Dental infections usually occur due to broken teeth, trauma, or cavities that, when neglected, become large. An advanced cavity or tooth breakage destroys the tooth enamel and dentin, and can spread to the dental pulp, better known as the tooth canal. From that moment on, bacterial contamination occurs in the space previously occupied by dental pulp tissue. At this initial moment, inflammation of the pulp tissue begins to occur.
As this process progresses, the tissue inside the tooth eventually dies, a condition known as pulp necrosis. Once this happens, infection develops inside the tooth. The bacteria begin to spread through the root canals and can eventually reach the tip of the root, causing what is called apical periodontitis. This is the body’s natural response to the bacterial invasion. Essentially, your immune system sends an “army” of defense cells to the area around the root to try to stop the infection from spreading to other tissues and organs.
However, if the bacteria inside the canal manage to break past the root and move into the surrounding tissues, they win that battle. When this happens, a periodontal abscess can form, which often leads to the buildup of pus and the formation of a fistula, or small drainage tract.
The signs and symptoms of an abscess can be:
- In a silent way, where it does not show painful symptoms.
- Moderate pain or severe, throbbing pain.
- Swelling of the gums or face.
- Pain when biting or chewing.
- Dental mobility.
- Fever.
- Tender or swollen lymph nodes in the neck under the jaw.
- Bad taste in the mouth, due to the rupture of the abscess.
If you break a tooth, you should immediately seek professional help from your dentist, who will carry out a clinical and radiographic evaluation in order to arrive at a diagnosis and carry out the appropriate treatment for the situation.
To get rid of the infection in your tooth, the dentist may need to remove the tooth if it can’t be saved. If the tooth can still be preserved, the dentist may recommend a root canal. A root canal is done to keep the tooth in your mouth even after it has been damaged by severe decay, trauma, or infection. During the procedure, the dentist removes the infected tissue from inside the tooth’s canals, carefully cleans and disinfects the area, and then seals it to prevent the infection from coming back.
Antibiotics should be administered during the abscess phase to delay or reduce local infection. Since there are bacteria outside the tooth canal and this is a very vascularized region, the antibiotic becomes of great value. Another procedure can also help to shorten the infectious process, which is the drainage of the abscess, where the pus is removed from the site.
Dental infections, in addition to being often painful, when left untreated, can enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body, causing problems such as bacterial endocarditis, for example. Because of this, it is very important that you get seen by a dentist if you break a tooth. Make periodic appointments with your dentist and maintain correct oral hygiene.
Remember, prevention is the best medicine. Make sure you are maintaining proper oral hygiene and also that you are regularly seeing your dentist at least twice a year for proper deep cleaning and X-rays, which can catch breaks in teeth that you might not yet be able to see and feel. Contact us today to schedule an exam!
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