Can a Tooth Infection Spread to Jaw?
A tooth infection, also called a tooth abscess, is caused by a bacterial infection and appears as a chamber of pus inside of a tooth. Abscesses can form in different parts of the teeth, but the most common tooth abscess is an infection in the tip of the root of a tooth. This type of abscess is called a periapical abscess, and these abscesses are most often caused by a dental cavity that has remained untreated for a prolonged period of time. Periapical abscesses can also arise due to injury or complications from previous dental treatments. The treatment goal for periapical abscess treatment is to remove the infection from the tooth, and the first line of treatment is to try to drain the abscess to remove infection while concurrently treating possible systemic infection with oral antibiotics. If the infection cannot be drained, the tooth may need to be extracted. If a periapical tooth infection is left untreated in the jaw, this can cause dangerous complications that could even be life-threatening.
If a tooth abscess remains untreated and ruptures, the pain that accompanies a tooth abscess will probably subside significantly and you may think you don’t need to see your dentist since it no longer hurts. This is actually a potentially dangerous sign, as it could indicate that the infection that was once held within the tooth has now entered the tissues surrounding the tooth. If the infection is allowed to spread into the jaw, the neck, and the head, this could cause serious health complications. When infection proliferates, this can lead to sepsis, and without prompt treatment, sepsis can lead to organ failure and death. The risk of infection spreading from an untreated tooth abscess increases for patients with compromised immune systems.
The best way to prevent the spread of infection and the complications it causes is to treat tooth abscesses as soon as possible. If you have a throbbing, relentless, painful toothache, especially if your toothache radiates to adjacent areas like the jaw or neck, you may have an abscessed tooth. Infected teeth can be extremely sensitive to dramatic temperature shifts or to the demands of chewing and eating. An abscessed tooth can cause the cheek or face near the tooth to appear swollen, and it can cause the lymph nodes in the neck to feel tender and inflamed; an abscessed tooth can even cause a fever or difficulty breathing or swallowing. When there is pus leaking from the tooth into the mouth, this causes a bad taste and foul odor in the mouth, and when an abscess ruptures, there is a rush of this infected, foul fluid into the mouth and a feeling of release from pain.
If you have any signs that you might have a tooth abscess, see your dentist right away. If you notice swelling in your face and you have a fever, go to the emergency room if you can’t see your dentist immediately. If you notice that you’re having trouble breathing or swallowing, go to the emergency room regardless of whether the dentist is available; these symptoms can mean that the infection in your tooth has spread into the jaw and may have even begun to spread to other parts of your body, and prompt medical attention is necessary. Many tooth abscesses happen because of untreated dental cavities, so see your dentist regularly as part of your oral hygiene routine, and brush and floss regularly to help keep cavities from forming in the first place.