I hope that the following may help someone. If you feel you have an infected root canal, and the progression is like mine, take it very seriously. Please don’t be put off by the denials of the dentists and doctors, or being told that you’re a liar or crazy. Go deep into your heart, ask for help, don’t give up.
I tried to get in touch with the dentist and other health professionals, to give them a list of what to watch for, hoping to prevent this happening to another. They wouldn’t talk to me, said that I am a liar.
What I experienced:
I have all the residual long-term effects listed (except amputations), and every day my only real wish is that the body would die.
Regards,
Linda

Infected root canal Symptoms I experienced:
Clenching and grinding teeth, both day and night – breaking teeth off. Metalic taste in mouth.
Facial Infections: The infection was actually oozing thru the jaw, cheek, forehead as large lumps, hardened growths, and smaller numerous pimples.
A hole blew through gum in the front, when I was having dental work done.
Heart palpitations/throbbing.
Serious weakness in back and legs causing continual pain/stumbling/falling
Mouth/tongue very red, lots of heat
Very fast onset of periodontal disease and excessive amounts of plaque buildup
Swollen, painful lymph glands under the chin
Meningitis (inflammation of the lining around the brain)/Septicaemia (Blood
poisoning): (**see Long Term effects at the end)
Symptoms: extremefever/panic, nausea, vomiting, very severe headache, stiff neck, eyes intolerant to light, sleepiness, confusion, unresponsive/vacant, severe muscle/joint aches/pains, stomach pain, freezing cold hands and feet, chills/shivering.
I felt as though my head might blow up.
Feeling of internal burning
Face looking sunburned
Excessive thirst
Extreme exhaustion
Inability to focus the mind for long
Internal organ problems: Swollen, painful liver, weak painful kidneys
Excruciating neck pain
Frequent very severe migraine headaches, accompanied by vomiting, dry heaves and passing out.
Extreme confusion and panic attacks, feeling of helplessness
Extreme stiffness of the whole body, feeling like it is turning to concrete
Eyes burning, blurring, photophobia (extreme sensitivity to light)
Ear infection, feeling full, hearing impacted
Insane nightmares: seeming like one had taken 100 rolls of film, cut them into single frames, placed them all into a box, and mixed them up. The nightmares are composed of one frame after another flipping by with total unrelatedness to the one prior or after.
Symptoms of insanity coming on overnight
Withdrawal from normal activities and relationships
Total loss of self-control, both mind and body
Thoughts of suicide and wishing to die to escape the pain
Face looking blank, like the spirit has departed, common in Alzheimer's disease

** Documented Long Term Effects: (from the Meningitis Research Foundation)
After effects most likely to be caused by meningitis:
· Memory loss/difficulty retaining information/lack of concentration
· Clumsiness/co-ordination problems
· Residual headaches
· Deafness/hearing problems/tinnitus/dizziness, loss of balance
· Learning difficulties (ranging from temporary learning deficiencies to long term mental impairment)
· Epilepsy/seizures (fits)
· Weakness, paralysis or spasms of part of body (if permanent, sometimes called cerebral palsy)
· Speech problems
· Loss of sight/changes in sight

After effects most likely to be caused by septicaemia
· · Memory loss/difficulty retaining information/lack of concentration
· · Clumsiness/co-ordination problems
· · Arthritis/stiffness in joints
· · Scarring/skin damage
· · Amputations - for example, fingers, toes, arms or legs 10-20% of patients who recover from septicemia are left with after effects from damage to their blood vessels caused by the bacterial toxin. This damage disrupts the supply of blood to the ends of the limbs, causing death and decay of oxygen-starved tissue. In irreversible cases the result is amputation of fingers and toes or even entire limbs.
· · Kidney damage
· · Lung damage
Some of these effects may follow either meningitis or septicaemia.

Emotional after effects that may occur after meningitis and septicaemia:
· · Clinginess
· · Temper tantrums
· · Moodiness or aggression
· · Disturbed sleep / nightmares
· · Bed-wetting
· · Changes in character
· · Learning difficulties
· · Depression
· · Fear of doctors and hospitals
· · Other behavioral and emotional problems

P.S. Prior to this I had been very strong, excellent health and functioning. I had taken excellent care of my teeth.

Raised 2 sons
Designed, developed, maintained the Budget, Allotment, Labor Distributions systems for the State of Washington
Given an award by the Governor for Outstanding Service to the State of WA
Designed and built 2 homes
Calligrapher, weaver, spinner, watercolorist, couture clothing designer, organic gardener, gourmet cook.
I enjoyed exceptional mental and physical health and never had a reason to go to the doctor.
All of a sudden, found myself burning up on the inside, tremendous suffering, exhaustion, terror.
Unable to get my job done, spending every minute that I wasn't at work, trying to recuperate so I could do my job. I increased my prayers, exercise, improved an already excellent diet.
I tried everything, herbs, adaptogens, fasts, etc.
I started avoiding people, even friends and family.
My sense of balance was bad, and my left ear was going deaf, felt like it was full of water
I went to my dentist, and all of a sudden I had serious periodontal disease (had always taken excellent care of my teeth). He told me that I was grinding my teeth away in the night. He sent me to another dentist, who scraped my teeth and pulled out my perfect wisdom teeth, ground down all my other teeth.
I went to doctors, acupuncturists, and energy healers.
Intent on getting well, and unable to find help, I enrolled and completed my first year of Naturopathic Medical School, but was too sick to return.
I found myself unable to function adequately in any area of my life, terrible migraines, hemorrhaging, early menopause, sleeping all the time - so unlike the old me.
I had to quit my job.
I lost all my relationships.
I used up all my savings.
I remember the day the root canal infection broke through into my brain. I woke in the morning and realized that my mental functioning was gone. I started having the kind of nightmares that an insane person would have. Totally disoriented, I'd start the dishes and find myself upstairs, not knowing how I got there.
Pictures taken after that time look like a person with Alzheimer's disease - you can see a definite blankness.
My eyes became badly infected and I was loosing my eyesight. My eyes felt like 2 hot coals.
I wandered around for a couple more years, always in terror and tremendous pain, thinking I had suffered a nervous breakdown. I was even wetting the bed at night. It was very difficult for me not to commit suicide. There are no words to express the suffering.
When (I feel) I was pretty close to dying, I went to the dentist for a cleaning, and when they cleaned my teeth, the tool went right through my jaw. He sent me to have the infected root canal removed, and said "By the way, don't commit suicide.", and I feel he knew that he had let the problem get by him.
No compassion, no offer of help. He should have sent me to the hospital.
The other dentist pulled the tooth. This was the dentist who pulled my wisdom teeth. He treated me with disdain, and I feel he knew that he had let the problem get by him.
I hoped to get better soon, but my system was too destroyed and the meningitis/septicemia continued. The brain shuts off and I pass out and fall like a tree, without notice. I have been ill and poor ever since.
I had experienced many difficult things in my life, and I never felt like a victim, but this has definitely left me with a victim feeling, and so much anger I have not as yet been able to transcend.
I lost all the things of value in my life and experienced untold suffering. There is no mechanisms in our medical/dental systems for the admitting and learning from mistakes.
Sincerely,
Linda