Nausea after root canal.

username123

I havent needed any dental work (beyond cleaning) done in over a decade but recently a tooth began to bother me so off I went to get it checked out.

The dentist said I needed a root canal and did the first stage of it herself but then informed me that it needed specialist treatment so referred me to an endodontist (sp?).

Anyway, after the first stage with the dentist I felt very nauseated that evening and some of the next day. I didnt directly associate it with the dental work - Id very little pain, and the original tooth pain and sensitivity was gone so I was happy about that.

Yesterday I went to the endodontist. She worked on me for almost 2 hours. A little while after I came home I began to feel nauseated again and I kept associating the rubbery taste of the dam used with feeling sick. It persisted through the night (I was awake for some of the night with it) and on into today and has really only faded off around lunchtime (more than 24 hours after the root canal work). Ive had some pain also but by far the nausea has been the worst of it. Ive eaten through it and food seems to diminish the feeling but then it comes back again just as strong.

Is this something that can happen from the anesthetic? Or what could be causing it? And more importantly, what can I do to make it stop as Ive another appointment next week to get the root canal finished and I cant afford to be wiped for another 24 hours with nausea!!

I might add that psychologically I am not a good dental patient and I lay there for the 2 hours yesterday in a tight ball of stress, fighting my gag reflex with water pouring from my eyes from the strain of trying not to gag and wishing it was over. I dont know if the nausea is just the come down from the enormous stress I feel during dental work or there is actually a real cause.

Its so long since I had any dental work done that I cannot remember if I suffered it in the past, but I think I did, although I used to get migraine after the dentist in my youth so I would have attributed the nausea to that - I dont seem to get the migraine now with the darker glasses they give you - it used to be clear glasses in the place I went when I was younger.

a fat guy

Stress, gas and general uncomfortableness could certainly be the problem.

I'm pretty much a complete newbie when it comes to giving advice on this forum and I'm not a dentist myself, but there are a few other guys here who can steer you right.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

On any antibiotics or painkillers before or after?

username123

Took 2 Feminax painkillers (it was what I had in the house and ibuprofen doesnt agree with me) immediately after the first stage, didnt need any more after that, felt nausea much later that evening and some of the next day.

Took 2 Feminax immediately after the next stage, then 2 again going to bed that night, had some sinus pain/pressure over the night and next morning so took 2 Solphasinus the next morning - that was the end of needing pain relief, nausea persisted from the evening after the root canal til lunchtime the next day, fading off some then but still a little on and off until that night.

All pain relief was taken with food, and I wouldnt normally have a bad reaction to either Feminax or Solphasinus.

No antibiotics.

I might add that Id had a scale and polish a week before any root canalling and anesthetic was used in one area and I dont recall feeling ill from it.

All the dental appointments were before midday (11am) and in the nausea always came on me after the anaesthetic had completely worn off.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Feminax contains paracetamol and codine. Both these drugs cause unpredictable nausea. This might be the culprit. Local procedure such as root canal tend not to cause bodily effects, more likely something that is system wide such as a medication. You cannot say for sure what the problems is, it may be something totally unrelated that happened around the same time, but from the information given I would suspect the codine.

username123

Ruth Hallowed Garden wrote: »

Feminax contains paracetamol and codine. Both these drugs cause unpredictable nausea. This might be the culprit. Local procedure such as root canal tend not to cause bodily effects, more likely something that is system wide such as a medication. You cannot say for sure what the problems is, it may be something totally unrelated that happened around the same time, but from the information given I would suspect the codine.

Thank you.

Ive never had a problem with codeine before, and I took it on the advice of the dentist on the first occasion and the endodontist on the second occasion. In the first instance the nausea came on more than 6 hours after Id taken the Feminax and lasted intermittantly over the next 24 hours, which would seem like a long delay to have a reaction to codeine and for it to persist over? (mind you can say the same for the anesthetic). I do use Feminax monthly and never an issue.

Thanks anyway, I guess Ill just have to write off 2 days next week to get this finished, because even if the anesthetic IS the culprit - theres no way Im having it done without it!! Same goes for pain relief afterwards, if its necessary Ill have to take it.

I just wondered if it was a common reaction that people had and was there any advice to prevent it. Thanks for your time anyway.

username123

So I saw the endodontist on Tuesday (2 days ago) to have the root canal finished. I explained about the nausea and she said that its an unusual response but cannot see it being related to root canal.
She finished the root canal.

The nausea came on worse after this than either of the two previous times, accompanied with massive sinus pressure (there was some sinus pressure last time, I didnt pay much attention tbh) and severe dizziness. I collapsed yesterday evening at home with nausea, dizziness and weakness and my husband became very worried but because I had recovered after a day or two the last two times I insisted I would be ok.

Today I got worse. I collapsed again. My husband phoned the endodontist. She said that if the tooth itself wasnt hurting that it was a seperate issue, nothing to do with her, and to take me to a doctor. My husband brought me to A&E. The triage nurse heard the words 'root canal' and immediately told me that they see many patients suffering the same symptoms after root canal.

Next a doctor came along. He went into what I can only describe as a frightening paranoid conspiracy rant about how dentists are poisoning us with mercury fillings and how the root canal was an unnecessary doomed to failure procedure and now my body was mounting a response to toxins and that he sees this all the time and he then went to google, and proceeded to show me a website that I can only describe as quackery (bear in mind I had my head between my knees trying not to throw up on his shoes at the time and he was trying to make me look at quack websites) and then shone a light in my mouth and claimed that I had corrosion on other mercury fillings and that the world didnt have multiple sclerosis or other diseases until the use of mercury in fillings and he then strongly implied that every other developed country except Ireland has outlawed their use. There was a kind of weird questioning session about why a dentist had recommended a root canal and a a strange diagnosis that my body would now 'self amputate' the tooth as it was a dead thing.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this he mumbled that I was showing signs of non bacterial sinusitis and he would write a prescription for sinus medicine plus an anti nausea medication. He said it was possible the endodontist had drilled into my sinus cavity?? (I called BS on that with my head between my legs) He then mumbled that perhaps my sensitive sinuses were just mounting an inflammatory response to irritation in surrounding tissues, irritation from the chemicals used in the root canal.

I was totally weirded out by all of it.

Id just like to say I didnt believe any of it when he was saying it and upon a google at home I believe it even less, but its actually frightening to think that medical professionals are telling people to go to 'biological dentists'.

However I do believe my nausea and sinus pain 3 times in a row following root canal work is not coincidence.

So fingers crossed I recover and if anyone has any insight as to why this is going on Id be glad to hear it.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Wow, were they real doctors what a load of rubbish. Scientists should know better. I have heard these theories before, and on this forum a few too many time to mention, load of rubbish.

3 times now.....could be some of the root canal cleaning fluid getting into the sinus and then back down into your stomach. Its basically a type of buffered bleach thats used and could cause your symptoms, it would be very uncommon, also usually with this you get a lot of pain, swelling and bleeding.

Sorry for all the trouble your having.

username123

fitzgeme - Im reasonably well educated, which is lucky, because someone who isnt might not have recognised what was going on with the doctor for rubbish. To my mind when a doctor starts off by dismissing an entire branch of medicine (dentistry) then there are problems.

I have to assume it was a proper doctor, it was in a proper hospital. I have asked a couple of friends and all agree I should write in and complain about the doctors behaviour, attitude and irresponsible scaremongering.

I did have a small bit of blood from the sinus the evening after root canal part 3, but no swelling or specific pain, just a lot of sinus pressure (I do suffer with the sinuses anyway so pressure is a familiar symptom to me but not usually over such a prolonged period or with such nausea and dizziness).

Im a little concerned that the endodontist dismissed my husband on the phone with 'if its not the tooth hurting its not our issue' because I had explained to her at the last appointment what had happened to me and while she expressed concern she seemed to think it was unrelated to the root canal despite it happening after each occasion of it.

Im a bit confused about the entire thing and worrying (perhaps unnecessarily) about now having to get this tooth crowned in case I trigger more sinus problems.

Im sort of wishing Id just had the tooth out now.

Bearcat

Jeez, horror story. Hope your feeling better.

ballsymchugh

username123 wrote: »

The triage nurse heard the words 'root canal' and immediately told me that they see many patients suffering the same symptoms after root canal.

i'd love to know why they're keeping it a secret, because if it's common enough that the nurse would say something like that then there could be something that needs changing. i'd say myself is that an excuse was looked for and found.
the coincidence is terrible though, maybe the problem that fitz mentioned is actually happening. it's so rare though that when it does happen, we hear about it from colleagues pretty quickly.

as for that doctor, what class of idiot is going to promote unscientifically proven methods of treatment in a hospital? if he wants to set up in a log cabin in the mountains, then fine, but you can thank your lucky stars that you weren't brought to homeopathic a&e.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMGIbOGu8q0

username123

ballsymchugh wrote: »

as for that doctor, what class of idiot is going to promote unscientifically proven methods of treatment in a hospital? if he wants to set up in a log cabin in the mountains, then fine, but you can thank your lucky stars that you weren't brought to homeopathic a&e.

Yikes!!! Sounds like I had a reasonably lucky escape! The line of questioning with the doctor was weird too. I hadnt mentioned earlier in the thread but originally Id gone for a second opinion before proceeding with the root canal at all (I was just hoping maybe it didnt really need to be done), and when the doc heard that he kept saying 'so something was holding you back eh? what was that?', as though I was having some kind of strange psychic vision not to proceed that would tie in with his agenda. He looked disappointed when I said I was simply hoping I could just get away with a bigger filling!!

Sinuses feel a little better this morning, still not quite right yet. Something has triggered this, it could be an allergic reaction, I have some environmental and food allergies that trigger sinus issues - I usually manage it by avoiding triggers - but there could be something used in the dentists thats triggering it. Or it could just be the fact that the area has been worked on and feels so bruised that the small amount of inflammation in the area has caused my sinuses to go bananas?

Is it normal that the root canalled tooth would still be painful to use at this stage, it was done on Tuesday, today is Friday, it doesnt hurt at rest, but its too painful to bite or chew with yet?

Bearcat

I had 2 molar rc's last year...1 week later I was still complaining of pain in the area of work....like a light switch pain subsided to zero then. I was comforted that my dentist was and is a phone call away and if necessary 20 mins drive away.

username123

Thanks Bearcat, I spoke to both my dentist and endodontist this morning, they both want to hear from me on Monday if I still have pain.

The endodontist is also taking it upon herself to complain about the supposed doctor I saw yesterday. I have since gotten his name and googled and I am mildly alarmed to say the least, his work background is purely alternative quackery, although he does have a valid medical qualification from a recognised university.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

I am agast by this information, please PM me OP and give me some more details, so I can forward them to the dental council of Ireland.

username123

Ruth Hallowed Garden wrote: »

I am agast by this information, please PM me OP and give me some more details, so I can forward them to the dental council of Ireland.

Im going to leave it with my endodontist Ruth Hallowed Garden. No offence to you or anything but Im speaking about it here anonymously, and not looking for any official follow up from here.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

fair enough, but I would like to know this guys website he was showing you, I wouldn't be suppressed if he hadn't been on here spouting on at some point.

username123

Oh I apologise, he wasnt showing me 'his' website. He directed me to this website and told me 'I can trust this information, it is reliable'.

What I meant when I said Id googled his name and found quackery was that his name brought up his Linked In page and his previous work experience is dubious (as in, complementary medicine, healing with light and love, interested in feng shui and astrology etc).

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Just be thankful you were blessed with enough sense to realize that this stuff is tosh. Its hard when your in pain and that kind of a situation to call the bullcrap when you smell it.

Phoenix Park

username123 wrote: »

So I saw the endodontist on Tuesday (2 days ago) to have the root canal finished. I explained about the nausea and she said that its an unusual response but cannot see it being related to root canal.
She finished the root canal.

The nausea came on worse after this than either of the two previous times, accompanied with massive sinus pressure (there was some sinus pressure last time, I didnt pay much attention tbh) and severe dizziness. I collapsed yesterday evening at home with nausea, dizziness and weakness and my husband became very worried but because I had recovered after a day or two the last two times I insisted I would be ok.

Today I got worse. I collapsed again. My husband phoned the endodontist. She said that if the tooth itself wasnt hurting that it was a seperate issue, nothing to do with her, and to take me to a doctor. My husband brought me to A&E. The triage nurse heard the words 'root canal' and immediately told me that they see many patients suffering the same symptoms after root canal.

Next a doctor came along. He went into what I can only describe as a frightening paranoid conspiracy rant about how dentists are poisoning us with mercury fillings and how the root canal was an unnecessary doomed to failure procedure and now my body was mounting a response to toxins and that he sees this all the time and he then went to google, and proceeded to show me a website that I can only describe as quackery (bear in mind I had my head between my knees trying not to throw up on his shoes at the time and he was trying to make me look at quack websites) and then shone a light in my mouth and claimed that I had corrosion on other mercury fillings and that the world didnt have multiple sclerosis or other diseases until the use of mercury in fillings and he then strongly implied that every other developed country except Ireland has outlawed their use. There was a kind of weird questioning session about why a dentist had recommended a root canal and a a strange diagnosis that my body would now 'self amputate' the tooth as it was a dead thing.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this he mumbled that I was showing signs of non bacterial sinusitis and he would write a prescription for sinus medicine plus an anti nausea medication. He said it was possible the endodontist had drilled into my sinus cavity?? (I called BS on that with my head between my legs) He then mumbled that perhaps my sensitive sinuses were just mounting an inflammatory response to irritation in surrounding tissues, irritation from the chemicals used in the root canal.

I was totally weirded out by all of it.

Id just like to say I didnt believe any of it when he was saying it and upon a google at home I believe it even less, but its actually frightening to think that medical professionals are telling people to go to 'biological dentists'.

However I do believe my nausea and sinus pain 3 times in a row following root canal work is not coincidence.

So fingers crossed I recover and if anyone has any insight as to why this is going on Id be glad to hear it.

Sorry to hear of your nausea and discomfort OP. I would have major concerns about this "doctor" working in Ireland (or any other country for that matter). Such medical ignorance should not be tolerated, the general public deserve better and i do hope he is reported to be honest. All the best.

username123

The saga continues, I really must be the unluckiest person as regards dentistry.

So still havent had much sleep due to discomfort and earlier in the week, sinusitis. Also have not yet been able to eat anything with a harder consistency than scrambled eggs - so feeling hungry for real food!

Last night I was having a look at the tooth and I noticed a big crack in it, it definitely wasnt there earlier in the day!

So I still have pain on chewing/biting, feel like my teeth are bumping into the affected tooth all the time, and now its cracked.

My endodontist gave her mobile number, she is going to see me today.

Honestly, if I lose the tooth after all this pain, time and expense Ill be gutted, but similarily, if more work needs to be done on it Ill be gutted! Theres not really any happy middle ground for me on this!

catt

Very scary, I have just booked into a clinic that doesnt specify that the dentists there ae endodontists but does specify that root canal is a routine dental procedure, *****mod edit no names***, should I be worried that a non-root canal specialist is doing the work? Thanks, best of luck 123.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

catt wrote: »

Very scary, I have just booked into a clinic that doesnt specify that the dentists there ae endodontists but does specify that root canal is a routine dental procedure, *****mod edit no names***, should I be worried that a non-root canal specialist is doing the work? Thanks, best of luck 123.

No general dentists are well able to do most root canal treatments, so long as they spend the time doing it and have the necessary equipment. You pay for time. If you paying little you will get little time.

username123

Just to finish this thread off.

The endodontist had to repair the tooth as the old filling in it had collapsed and was pushing against the tooth on one side, my gum on another and it needed to be redone. So she completely re-did it.

My sinuses still havent quite recovered. I have been back at the doctor with them twice in the past 2 weeks, back on sinus steroids. My GP agrees that she has seen a number of people with irritated sinuses after root canal of upper teeth - it does seem to be something that can happen - Im surprised dentists and endodontists are not more aware of it considering GPs and (crazy) doctors in A&Es seem so familiar with it.

My root canalled tooth has never felt quite right since. At first I felt like my teeth were hitting off each other differently and that Id get used to it. But lately its like there is a non painful sensitivity in the root canalled tooth - its not hurting as such, it just feels weird in my mouth. Its almost like the tooth itself feels like its in a slightly wrong position or its a little bigger in my gum than it used to be or something. Maybe its just the feeling of a root canalled tooth?

I havent had it crowned yet - due to the collapsed filling etc the endodontist rebuilt it and said it would buy some time. I havent got the money for crowning yet so Ill wait a few more months.

I dont know if Id allow a root canal again, I lost a month of my life, it was horribly painful and uncomfortable, my sinuses are still not right months later and my tooth still feels weird. I didnt mind the cost though.

Id have to seriously think about it if it came up again.

Bearcat

What are your other options ? Interesting post. Re sinus's as well. Mine have played havoc since I had rc too but I put it down to coincidence and I'm putting off that sinus op as long as poss.....so it steroid nasal sprays here too but they only last so long.

username123

Bearcat wrote: »

What are your other options ? Interesting post. Re sinus's as well. Mine have played havoc since I had rc too but I put it down to coincidence and I'm putting off that sinus op as long as poss.....so it steroid nasal sprays here too but they only last so long.

Other options? To lose a tooth I imagine is the only other option. Im not sure of the issues with that either. I am not missing a tooth but have a gap in my lower teeth the size of a missing tooth (due to milk tooth falling out very late). The gap doesnt cause any problems functionally, and the row itself is not all crooked so aesthetically its fine. I dont know if one tooth gone is such a big deal. I would research this more before agreeing to rc again.

I havent been offered any kind of sinus op, Im just hoping they settle with the steroids. Traditionally I have suffered with them on and off, pre root canal - so just hoping that the rc triggered a flare up that will sort itself out in time.

Bearcat

slightly off thread...but re sinus's....one side is totally blocked unless kept under control re sprays which i think fool the cavity into opening? Surgeon told me this lasts for so long before they have to go in to open up the passages/clear out mechanically.

Back on thread.....I too was faced with option loose it or fix it re RC treatment.....cost me mega bucks in my world but the thoughts of falsies horrify me.......spent hours on the dentists chair sometimes tempted to jump up and run away but alas all was worth it......i had extreme tooth ache for months thereafter......dentist pleaded with me to stick with it as she said nevres can take time to settle and god bless her, she was spot on.

username123

I have polyps - never fully blocked, they shrink with steroids. But sometimes I just get irritated sinuses, no infection, just blocking, clearing, pressure clearing - feels like a bubble bursting. Gets into my ears too. Since the rc Ive have a lot of irritation on and off. Usually after 2 or 3 weeks steroids Im good for a couple of months - but seems like Im on and off them constantly since rc.

Not sure I understand your last comment, are nerves not removed in the root canal - is that not the point? But it heartens me that things do settle after some time as this feeling of 'wrongness' I have persists.

Bearcat

forgive me re nerve pain, I'd a potential cracked tooth between the two rc's...it needed a deep filling and this was the culpit. There was a stage I couldnt sleep with it but alas its all settled down......dont think the treatment each side of the tooth helped.

username123

Thought Id give a 'final final' update on this thread!

So had the feeling of 'oddness' with the root canalled tooth for months after the root canal. Just felt odd in my gum. No pain, but like there was a peg in my gum- just wrong.

Anyway, the sinuses never recovered and ended up having sinus surgery in June - it was for polyp removal, but while in there the ENT discovered that both cheek sinus cavities were full of pus (god knows how long), so drained them and put me on antibiotics. A few days later I suddenly realised the root canal tooth no longer felt like it was a peg in my gum. The mild sensation of pressure or 'wrongness' was gone.

Was back with endodontist for the 6 month check up last week - all good on x-ray. Luckily the filling is good and should hold up for a year or so (according to endodontist) as I cant afford to get it crowned this year, the root canal wiped out any plans for a holiday this year, the crown will probably do the same next year. She gave me a free check up bless her and luckily Ive no other issues!!!

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Thanks for taking the time to update us, glad its all sorted now.