What is a tooth infection and how does it develop?
Often, a tooth infection refers to when your nerve is infected or inflamed, or the ligament around your tooth is infected or inflamed. A tooth infection develops when there is an overgrowth of bacteria that your body cannot fight off naturally.
What are the most common symptoms of a tooth infection?
The most common symptoms of a tooth infection are pain and inflammation. Many people become aware that they have a tooth infection when it hurts to chew, to swallow, to drink any liquid, or even just to breathe in and out.
Another very common symptom of a tooth infection is pain that doesn't relate to any specific action that you're taking. Often, it can feel like a throbbing or pulsing pain in or around your tooth.
What are the risks and complications of an untreated tooth infection?
There are many very serious health risks and complications if you do not take care of an infected tooth. Often, the infection can travel to your heart, the rest of your mouth, or even your brain. This is life-threatening, or it can put you in a coma.
How can you tell if a tooth infection is spreading?
The easiest way to tell if your infection is spreading to other parts of your body is to first visit your dentist. That is your first step. You need to see your dental health care provider. However, what they look for is whether your inflammation is spreading beyond that singular tooth. The signs that your tooth infection is spreading to other parts of your body are if your gums are red and inflamed beyond that singular tooth that hurts, or if you're having traveling, shifting, or jumping pain to other sides of your body.
Can a tooth infection be life-threatening?
A tooth infection is very serious, and it's true. It can be life-threatening. In fact, most tooth infections are life-threatening. What happens is that you have an active infection in a very vital part of your body.
Your mouth, your brain, and your heart all share one circulatory system. It is all the same blood supply that's traveling all throughout your body. However, the proximity of the infection is very close to your brain and to your heart. That directly makes it easier for the bacteria to survive and travel throughout your blood system and attach themselves to those vital parts of your body, being the brain and your heart. If an infection takes place there, you need to go to a hospital immediately, and you will have to have lifesaving surgery. Or you can just visit your dentist and take care of the infection when it's just in your tooth.
What are the common treatment options for a tooth infection?
There are a few very common treatment options that dentists go to when a person has a tooth infection. Depending on the severity of the infected tooth, most likely it should be savable. Nowadays, dentists do their very best to keep the teeth that you have intact. If we can get by with just a root canal, we will do that. A root canal is when we go into your tooth and remove the infected nerve and pulp.
The other option is that we extract the tooth. Nowadays, dentists again really do their best to save the teeth that you have. Extractions are often a last resort. We will always try to save your tooth first, meaning we will probably try to do a root canal first.
Are antibiotics enough to treat an infected tooth?
Most patients with infected teeth will get antibiotics. Often, or at least here at Sea Summit Dentistry, we will treat the infected tooth first, then you will be prescribed antibiotics. Antibiotics alone are not enough to fix and treat your infected tooth. The antibiotics are just treating the symptoms in the meantime for you to get the necessary dental treatment done. They will not fix your infected tooth.
When should you seek emergency care for a tooth infection?
If you know that you have an infected tooth and you are now experiencing swelling on your face, neck, or jaw, that is very serious. You need to either go to urgent care or to a dentist to see if they can extract it immediately. If no dentists are open, you must call 911 or get yourself to a hospital right away. That is life-threatening.
Will dental insurance cover treatment for a tooth infection?
If you have dental insurance, yes, your insurance will cover most, if not all, of your root canal, extraction, or other necessary treatments that you may need here at Sea Summit Dentistry. If you have dental insurance, yes, you should be covered.
At Sea Summit Dentistry, You are the Priority
Tooth infections are a very serious dental condition that should never, ever be ignored. Recognizing the causes and symptoms early on can make a significant difference in preventing further pain and health complications. At Sea Summit Dentistry, our team is here to help you every step of the way.
If you’re looking for dental care you can trust, call us at (949) 787-3378 or email [email protected]. Here at Sea Summit Dentistry, our office is designed to fit your schedule.