This is the first medical problem I have ever had and I am looking for some input.

I am a 28 year old male and I had my wisdom teeth removed just over 2 weeks ago.

The problem I am having is that my upper left tooth was removed and has created a "sinus communication" on the left side of my face. I have been experiencing sinus pressure, minor headaches and worst of all - smelly, nasty mucus.

I am not a smoker, though my sister is and I tend to have a cigarette from time to time and wonder if this is a result of this. I have never been to the doctor for a sinus infection in the past and am curious if this will pass or if this something that will get worse. I have been trying to blow my nose as little as possible, but the smell and pressure gets to be too much some times.

I just finished a weeks supply of Amoxicillan (sp?) that the oral surgeon prescribed when I told him of the problem just over a week ago. My wife has Flonase which she has never used and does not expire until 10/05 - Can I use this to any success?

I have read about other people who have developed polyps and have chronic sinusitus, etc.

Should I been concerned?
Will it go away?
Should I return to the doctor?
What steps can I take to recover?

Thanks for any help, suggestions, comments anyone can give.
[My apologizes if this is the wrong place to post]

Im 27 and 1 year ago got a sinus infection and i still have it today. Whatever you do dont take this lying down. Go to the ent and get on some antibiotics. Ask your ent to give you flonase in conjunction with the antibiotics. I wish i did that in the beggining before i got this untreatable sinus infection. The worst part of my infection is the horrible bad breath that is ruining my life. Nothing i do will get rid of the bad breath. Sinus infections are horrible its the worst illness anyone could have. If i was asked would i rather have two broken legs or a sinus infection i would have picked the broken legs. Atleast broken legs heal.

David, sounds like you ought to go and have the surgery (FESS) if things are that bad for you. It couldn't possibly be any worse than what you are going through now. I have surgery scheduled for the 15th of June.

RR, if there is in fact a "sinus communication" that means that bacteria from the mouth can get into the maxillary sinus. You need to talk to your oral surgeon and /or ENT and see if this communication will resolve spontaneously or if it will require addn'l surgery to close.

I don't think a week of amoxicillan is enough to get rid of a sinus infection - which it definitely sounds like. Have you seen an ENT? If not, that should be your next stop.

I think Flonase reduces swelling. It probably won't hurt. I'd check with the doctor first, though.

I went back to my oral surgeon today and was prescribed another 'scrip of Amox.

I asked if this will be sufficient since I already went through this once and still have the same problem. He said he hasn't seen anyone develop sinusitus due to wisdom teeth removal. He also said that the "communication" was minor and should be gone in no time.

I will say that in the past week or so the amount of mucus has decreased, however the smell/taste is still present, as well as the pain and pressure.

Should I use the Flonase in conjunction w/ this antibiotics? If the problem persists what should I request next? Another antibiotic or go directly to an ENT?

Thanks again - best of luck to you too david23m - this is a crappy position to be in.

had a similar problem, and thought I was smart enough to handle it myself...I've now had a PICC line (a long term IV shunt) in my arm for 4 weeks, going on 5 weeks. See your ENT. There's always the possibility that the "communication (I've also heard it called 'canaling' can cause pockets to form for mucous to just sit there and ferment, for lack of better terminology. See your ENT, consider asking for a sinus CT scan to see how deep the canals go.
I'm looking at surgery...and it was originally thought that removing my wisdom teeth would help with repeated sinus infections!!
Good luck, and post your results. I'll be watching, and saying a little prayer.

Tomorrow is my last day of 2nd 'sript of Amoxicillan. The smell and taste is virtually gone. I am finding that I am still slightly congested on the left side and cough up some nice mucus. I have used a some CVS Nasal solution a couple of times to help flush things out - I'm not really sure how well it worked - I even read about people using H202 flushes (http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=139765) with a great deal of success.

Here's to hoping that this is it for me. I think it would be nice to see a positive post about sinus infections because out of the 15+ sites I have been on and countless hours researching this condition - I have yet to find a person who has had a happy ending.

Best wishes to everyone on this forum dealing with their condition(s). I will report back in a few days with an update. Thanks again for your input people.