Can a Tooth Infection Spread to the Jaw?
An infected tooth is also called a tooth abscess and is characterized by a pocket of pus inside a tooth. The abscess is located in the root of the tooth and usually forms because of a dental cavity that remains untreated, though dental abscesses also arise due to injury or infection from a previous dental procedure. A dental abscess is treated by draining the infection from the tooth. If needed, a root canal procedure can remove additional infected material from inside the tooth and treat the interior of the tooth to prevent future infection, though in some cases, the tooth cannot be saved and will need to be removed. Infected teeth can be very painful, which is one good reason to seek treatment promptly, but another reason is that leaving an abscessed tooth untreated could lead to complications that could be serious and may even be fatal.
The symptoms of a dental abscess often include an intense, incessant, insistent toothache that may radiate pain to the jaw, the neck, or the ear and may also cause the lymph nodes in the neck and beneath the jaw to swell and feel tender. Symptoms may also include fever, sensitivity to extreme temperatures or pressure, difficulty swallowing or breathing, and an awareness of the presence of pus in the oral cavity. If a dental abscess ruptures, this causes a flood of salty, foul liquid to rush into the mouth and will generate a feeling of relief of pressure and pain as the infection drains. If you suspect that you might have a dental abscess, see your dentist right away. If your symptoms include swelling in your face and fever and you don’t have immediate access to your dentist, go to the emergency room, and make sure to go to the emergency room if you have difficulty swallowing or breathing, as these symptoms may mean that the infection has spread.
When bacteria enter a tooth through a cavity, a chip, or a trauma site, the bacteria can spread down into the root of the tooth and cause the tip of the root to become inflamed. The pressure of the infected tooth root inside the jawbone can cause throbbing, consistent pain in the jaw and in the face. The most common cause of dental abscess is poor dental and oral hygiene, which increases the risk of tooth decay, gum disease, dental abscess, and other conditions. Eating a diet very high in sugar and refined carbohydrates can also contribute to dental cavities that develop into dental abscesses, and having a dry mouth also increases the likelihood of tooth decay and dental abscess.
No dental abscess will heal on its own, even though abscesses might rupture and the pain may diminish. When infection remains in the body, however, it can spread into the jaw, the head, and other areas of the neck, where it may develop into sepsis, which is a potentially fatal condition that attacks all the body’s systems. People with weakened immune systems face an increased risk of developing complications from untreated dental abscess, and all patients require prompt dental attention to treat dental abscess and prevent it from leading to greater complications.