Question: Hi Dr. Honey! I hope this finds you well! You have answered several of my questions in the past, and have been wonderful each and every time. I currently suffer from health anxiety, and occasionally make the mistake of googling health conditions -- as you are aware, that can be a slippery slope with seeing too much information out there!

My questions pertains to my maxillary sinus and upper teeth on the left side of my face. For several years, particularly around this time of year when there are a lot of tree pollens, I suffer from seasonal allergies, and i notice a lot of sinus congestion in my left maxillary sinus, which causes pain in those upper teeth on that side,. I visited my dentist a year or so ago for a panoramic xray, which was normal and showed my teeth roots are very close, if not extending into, the maxillary sinuses. I also had a dental checkup and bite wing x-rays three weeks ago, which also were normal and showed my upper roots on the left touching the sinus cavity. My dentist did not mention that anything looked abnormal in the portion of the maxillary sinus he could see on the x-ray. When I feel the pain in my upper teeth it shoots across the whole row of teeth and is alleviated by ibuprofen.

For the past several days I've had major allergy symptoms with my sinuses clogged and pain and inflammation in both of my tonsils, presumably from post nasal drip. I am attaching a few images of my tonsils. I did visit an urgent care center yesterday and the doctor examined me and diagnosed sinusitis and tonsillitis and prescribed an antibiotic, nasal spray and steroids. I also take a claritan and use flonase spray every day.

My questions are these:

1) Other than inflammation, do my tonsils appear normal? I notice on my left tonsil (right side of picture) that there appears to be a large crater which is larger than usual.

2) Unfortunately, since I have some health anxiety my mind immediately jumps to cancer of my maxillary sinus cavity, since I have the upper tooth pain sporadically a few times a year. I do not smoke and do not drink, never had a profession in which I inhaled chemicals or dust, and have no other nasal symptoms or difficulty breathing, pain in cheek etc., except to the occasional upper tooth pain. I certainly realize you cannot give me a definitive answer, but based upon that clinical picture without scans or whatever, do you feel I have anything to worry about (again, I've experienced the upper tooth pain sporadically over the past three years or more, it has not changed in duration or severity, so I presume if it was anything ominous there would be more warning signs by now...)?

Thank you so much Dr. Honey -- I cannot begin to tell you what a godsend you have been to me over the last two years or so with my health anxiety (which has improved for the most part with therapy and antidepressants). You are truly a special doctor!

Hi Dr. Honey -- thank you for your kind, compassionate and reassuring response! You have no idea how much it means to me to have such a kind and understanding doctor on the other side of the world to whom I can pose my (mostly neurotic) questions!

So, just to confirm, the fact that I have intermittent upper teeth pain and pressure (with my roots touching, if not extending into the maxillary sinus cavity as seen on x-ray) on one side of my face, mostly during seasonal allergy time and other times when the seasons are changing, with no other symptoms, that would not be a reason in and of itself to suspect any type of sinus cancer, correct?

Thank you again so much for your compassion and patience in helping me with my health-anxiety induced questions!!