Introduction
Paranasal sinusitis is an inflammatory change of the mucous membranes in the paranasal sinuses caused by viruses or bacteria. If the maxillary sinus in particular is affected by the inflammation, patients often report toothache. This phenomenon is usually due to the proximity of the upper teeth to the maxillary sinus.
All cavities are filled with air when the person is healthy. In case of an inflammatory change of the mucous membranes, secretion or even pus is formed. Due to the obstructed outflow the nominal sinus fills up and this is how the complaints arise. The human being has a total of six different cavities embedded in the skull bone, which are also generally referred to as paranasal sinuses. The maxillary sinus, frontal sinus, sphenoidal sinus, ethmoidal cells, lacrimal sinus and palatine sinus are also known as sinuses.
Symptoms
In the case of sinusitis, in addition to a deterioration in the general condition, numerous accompanying symptoms such as fever, flu-like symptoms and headaches can occur. These headaches usually only occur when the sinusitis has already progressed and when a pronounced mirror image has already been formed. Patients usually complain of the headaches in question when they bend forward or downward.
The pain character is described as throbbing, dull and very unpleasant. Tapping the sinuses is also often described as extremely unpleasant and painful. In some cases it can also happen that the leading symptom of sinusitis (also sinusitis or sinusitis) is not only headache or general discomfort, but that unspecific toothache is caused by sinusitis.
Toothache is often misinterpreted in this context and the cause is assumed to be inflammation of the tooth root or caries etc. However, it is important to see the temporal connection between toothache and sinusitis. Due to the close anatomical positional relationship of the upper jaw tooth roots to the paranasal sinuses, an inflammation or bacterial colonization of the sinuses can also irritate the teeth.
Typically, the irritation manifests itself as a dull pain that cannot be traced back exactly to a tooth. The discomfort is intensified when the head is tilted forward or in rapid rotary movements. In most cases, patients do not realize that they have a sinusitis.
They speak of a cold or sniffles. In this context, many people complain of concomitant toothache in the upper jaw, which usually subsides a few days after the sinusitis has subsided. If the toothache becomes worse and swelling of the cheek occurs, a visit to the dentist is necessary.
If the source of infection and inflammation is located in the so-called maxillary sinus (sinus maxillaris), the inflammatory process can cause pain in the upper jaw. The maxillary sinus is the middle nasal passage and contains the largest paranasal sinus. An inflammation in this area is also called maxillary sinusitis.
The pain can radiate to the face and also to the upper jaw. It is also interesting that the deepest point of the maxillary sinus is located in the area of the 1st molar. The secretion flows there following the force of gravity and can only flow off with difficulty, since the opening of the maxillary sinus is located further above.
If there is no constant exchange of secretions, pathogens can spread there easily and cause painful inflammation in the area of the upper jaw. The pain is dull and throbbing. They are aggravated when the head is bent forward or during certain movements, such as jumping.
Due to the direct proximity to the teeth, toothache is not untypical of sinusitis. In case of sinusitis, the mucous membranes swell up during the inflammation process. This swelling can irritate the tooth nerves, so that toothache can occur in both the upper and lower jaw, even if the lower jaw is spatially separated from the sinus and is therefore much less frequently affected.
A visit to the dentist provides clarity. In typical sinusitis, pain is caused by the swelling of the mucous membranes and the resulting increased pressure in the sinuses.As a result, the pain is often localized diffusely on a region of the face. However, if the incisors are explicitly affected by the pain, irritation of the dental nerves may be considered.
This nerve irritation is probably also caused by the swollen mucous membrane and then causes pain in the teeth to which the nerve leads, for example in the incisors. However, the exact mechanism is still part of current research and has not yet been fully clarified. Inflammation of the paranasal sinuses can in some cases also affect the ear and cause pain there.
There are two conceivable mechanisms of how the ear is affected. On the one hand, the pathogens in the sinuses can trigger a painful inflammation of the middle ear simply by being in close proximity to the ear. Especially in small children, the ear trumpet is relatively short, so that the pathogens have a short path to trigger another infection in the ear.
Another mechanism grips the connecting tube between the nasopharynx and middle ear. This connecting tube is also called the “Eustachian tube” or Eustachian tube and plays an important role in pressure equalization. If this structure is affected by the inflammation, the Eustachian tube can become blocked or swollen. This can make pressure equalization more difficult, resulting in a feeling of under- or overpressure in the middle ear. These changes in pressure can also be painful, especially if the usual measures such as yawning or swallowing cannot equalize pressure.
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