Your teeth are packed with nerves that inflame when you have a toothache. The nerves and tooth can also become infected. A tooth infection can lead to serious complications for your overall health and should never be ignored.

Symptoms of Tooth Infection

  • Throbbing tooth pain
  • Red and soft gums
  • Intense pain in the jawbone, ear or neck (typically on the same side as the tooth pain)
  • Pain that worsens when you lie down
  • Sensitivity to pressure in the mouth
  • Sensitivity to sweet, hot, or cold foods and drinks
  • Cheek swelling
  • Tender or swollen lymph nodes in the neck
  • Facial swelling
  • Fever
  • Bad breath
  • Bad tastes

How Does a Tooth Become Infected?

Your tooth is hard enamel on the outside, but the inside is filled with a pulp made up of nerves, connective tissue, and blood vessels. Sometimes it gets infected. Most often that results from:­

If you don’t treat the infection, it can kill the pulp and lead to an abscess or infection. There are two common types:

  1. A periapical abscess forms at the tip of your tooth’s root.
  2. A periodontal abscess affects the bone next to your tooth.

Risk Factors of Tooth Infection

Risk factors for a tooth infection increase if you have:

  • Poor dental hygiene, including not brushing your teeth two times a day and not flossing.
  • A high sugar diet, including eating sweets and drinking soda.
  • Dry mouth, which is often caused by aging or certain medications.

If not addressed or treated in time, a tooth infection can eventually spread to other parts of your mouth and even the body. An untreated tooth abscess can cause serious health complications, and even death. Be aware of the following conditions when you have a toothache:

Several Decayed Teeth

A tooth infection happens when the teeth or the surrounding gums are affected and bacteria gets in to cause infection. When ignored or overlooked, this decay can spread to healthy adjacent teeth and gums. Bacteria will attack any tissue to survive and will thereby damage several teeth and gums in line. This way, you will start to feel even more intense pain, and a foul taste as a lot of your teeth are now affected.

Infection of the Surrounding Bone

When the infection starts spreading, it spreads to the jaw bone as well. Facial bones, particularly the maxilla and mandible, do not tolerate the long-term presence of infection very well. If the infection spreads into these bones, surgical removal of the bone may be required in order to arrest further spread. The infection can cause marked weakening of the bone structures, which makes it more difficult for the jaw to support the teeth. This will eventually also result in tooth loss.

Chances of Septicemia

Septicemia is when the entire bloodstream becomes infected. The body’s natural response to an infection is to increase antibodies in the area by sending extra blood. Septicemia from a dental abscess occurs when a pocket of infection ruptures, spills into this blood and begins to circulate throughout the body. This is an incredibly life-threatening condition that often requires long-term hospitalization and intravenous antibiotics.

A dental abscess is serious and should never be ignored. As soon as possible, visit your dental clinic for this dental emergency. To feel a little better while waiting to see your Dentist, take ibuprofen, avoid hot or cold drinks and food, avoid chewing on the side of the toothache, and eat only cool, soft foods.

Please contact our office should you have any questions or concerns about dental infections.

Posted in Dental News & Advice