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Medical Forum / General / Dentistry / April 2008Swolen lynph nodes in neck
I had a good amount of restoration work done last year, and since then have had intermittent discomfort in all my lower molars. Nothing shows up on any x-rays. Short of opening up each tooth, is there any way to determine which ones, if any, have pulp infections? I don't want to do the hunt-and-peck method of root canal therapy. > I had a good amount of restoration work done last year, and since then have > had intermittent discomfort in all my lower molars. Nothing shows up on any > x-rays. Short of opening up each tooth, is there any way to determine > which ones, if any, have pulp infections? I don't want to do the > hunt-and-peck method of root canal therapy. You could start with some pulp vitality tests (cold, electrical), but they're not 100% accurate. Regards, George > "George" wrote in message > news:da24cf9f-6058-4bd0-9a06-486112c4a884@m73g2000hsh.googlegroups.com... On Apr 16, 4:07 pm, "Robert" <guyinc...@NOSPAMyahoo.com> wrote: >> I had a good amount of restoration work done last year, and since then >> have [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > You could start with some pulp vitality tests (cold, electrical), but > they're not 100% accurate. Thanks for the suggestion, but those tests all seem good too. That is the infuriating thing. I am envious of the people who have sharp pains in one of their teeth :) > I had a good amount of restoration work done last year, and since then have > had intermittent discomfort in all my lower molars. Nothing shows up on any > x-rays. Short of opening up each tooth, is there any way to determine > which ones, if any, have pulp infections? I don't want to do the > hunt-and-peck method of root canal therapy. It is altogether possible that you have no infections, exp. if these are large resin fillings. Placement is very technique-sensitive, and imperfect bonding can lead to sensitivity. As far as the swollen lymph nodes, these should be checked out. It can certainly be something other than the teeth. Steve  SignatureMark & Steven Bornfeld DDS http://www.dentaltwins.com Brooklyn, NY 718-258-5001 > It is altogether possible that you have no infections, exp. if these > are large resin fillings. Placement is very technique-sensitive, and > imperfect bonding can lead to sensitivity. > Steve I wouldn't even us the word "very". However poor technique, poor choice of materials, and/or poor isolation can sure screw it up. Should no longer be true, but it is still an issue with some dentists. :-( D >> It is altogether possible that you have no infections, exp. if these >> are large resin fillings. Placement is very technique-sensitive, and [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] >:-( >D You can check with an endodontist. www.aae.org > I wouldn't even us the word "very". However poor technique, poor choice > of materials, and/or poor isolation can sure screw it up. > > Should no longer be true, but it is still an issue with some dentists. Thanks for the reply. Would should I consider doing? I assume that having the resin fillings replaced would put undue additional trauma on them. Would a dental CT scan be of any help? Would it show infections that a regular x-ray would not? With a sample size of ONE, I had a fellow with 8 new restorations that caused a lot of pain. I replaced all 8, and 7 of them had perfect results. One ended up with a root canal. He still has all of his teeth and he is doing fine 10 years later. JME, Steve >>I wouldn't even us the word "very". However poor technique, poor choice >>of materials, and/or poor isolation can sure screw it up. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Would a dental CT scan be of any help? Would it show infections that a > regular x-ray would not? > With a sample size of ONE, I had a fellow with 8 new restorations > that caused a lot of pain. I replaced all 8, and 7 of them had > perfect results. One ended up with a root canal. He still has > all of his teeth and he is doing fine 10 years later. Interesting. What kind were they and what did you replace them with, if you don't mind my asking? Did you replace Resin with Resin, or something else? Can the Resin fillings actually kill the pulp? One thing that really concerned me is that one of the resin fillings had extensive decay under it less than one year later. God knows what is going on underneath the others. > One thing that really concerned me is that one of the resin fillings had > extensive decay under it less than one year later. God knows what is going > on underneath the others. I saw that quite a few times in the mouth of a gentleman from the UK. > It is altogether possible that you have no infections, exp. if these are > large resin fillings. Placement is very technique-sensitive, and > imperfect bonding can lead to sensitivity. > As far as the swollen lymph nodes, these should be checked out. It can > certainly be something other than the teeth. Thanks very much for the reply. Are swolen lymph nodes a frequent symptom of pulp infection? Would a dental CT scan be of any use? Would it show infections that a regular x-ray would not? > Would a dental CT scan be of any use? Would it show infections that a > regular x-ray would not? I doubt it would help much. Diagnose the teeth and forget the CT scan. JMO, Steve > Thanks very much for the reply. Are swolen lymph nodes a frequent symptom of > pulp infection? Fairly common. However, it is unlikely that swollen nodes would be the only sign. The nodes are regional, and can drain from a variety of structures. IIRC, the lower molars drain to the submaxillary nodes under the angle of the jaw. The upper molars may drain to one of the jugular chains. But the pharynx also drains to the same nodes, so swollen nodes are of limited use in diagnosing dental infection--the dental infections would be one POSSIBLE cause to rule out. > Would a dental CT scan be of any use? Would it show infections that a > regular x-ray would not? Very unlikely. Agree with Fawks. Steve >> Thanks very much for the reply. Are swolen lymph nodes a frequent symptom >> of >> pulp infection? > > Fairly common. However, it is unlikely that swollen nodes would be the > only sign. The nodes are regional, and can drain from a variety of I would assume that if the infection went as far as causing swolen lymph nodes that something would turn up on the x-ray. Is that true? Thanks. > I would assume that if the infection went as far as causing swolen lymph > nodes that something would turn up on the x-ray. Is that true? Thanks. It would seem likely, but I wouldn't bet on it. You might well have an inflammatory node soon after developing a pulpitis, and before there is a chance for bony destruction (which is after all what you're looking for on x-ray, among other things). But again, I want to stress that something other than a tooth may cause swollen nodes in this location. I will be blessedly away from my computer for the next week--best to all! Steve |
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