I'm having one h*ll of a sinus infection and I'm looking to hear other people's experiences. I'm of half a mind to go to the dentist to make sure this isn't a tooth problem.

I started getting facial pain above my left teeth about 2 weeks ago. I know from prior experience going to the dentist that this particular pain is not dental. She did x-rays (years ago now) and found a sinus infection then. Back then, I could have sworn I had broken a tooth or a cavity had gone bad. Nope. Sinus infection.

Fast forward to this year, last September, I had a sinus infection that was treated in my upper sinuses. Then 2 weeks ago I got this. I saw a doctor last week and got antibiotics.

While the antibiotics are helping, it's slowwwww going. I still find myself taking aspirin or ibuprofen for the pain. The pain moves around my lower face, above my left teeth, often radiating to my lower jaw and gums. It now seems to only occur when I'm chewing something. I don't chew anything on that side of my face right now because my teeth are SOOO sensitive. (Is this normal?) However just the act of moving my jaw like that creates pain. I just took half a vicodin because it began hurting badly while eating dinner. The pain stopped almost immediately when I stopped eating dinner.

I don't think this is dental because I just had ALL dental work done on my teeth 2 years ago and take good care of them. Also the pain seems to be concentrated in the back of my upper teeth, where there IS no teeth, where I had my wisdoms taken out and one other tooth that went bad years ago.

I guess I'd like to know if this is normal. I'm halfway done with my antibiotics, yet needed that half a vicodin because of chewing during dinner. Is it normal to have extremely sensitive teeth during a sinus infection? Jaw pain? Gum pain? Radiating pain? What have your experiences been like?

I've never had tooth pain/sensitivity associated with a sinus infection.
I really hope you feel better soon!

I have never had tooth pain with sinus infections, not rear tooth pain anyway. Maybe it's an ear problem?

I've had this. I do have troublesome wisdom teeth though (as in: as soon as I get them out, more grow in. I don't get it). Aaaanyway... If I get anything in the sinus/inner ear/teeth area, it spreads out everywhere like someone is kicking me in the cheekbone with an iron boot.

Hope it goes away soon!

It's in your lower jaw? I get horrible sinus infections about 2-3 times a year where my teeth are sensitive to the point that the vibrations from riding in a car leave me writhing in pain, but it's always my top teeth, generally the ones in the front. Just looking at some sinus diagrams in google, it doesn't look like they extend down far enough to interfere with your lower teeth and jaw...Take that observation with a grain of salt though, since I'm certainly not a doctor and could be horribly wrong in assuming that. I don't know if it's possible to pull facial muscles, but if you're sure it's not your teeth, maybe that's something to look into? When I have sinus-related tooth pain it always feels like someone's drilling down into the nerve endings inside the tooth rather than in the gums, and as painful as it is in my upper teeth, it doesn't generally migrate much farther down my face.

When I'm having sinus issues, the only things that seem to help are sleep, steam, and Sudafed around the clock. In any case, I hope you feel better soon. Sinus infections are awful, they always take forever to go away, and they thoroughly wreck up your ability to function, so I wouldn't wish one on my enemies never mind someone who seems as cool as you.

Have u tried a neti pot maybe it will help. Just make sure to use distilled water and don't blow covering one nostril. It may help to clear your sinuses or just a salt water nasal spray. But the neti pot is relatively cheap so it might be worth a try. Hope u feel better.

there is definitely a link between sinus infection and upper teeth pain. But generally, they do recommend making sure there isn't a tooth problem - you could be grinding your teeth or something like that even if there isn't a cavity. Personally. I think both Sudafed (to help dry things out) and a neti pot are good suggestions - although, if you use a Neti post, make sure to use distilled water or boiled (and then cooled) water, but do not use plain tap water as it can cause a rare but potentially fatal infection.

Hope you feel better soon!!

Ouch! Poor thing! I'd go to your regular doctor and tell him/her about the continued discomfort. I have friends that have chronic sinus infections and sometimes they even have surgery to treat it. I have no idea if that's what your situation is, but there are more treatment options available. Even just a different antibiotic or maybe an anti-inflammatory pain med could help?

thanks everyone the pain definitely has subsided while using antibiotics....it just comes on while chewing/moving my face like that...i also have usually sensitive teeth, as in: i wont rinse my mouth with cold water or brush my teeth with cold water as a norm anyhow

i think as long as i can manage not to set off the pain, i'm going to finish this round of antibiotics....then take the anti-fungal (yeast?) pill that they always prescribe because i tend to get yeast infections after antibiotics (had one in my ear after an ear infection last year) and THEN if it's still bothering me, have a dental x-ray

ive been brushing my teeth (of course) and that's not bothering me, just hot/cold foods like normal and then weirdly, chewing or moving my jaw....ive tried experimenting with just moving my jaw instead of actually chewing food and even that starts to hurt

I just got over a 4 week stint with a HUGE sinus infection. I ended up on 3 rounds of antibiotics until it finally let loose. I think the big thing I was breaking some major rules ... make sure you're not doing any of these.

1. DO NOT take your IP supplements or ANY supplements with calcium, magnesium, or potassium as they block the antibiotic from working.
2. DO NOT take any decongestants or antihistamines. Take only expectorants.
3. DO use the neti pot, only once a day while in a hot shower for at least 20 minutes.
4. DO keep the humidity in your bedroom around 40%, definitely no more than 50 or less than 30.

Once I got on board with all the above (I was breaking almost all these rules!) It took about 4 days for it release. When it did, it was gross but oh so releiving. I also had jaw pain as all my sinus cavities were completely blocked so any movement or extra pressure was a killer for me.

Good luck!!

I had this exact same issue when I was sick during the week of Thanksgiving. I took migraine-strength pain killers, as well as decongestants. What seemed to help was breathing in steam through my nose and keeping a hot rag on my forehead. Simple, but anything to help with that kind of pain.

Pain radiating to the lower jaw and gums is not something usually sinus related. The fact that you're having hot/cold sensitivity and pain to the point you can't even chew on that side is leading me to believe this is more of a dental issue...or possibly TMJ since you mentioned pain upon even moving your jaw. People that have sinus infections can have some sensitivity on the upper teeth since the sinus floor is directly above the roots but what you're describing to me sounds like something more, could be a combo of things...or the worst sinus infection in history. When is the last time you've had dental x-rays? They should be taken at least every 6 months. I've worked chair side in dental since 1991 so I'm not just talking out of my butt, I would have this looked at if you don't get total relief in a few days.

OMG I am seriously having the SAME issue right now. Very very uncomfortable jaw pain and pain in my back left teeth. I had my wisdom teeth out well over 10 years ago otherwise I'd think it was that! Maybe I need to get to the dr and see if I have a sinus infection. I had been sick off and on for nearly a month with pretty severe congestion. I don't have pain while eating or sensitivity to hot or cold, but other than that it sound very similar. I was thinking of making my dental appointment for a cleaning soon anyway, maybe I'll get on that plus make my annual physical appt and mention the pain.

i might be aggravating my jaw by only chewing on one side of my face...i think i do need to have dental x-rays done....i vary between thinking it's fine because most of the time it doesnt hurt, and thinking i need x-rays Right Now because it hurts/aches when i move my jaw...i just ate dinner and now it aches again...it's just exhausting me and i already have a busy lifestyle without this added pain...i know for sure i have a sinus infection...but maybe i have something else also

the dental x-rays showed that the sinus infection spread to the root of one of my top teeth, causing an infection there and slowly killing the nerves to that tooth...the infection didn't come from the "ground up" like a cavity that goes bad...it came from my sinuses downward...so now i get a lovely root canal on friday morning....i'm terrified of dentists