June 2005 went to dentist because of toothache in #13.  He took x-rays and
said #13 & #14 would have to be root canaled.  #14 did not bother me and had
no cavity.  He did both root canals at the same time.  I was only on
antibiotics for 2 days before he began procedure.  There was immediate pain
to the area that I believed it to be normal and I was told it would hurt for
a couple of days.  I was sheduled to go back in a week and a half  to have
the procedure completed.  During the time between visits, I was very sore
throughout my whole cheek, temple area, and was getting headaches.  I called
the dental office and was then informed that it was normal and that the pain
could last for a couple of weeks.  I showed up a week and a half later for
the dentist to complete the root canal.  The pain was intense when he shot me
with novacaine.  He tried to place the rubber dam and I had to stop him
because, even though he numbed me, the pain of him pushing that rubber dam
over my teeth was excruciating.  He shot me up some more and I could still
feel every thing but it was bearable.  When he irrigated my canals, I felt
all this cold bleachy tasting stuff go up into my cheek and all the way up to
my eye.  I was later told that it was just a sensation from the novacaine. I
was given a refill for my antibiotic.

That night I was very sore and thought it was a normal reaction to the trauma.
I was slightly swollen, also.  The next day I was a little more swollen.  The
following day, however, I was quite swollen.  I went directly to the dentist
without calling.  He took one look at me and said, "Oh, my!"  He prescribed
another antibiotic to take in conjunction with the first one.  The next day
when I bent over to picking something up, all this rusty colored liquid came
gushing out of my nose and I became very sick to my stomach.  This was on a
Saturday.  He told me to stop back on Monday, so I did.

I was still pretty swollen and I expressed my fear that infection would go to
my brain.  (My aunt almost died incollege due to a serious sinus infection
that traveled to her brain.)  He put me on a Medrol Dose pack.  I went back
on Friday and he put me on a different antibiotic.  I told him that I was
still in pain.  I got a copy of my records and he indicates that "the patient
is feeling better."  Now, I never told him that I was feeling better, just
the opposite.  The swelling had gone done, but I was still in pain.  He kept
telling me that that there was nothing wrong and that he wanted to put crowns
on the teeth and I kept telling him that I didn't want crowns until the pain
issue was resolved.  After weeks and weeks of complaining to him, I got very
ill.  My face hurt constantly, I was light-headed, dizzy, tired all the time,
I got these itchy pusy bumps all over me, I had tingling in my cheek that
would radiate up and around the side of my head and down my neck, I couldn't
sleep, I developed anxiety, burning sensation behind left eye, twichty left
eye,loss of concentration, and drop in energy.

At this point I decided to consult a medical doctor because I was certain
that the infection had gone systemic.  The doctor believed it ws my sinuses
and I argued that it wasn't.  I was sent for a CT scan of my sinuses and
referred to an ENT.  The CT came back negative for sinus problems and the ENT
said there was nothing wrong there, either.  Another 2 weeks lapsed and I
again became very ill.  I returned to the dentist and told him again that
there was something wrong.  He, again, insisted on putting crowns on my teeth.
I freaked out on him and said that I refuse to have the crowns out on when
there is clearly something wrong.  That's when he finally referred me to an
endodontist.  It only took him 4 months!!!

I saw the endodontist that same day.  He took x-rays and immediately said
that my dentist had missed a canal.  He said that he would have to re-do the
root canal on #14.  He put me on an antibiotic for 7 days.  As soon as he
open the tooth I smelled this putrid smell.  He stopped what he was doing to
take pictures.  He said the dentist there was infection in the tooth.  I
asked if it had come from the missed canal and he said that the dentist had
left decay in there that had became infected.  As soon as the infection was
removed, the burning behind my eye stopped.

I thought that the rest of my symptoms would begin to disappear.  To this day,
I am still living with pain in the tooth, pain and tingling in the cheek with
radiates up and around my head and down into my neck, itchy bumps, pain
behind my eye, twitching of the eye, anxiety.  I have seen 2 ENTs, 2
neurologists, 2 oral surgeons, and my primary doctor and have no answers to
this dilemma.  I have had numerous CT scans, MRIs of the head, MRAs, x-rays.
There is nothing more than a little congestion at the tooth site.  The last
oral sureon said that the dentist overfilled my roots into my sinus cavity
and there is a piece of it laying on the sinus floor.  I told him that I
always felt sick and he said that it would make me sick.  The last ENT that I
saw said that everything seems to indicate nerve damage of some sort in my
face.  The last neurologist that I saw diagnosed me with trigeminal neuralgia.
Also, on the MRA that the neurologist sent me for, it was indicated that
there was vasculitis in the middle cerebral artery.  I found in my research
that vasculitis is a systemic disease and that it may be caused by a chronic
or recent infection.  My doctor told me that my itchy rash may be coming from
the vasculitis.

It is poosible that the irrigation into my cheek caused nerve damage?  Is it
possible that the injections of novacaine caused nerve damage?  Is it
possible that having the infected tooth sit in my head for four months caused
a systemic condition?  My doctor said that my next step is to see an
infectious disease specialist.