's access to the sinus' lower part or the membrane located over the jawbone.

The sinus membrane is then lifted and the dentist fills the gap using the bone graft material. The space will eventually form a bone tissue, increasing the bone mass of the area. Afterwards, the part will be closed and stitched up. The recovery usually last for at least six months.

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Cite This Page (APA): Robert. (2009, March 18). Sinus Infections and Dental Oral Health. Disabled World. Retrieved September 10, 2024 from www.disabled-world.com/health/oral/dental/sinus-infections-dental.php

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