Burned by bleach

[thetreesarealive]

I didn't know what to put this under... I'm just looking for some advice.

On Fri I went to the dentist for a root canal. Near the end of the proceedings the rubber dam he was using somehow leaked and I got some of the mild bleach cleaning stuff that he was using in my throat. It burned horribly and hurt quite a lot for 2 days afterwards. Also shortly after it happened my eye was watering and nose was running on the side of my face corresponding to the tooth being worked on. I drank masses of water and then some milk at the time, and the dentist also gave me a script for some antibiotics.

My throat felt better after a couple of days but now is uncomfortable again. I also feel like I've got a permanent cold, i.e. everything in my face feels bunged up in a strange way. The runny nose etc did improve but still if I sniff it's very odd. The dentist said, when I went again on Monday for a quick check, that he had spoken to an expert and was confident that none of the stuff had gone up through the tooth into my sinus (or wherever it would go) and gave the reasons. I'm not sure about this though - something is definitely not right. Sometimes when I sniff (there's nothing to blow out) I feel something going down the back of my throat which then makes my throat more uncomfy.

So anyway. The big issue is that by trade I'm a singer, vocal teacher and choir conductor. On Saturday I had a big rehearsal which went ok, if quite a bit of effort as I was feeling under the weather, but I managed it all right voice-wise. (I didn't knowingly do any damage - voice felt fine during and afterwards and needless to say I know how to sing correctly!) This week, though, I have struggled to sing for very long, and today even talking has been a bit annoying with my throat feeling strange and tickly and making my eyes water. I probably should have rested my voice straight away, but didn't since it felt fine and after some gentle warm-ups/singing I was fairly confident there was nothing wrong there, plus I had all the rehearsals etc to think about. Of course, resting is going to be what I'm doing now!

So my concern is that there has been some irreparable damage. My sensible brain tells me that tissue that may have been damaged will regrow, but I'm just panicking I'm going to lose my livelihood! If I can't sing properly anymore... well, it doesn't bear thinking about.

Can anyone give me any advice?

See your GP

yes, I'm going to!

If would seek medical attention tbh. Sounds horrid OP.

Try a netti pot to flush the sinus out just in case

Thanks for the advice. I have tried a homemade netti pot but I need to do it properly I think.

I was also more wondering about what to do if it ends up a more permanent thing... I mean, can you sue for stuff like this?

It's been 9 days and still my throat's not right and I can't sing more than one short song without feeling my throat start to tickle and feel weird and then be uncomfy or hurt after that.

Have you seen a doctor?

See your doctor immediately - they can refer you to hospital, ear, nose and throat. Ring your dentist and get them to tell you exactly what went were (or at least what the bleach stuff was) so you have this info for your doctor. I'm sure you will be fine but yes, I'm fairly certain there must be some kind of legal recourse. Have a little google but I'm guessing there are solicitors that specialise in this kind of medical malpractice stuff. At the least they should pay enough to cover private treatment and some damages for stress etc. Do you have any private medical care through work?

I'd get a referral to an ENT specialist from the gp and pay privately if possible to make it quicker. There are solicitors specialising in medical negligence, but it's a bit soon for that.

I went to the doctors and have a referral to a specialist. The doctor couldn't see any damage though, and also said she thought it'd be better by the time I got the app through. It's just really difficult with it being my life's work..

Not sure about private medical care through work, but I don't think so.

I do think you need this investigated fairly urgently. Could the dentist pay?

I wonder if the bleach issue could be a red herring - could some of these symptoms be funny nerve effects residual from the anaesthetic? I say that because funny nasal stuffiness / runny nose sounds like something I've had with root canals.

Either way worth discussing with your GP (and the dentist again as appropriate). As a singer you need to have this taken seriously; but hope it all settles down soon.