Peculiar symptoms

I am a 60+ woman, otherwise healthy and active.I am having peculiar symptoms after an incomplete root canal feeling. Sometime I am having severe pain in my jaw, sometime accompanied by nausea, but never vomitted. Suddenly there comes thick mucous so that I can't breath. This feeling happened at least 4 times during the last week and lasted for about half an hour each time. I took no medicine because I don't know what to take. Mouth is always very dry inside, the lips are also very dry. Often feel like the lips are burning.Yesterday I drank more that 3 L. of water.Taste in the mouth is bitter. The jaw pain is induced by both cold or heat. This is happening for the last one week. initially I was OK after 3 days of the root canal treatment.These things started after 2 wks. It is more pain in the jaw on the side in which the treatment is done. That perticular teeth is not paining if I don't chew anything with that. Some time there is sudden headache at the top of the head or back of the head, behind the ears.Appetite is normal. When not in pain, I am doing normal activities including Yoga and walkig. There is lot of sweating at night. The dentist has injected some medicine inside the root, he said it was painkiller. Now my dentist is out of town. The nurse told me to take pain killers. Now, incidentally I am alone at home. Please tell me what to do. Is it something serious? Is these related to the root canal treatment or something else? How can I hold till 18th? I shall wait eagerly for your answer .

[J.M. Keyes, MD]

Hi there,
It sounds to me that your symptoms are most likely due to your dental problems.  Jaw pain can radiate to your ears or head, so that may explain the pain outside your jaw.  If you are having sweats and a foul taste in your mouth, you may want to consider infection, which should be assessed by your dentist, or someone covering if he/she is out of town.
I would not think that you should be having shortness of breath related to a tooth problem, so I would keep a close eye on that and have it checked out by your MD if it continues,  It does not sound like this is the case with you, but acute chest/jaw/arm/back pain and shortness of breath can be cardiac in nature, so if you are concerned you should be seen right away for symptoms like that.
I would follow up with your dentist asap.
hope you are feeling better.

JMK MD.

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