My daughter has had two salivary gland infections and we are at a loss as to why. We’ve taken her to two doctors and run countless tests and they can’t figure out what is going on. One thing I have noticed is the salivary gland is on the same side where she has had a root canal treatment. Could there be something from the root canal treatment that is leaking to infect her gland?
Pamela
Dear Pamela,
It is frustrating when doctors can not pinpoint what is wrong with us, but more especially when it is our children. We’d rather suffer ourselves than watch them suffer. I’ve given your situation some thought. While it is theoretically possible for a tooth infection to spread to a salivary gland, it would have to be an active infection.
A root canal treatment is designed to remove a tooth infection. It is possible for a root canal treatment to fail and develop an infection again; or it is possible she has a new tooth infection that has been left untreated. Either of these could potentially spread to other areas. The simplest way to eliminate these as a possibility is to schedule an appointment with her dentist. It would not be considered a dental emergency unless she is showing signs of an active infection, which would be accompanied by tooth pain.
If the x-rays show an infection, than thatĀ couldĀ be what is going on. I will emphasize could. If the x-rays do not show an infection, than the issue is medical rather than dental. That is hard because they’ve already run so many tests without answers. Keep pushing until you get some answers.
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