Re: Sodium hypochlorite, root canals, and bad sinuses

I think it would be a rare endodontist that would attempt an
apicoectomy where there is a likelihood the sinus would be involved. It
is possible an oral surgeon might if the tooth was considered important
enough to risk it.

That may well be true, but I lived through this rather uncomfortable
experience. It was not pleasant to sit in that chair while this guy
squirted fluids up into my sinuses through a hole in my gums and jaw.

Yes, sodium hypochlorite is used within the root canal system as an
irrigant. It would be an exceptional error to use this to irrigate an
apicoectomy, and I find it difficult to believe this error could be made
by a conscious surgeon, let alone a conscientious one.

Again, that may be true, but this tasted and smelled exactly like he'd
squirted clorox bleach into my sinuses. It never occurred to me that it
might actually have been sodium hypochlorite until yesterday when I
found out that it had a legitimate use in that sort of procedure.

Furthermore,
using a sodium hypochlorite solution in the sinus wouldn't merely result
in a "worsening" of a pre-existing sinus condition. It would create an
immediate emergency, with extensive burning and tissue damage.

It was pretty darn uncomfortable, I must say. It did burn and was quite
irritating. As soon as I mentioned it he put the "turkey baster" down
and started rinsing my sinuses quite thoroughly with water.

In fact,
merely forcing a bit out the tip of the root can cause major problems.
I think the chances that this happened are slim.

I'll defer to your experience. What else might be in an endodontist's
office that tastes and smells exactly like clorox bleach?

HOWEVER--it is not out of the question that the surgery itself, if it
did in fact involve the sinus, could have exacerbated any sinus
problems, esp. if there was a root fragment that was never recovered.

Steve

That's been my assumption this entire time. We did every X-ray we could
think of and no one could ever find it. As I said before, he did
X-rays, my dentist did some, an oral surgeon did a panoramic X-ray, and
my doctor even did some. No one could find anything that looked like a
root tip in my sinuses. Knowing my luck, it actually is still in there
but hidden.

I've been meaning to see an ENT anyway about the constant congestion.
Maybe this would be a good opportunity to do some more exploration into
this matter and see if we can find something up there that shouldn't be
there.

Thanks,
John

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