Tooth Infection

Infections of the teeth can cause swelling, pain, and discomfort in and around your tooth and gums. The symptoms can get severe over time and usually worsen.

Other symptoms include

• Heat and Cold Sensitivity
• You wake up in pain at night
• You may experience pain in your jaw, neck or ear
• When you lie down, the pain gets worse
• When chewing or biting, you may experience pain
• Redness
• Swelling
• Teeth that are discolored or loose
• Bad breath or bad taste
• Lymph nodes are swollen in the neck or under the jaw
• Fever

Swelling can cause severe problems with your breathing or vision. These symptoms are severe and extreme. You should visit the emergency room immediately if you experience any of these symptoms.

The leading cause of infection is dental decay.

In our mouth, millions of bacteria are present at all times. Some bacteria are beneficial while others can damage teeth and the surrounding bone. This bacteria must break through the tooth enamel to enter the cavity. This is done by the bacteria consuming sugar from your diet and producing acid. Acid, over time, breaks down the tooth enamel and allows the bacteria to enter. Once the bacteria enters through the enamel, it reaches the soft inner dentin. This portion is much softer and breaks down eight times faster than the enamel. The innermost portion of the tooth is the nerve. As the bacteria starts to approach the nerve, it becomes inflamed in an attempt to fight off the bacteria.

Typically, when a tooth becomes inflamed, the vessels swell. Since the nerve is in a confined space, as it swells from inflammation, it can be extremely painful. Eventually, the nerve will die, and this extreme pain will subside. Even though the tooth might feel better, it is still filled with bacteria. The bacteria continues to multiply until it has nowhere else to go except for the bottom of the tooth. As it pumps out the bottom, it creates an infection called a periapical abscess. The abscess can continue to grow around the teeth and into the adjacent spaces like inside the mouth, the sinuses, and the fascial spaces (the spaces between muscles, glands and organs). When the abscess grows in fascial spaces, it can cause dangerous infections that can spread through the body and even affect your breathing.

Trauma

Trauma can cause a tooth to die. This is more common with front teeth. This process can be immediate, or it can take years to form an abscess. Typically, you can tell if it is abscessing if it hurts to tap or bite on the tooth.

Cracks

A cracked tooth can also kill the nerve and start the process of abscess formation.

Bacteria can get stuck around the gums and form an abscess. Several types of abscesses can form around the teeth.

Periodontal abscesses occur due to advanced periodontal disease. Infections get stuck in pockets in and around the tooth.

A gingival abscess occurs when a foreign body gets stuck in the gum or between the teeth.

A pericoronal abscess typically occurs around a wisdom tooth when it doesn't erupt correctly. If the tooth is impacted or partially erupted, an abscess is much more likely to occur.

When a tooth abscesses, it forms a pocket or bubble of infection (pus) due to bacterial infection. It can be extremely painful. Without treatment, the infection can grow and move into other parts of the body. In some cases, it can progress into a life-threatening issue.

Treating an abscessed tooth depends upon the cause. This can be diagnosed with X-rays, CT Scans and by doing an intraoral exam. Once diagnosed, it can be properly treated. Typically, it is treated by removing the source of infection.

Treating a periapical abscess:

A periapical abscess caused by decay or trauma can be treated either by removing the inside of the tooth (root canal) or by extraction.

With root canal treatment, we remove the nerve and dead tissue from the inside of the tooth, thoroughly disinfect the inside, shape the canals and fill them with a rubber material to seal them off. This effectively saves the tooth allowing it to continue functioning normally.

With an extraction, we are removing the tooth that is infected. This will eliminate the cause as well; however, it is always better to save a tooth when possible. If there isn't sufficient tooth structure remaining to do a root canal, an extraction is necessary. However, going without a tooth long-term can cause other problems. An implant is recommended to restore form and function and prevent teeth from shifting.

Treating a gingival abscess:

A gingival abscess is caused by food stuck between the gums. Usually, the treatment consists of cleaning out the foreign body. We will disinfect the pockets with an antibiotic rinse as well. Sometimes a gingival abscess will need to be drained.

Treating a periodontal abscess:

Typically, the only way to treat a periodontal abscess is to remove the tooth. We recommend a dental implant to replace a missing tooth so other teeth won't shift, and function is restored.

Treating pericoronitis:

An impacted wisdom tooth causes pericoronitis. The treatment for this type of abscess consists of removing the wisdom tooth.

Even if an abscess has ruptured, it is still essential to have it treated. The source of the infection must be removed. If left untreated for a significant time, there is a risk that the infection can spread to other parts of your head, neck, or brain. In rare cases, it can lead to life-threatening complications like sepsis. If you have a high fever, difficulty breathing, or swelling near your eye, you should go to the emergency room before seeing us. These are signs of a severe, life-threatening infection.

The best way to prevent infections is regular dental visits and good hygiene. Many times we can find these issues before they start.