Dental Query - how likely tooth decay/infection lead to sinus infection ?

[gingeroots]

Oh dear me again [blush ] ,but I'm trying to understand what is going on and what questions I should be asking my dentist .
I've had pain ,not able to relate it to a specific tooth ,plus the pain shifts and changes in nature ,for many months .
Two visits to dentist and he says sinuses .
Last week lots of extreme pain - still not related to a specific tooth and teeth not particularly sensitive to tapping .
Pain had come on the day after I'd finished a 7 day course of antibiotics for what I'd assumed was sinus infection .
Pain hugely reduced next day ,cheek swollen ,very tender near cheekbone
Following day gum sore and feeling swollen .
Back to GP - more antibiotics + steriod nasal spray .
Back to dentist - he says abscess near a gold crowned tooth . X rays - says ,when I ask ,yes some nasal congestion but not clear ,come back when antibiotics finished .
Maybe it's irrelevant and mostly I'm wondering about the crowned tooth and what will be necessary ,but could the infection have started in a tooth/gum and affected my sinuses ,or vice versa ?
I'm just so puzzeled by the sinus thing as I've never suffered from nasal congestion ,don't get colds .But can see that the symptoms - cheek pain ,sensitive to movement and temperature more than hitting a tooth are sinus like .
Any views ?
( sorry feel like a bore )

Just to add - I like my dentist and though not a good patient have confidence in his technical skills .
But I suppose I feel a teeny bit doubtful now about his diagnostic skills .
Though tend towards the view that things are not straightforward and perhaps I shouldn't expect him to explain everything away .

i had a tooth out that led to a sinus infection. was a long drawn out process to diagnose and had to be referred eventually. in the meantime you could try a neti pot (on ebay) that could be enough to clear out anything 'stuck' in your sinuses causing pain.

Thanks southeastastra - how was the diagnosis arrived at in the end ?
I'm wondering if it requires xray equipment available in hospitals rather than high street dental surgerys ?

I had a similar experience.

I had a sensitive tooth which was found to have a crack in it. It already had an old filling in it so had to have a crown put over it.

Several months later developed pain on one side of my face and below my eye. Dentist tapped tooth and said it was likely to be a sinus problem. Went to GP and had antibiotics. These helped slightly but soon after the pain became excrutiating.

Went back to dentist and nothing really showed up on xray. By now the pain was the worst I had ever experienced in my life. To cut a long story short I had to have root canal through the crowned tooth. An abcess was drained and the relief was immense. I didn't really have any of the usual symptoms of an infected tooth such as swollen face, swollen gum, etc but did have 'sinus' pain.

Possibly you have an infection under your crowned tooth?

i went to the doctor and after repeated prescriptions for steroid spray they eventually referred me to ent then for an xray where they found the infection in my sinus. i really did have a bad infection though and it came within days of having my tooth out. i was lost of who to see too but glad i went straight to dr. never went back to the dentist again!

mmm jalopy yes I'm thinking infection under crown .
and [scared]