Does the color of the mucus make a difference?
Dr. Titi: If it is yellow or green, that does suggest there is an infection. You can get that temporarily with a cold for a couple of days. That makes the diagnosis of sinusitis more difficult if the patient presents early in the course because they might just have a cold. But, if they have a history of having recurrent severe head colds that do not clear up in a reasonable amount of time that may be an indication it is actually bacterial sinusitis. Q: Is it true that a toothache can be a symptom? Dr. Titi: Yes, this frequently happens and dentists are all aware of this. Patients come in and they say their teeth are hurting. It is a little easier to tell it is a sinus related problem when they just say their upper teeth hurt because the lower part of the sinus cavity is just a few millimeters away from the roots of the upper teeth. There are many more symptoms… about 15 to 20 different ones which could be signs of a sinus infection. A patient may have a lot of pain or pressure when she
