The Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment of Tooth Infection

Everyone knows that it’s best to avoid tooth infections. These infections are painful and can cause your teeth to be extracted. What is worse is that it causes health complications in your body.

We all have germs in our mouths. The bacteria in our mouth cover our tongue, teeth, and other surfaces in the mouth. Luckily, having a healthy mouth will help protects against this infection. However, when you have a crack in your teeth, it may be true dental trauma, gum disease, or cavities; the bacteria find their way and cause trouble.

Tooth infections affect your tooth and cause infection in the gums and the root of your tooth. The pockets of infection in the gums or the root of your tooth are called abscesses. Read on to learn more about tooth infections, their causes, symptoms, and treatments.

Causes of Dental Infection

An opening in your mouth that can get bacteria in will cause a tooth infection. The causes include:

Severe tooth decay:

Tooth decay or a cavity happens when the hard surfaces of your tooth are destroyed. This occurs when bacteria in your mouth break down sugars in drinks and food and create acid, which attacks your enamel.

Chipped, broken, or cracked teeth:

Bacteria in the mouth might seep into an opening found in your table and spread to the tooth’s pulp.

Having tooth injury:

Trauma to your tooth might injure the pulp of your tooth even though the crack is not visible. The damage makes it prone to infection.

Periodontitis or gum disease:

Gum disease is an inflammation and infection of the tissues surrounding your teeth. As it progresses, the bacteria gain access to the deeper tissues.

Symptoms of a Tooth Infection

If you have an infected tooth, the pain may be:

• Shooting or sharp
• Radiating to the neck, jawbone, or ear
• Throbbing or gnawing
• Occurs only when chewing or continuous

Other symptoms of dental infection include

• Having foul-smelling breath
• Experiencing a sensitivity to the teeth when you take cold or hot beverages
• Having a loosened tooth
• Experiencing a bitter taste in your mouth
• Having so swollen area in the lower and upper jaw
• When you have an open and draining so on the side of your gum

Also, you might experience some generalized symptoms, such as

• Having swollen neck glands
• Experiencing general discomforts, ill-feeling, or uneasiness
• Having fever

If you experience any of these infections, seek treatment for dental infections in Toronto, ON, today.

Types of Dental Infection

Three types of dental infection cause abscesses they include:

Gingival:

This type of infection develops in your gums. It doesn’t normally affect the supporting structures of your tooth or the tooth itself.

Periapical:

This type of infection occurs at the tip of your tooth root. This happens when bacteria spreads inside the pulp through a cavity or a fracture.

Periodontal:

This infection starts in tissues and bones that support your tooth. It usually results from gum disease and is more common in adults than children.

Dental Infection Treatment

The goal of our dentists near you at Toronto East Maxillofacial Surgery is to eliminate dental infection and prevent further complications. The treatment options include

Drainage and incision:

Our surgeon in Toronto, ON, will make a small cut in the pocket of infection to drain the pus. The dentist might place small rubber on the open area to help drainage.

Root canal:

This procedure helps cure the infection while saving your tooth. During the procedure, your dentist removes the infected pulp of the tooth, filling the space with the material to help prevent another infection. The pulp of your tooth is important when the team is growing, but once they are mature, they can survive without it.

After the root canal procedure, you are told they will be back to normal. However, you might need a dental crown to protect the root canal. If you take good care of the restored tooth, it will last a lifetime.

Tooth extraction:

Sometimes dentists are unable to save your tooth and may need to extract or pull the tooth to allow the past to drain from the pockets.

Antibiotics:

If your infection is limited to the abscessed area, you might not require antibiotics, but your dentist might recommend you take them to help with your dental treatment. It’s essential to know that even though antibiotics will help fight off the remaining bacteria, they won’t eliminate the cause of the tooth infection.