Sometimes, you might feel a tooth twinge, ignore it because you have a tight schedule, and assume it will go away on its own. Unfortunately, it will not. Tooth infections spread quietly before they start to hurt or other symptoms appear. This blog discusses the different signs of tooth infection you should not ignore. Seeking immediate dental care can prevent further complications, including tooth loss.

Dental Abscess

A dental abscess is a pocket of pus. Bacterial infections cause the abscesses. Once bacteria enter your body, the immune system will send white blood cells to fight the infection, which can cause nearby tissues to die and lead to inflammation. When this occurs, a pocket forms and fills with pus, creating a dental abscess.

There are different categories of tooth abscesses, including the following:

  • Gingival abscess—It develops in the gums and does not impact the teeth.
  • Periapical abscess—The infection forms at the tip of your tooth's root. It happens due to cavities or dental injuries.
  • Periodontal abscess—It affects the tissue and bones supporting your teeth. It happens due to gum disease or periodontitis.

A tooth infection can develop if you have a deep tooth cavity, a crack in your tooth, or gum disease where bacteria can enter. On the other hand, a dental abscess can happen when your untreated tooth infection spreads into your tooth's root.

A dental abscess might cause the following symptoms:

  • Severe headache
  • Tooth sensitivity
  • Challenges opening the mouth
  • Fever
  • Difficulty swallowing

There are some indicators to know when a dental abscess is an emergency, including the following:

  • Excruciating pain that does not disappear even after taking painkillers
  • Pus forming around your teeth and the surrounding areas
  • Bleeding teeth
  • Inflammation and sewing around your tooth
  • Tooth dysfunction

Every patient experiences at least one of the above symptoms when suffering from a dental abscess. It is wise to consult your dentist immediately if these symptoms have manifested. Ignoring them can endanger your tooth, including resulting in tooth loss.

Tooth Sensitivity

Also called "dentin hypersensitivity," teeth sensitivity occurs when the enamel (outer teeth layer) erodes, exposing the dentin underneath. Exposed dentin can make drinking or eating sour, sweet, cold, or hot drinks and foods painful.

The dentin has small tubes that lead to the tooth center, where your nerves reside. The tubes allow sugar and temperature changes to reach the nerves, causing pain.

Sometimes, tooth sensitivity disappears on its own, especially after a visit to the dentist. However, if you experience any of the following signs, you should consult your dentist immediately.

  • You experience persistent symptoms.
  • If your symptoms are worsening, it may indicate that the infection is worsening and that you require immediate medical attention.
  • Bleeding gums—Your gums can bleed due to a minor irritation. However, bleeding gums accompanied by tooth sensitivity can indicate a severe issue.
  • Swelling — Teeth sensitivity accompanied by gum tenderness or swelling is an indicator that you should schedule a dental appointment immediately. Gum inflammation could mean that an infection is spreading to your jawbone or tooth root.
  • You have chronic bad breath.
  • The signs are spreading—Typically, tooth sensitivity affects one tooth, especially if it relates to a cracked tooth or dental cavity. If the sensitivity is spreading to surrounding teeth, it implies that your teeth have an infection that is worsening.

Tooth Discoloration

Some tooth strains are not strains. If your tooth is infected and the infection is spreading, it might gradually darken or show color changes that can be challenging to fix with teeth whitening. Internal discoloration occurs when something impacts the inside of your tooth.

When your inner tooth part, where blood vessels and nerves reside, begins to break down, it sends dark pigments into your tooth enamel. That is why your tooth might begin to turn slightly blue, brown, or gray, indicating deeper tooth damage. If your nerves start to die, it might not be painful immediately, making it easy to miss the symptom. However, you should not ignore the color change.

If only one tooth is discoloring, it is beyond tea or coffee stains. Surface stains impact many teeth. Therefore, when one tooth turns color, it could indicate an undetected problem in the tooth root, like an infection. This form of tooth discoloration can occur gradually. The light gray patch you are seeing today can darken with time. While the tooth might be painless, you should not ignore color variation in a single tooth; it is your body's silent way of telling you something is wrong.

You Have Difficulty Swallowing

Esophagitis is irritation and swelling of the esophagus, a tube that connects the back of the throat to the stomach and permits swallowing. Yeast, viruses, bacteria, and fungi can cause infectious esophagitis.

You should consult your dentist if you have concerns about your medication. Additionally, you should consult your dentist immediately if you experience any of the following:

  • Increased challenges with swallowing
  • Pain when swallowing
  • Challenges breathing or chest pain
  • Chills or fever

Experiencing Pain When Chewing, Applying Pressure, or Biting Down

If chewing or biting down causes sharp pain in a given tooth, your tooth root or nearby tissues might be infected. The pain might persist after releasing the pressure, or your tooth might feel different from your nearby teeth or feel raised.

Seeking medical attention immediately can help you preserve your natural teeth and prevent further oral health complications. Your dentist will review your symptoms and, if necessary, perform diagnostic tests before recommending the most effective treatment plan.

Most patients notice color variations and assume it is staining. Although some stains come from what you eat, smoke, and drink, they are different from discoloration caused by an infection. A surface stain is brown or yellow and responds to tooth brushing, whereas internal tooth discoloration is deep brown, black, or gray and remains even after extensive toothbrushing.

Persistent Tooth Pain

A toothache is the pain around or in your tooth. Toothaches caused by infection are severe and require professional dental care because they do not resolve on their own.

Severe toothache accompanied by chills and fever is a medical emergency. Consult your dentist or visit your local emergency health facility immediately.

The dentist will determine the most effective option based on the seriousness of your oral health condition. Common treatment options include the following:

  • Medication, including painkillers and antibiotics— Even when the infection disappears after taking your medication, it will return if you fail to treat the underlying issue.
  • Tooth fillings
  • Tooth extraction—If the infection has severely damaged your tooth, your dentist might recommend tooth extraction (removing the tooth and cleaning the infection).
  • Root canal treatment—If bacteria have invaded the tooth pulp, your dentist might recommend root canal therapy. The dentist will remove the inflamed connective tissues, blood vessels, and nerves from the tooth. They will then clean the tooth, fill the root canal, and the pulp chamber with a filling material.

Swelling in Your Gums or Face

You should not ignore swelling. Typically, when your cheeks or gums look puffier than usual or feel tender or warm, it suggests the infection may be spreading quickly.

Sometimes it might look like half your cheek is larger than the other side, while at other times it is a tiny bump near the affected tooth. In both scenarios, the swelling is your body telling you that something is wrong.

Once you notice the swelling, seek emergency medical attention, especially if it is accompanied by pain. The facial swelling could worsen quickly.

You Feel Fatigued and Have a Fever

Feeling tired and having a fever could mean your tooth has an infection, and it could catch you off guard. You will feel sick because your immune system is overworking.

The chills, a rundown, achy feeling, or fever indicate the infection is not staying put. The body is reacting to bacteria in your tooth, which are spreading to nearby tissues. If you are experiencing a toothache and suddenly feel warm or tired, consult your dentist immediately. Fever is the body's warning to you, and you should not ignore it.

Strange Taste in Your Mouth

When flossing, mouthwash, or brushing fails to eliminate the foul taste or sour smell in your mouth, it may indicate an infection in your tooth. The infection will have a metallic, salty, unpleasant taste and a bad smell.

Masking the smell with rinses or mints will not address the issue, as the taste is a sign, not the underlying problem. You should contact your dentist immediately.

You Suffer from Halitosis (Bad Breath)

Everyone experiences bad breath, especially after eating something smelly, like onions and garlic. However, if you have chronic bad breath, it could be an indication of an oral health issue, including tooth infection.

Your dentist will conduct a comprehensive dental checkup of your gums, tongue, and teeth to check whether you have an underlying issue. They will ask you to breathe through your mouth and then your nose so they can determine the source of the odor.

If the root cause is infections, they will recommend the best treatment option based on your oral health condition. If the bad breath is due to something unrelated to your gums or teeth, the dentist will refer you to the relevant medical practitioner.

Challenges Opening the Mouth

If you experience pain when opening your mouth wide, it means something deeper is wrong. The infection is causing pressure on your jawbone and its surrounding tissues, making it difficult to open your mouth normally. The condition is called trismus.

Other symptoms include the following:

  • Tight jaw muscles that make you feel as if you have cramps in the jaw
  • Jaw pain whenever you open your jaw, and even when you are not
  • Challenges opening the mouth wide enough for practicing daily oral hygiene habits

Your dentist will diagnose the condition by inquiring about your symptoms and examining your neck and jaw. They will utilize the three-finger test to determine how wide you can open your mouth. Sometimes, they can use imaging tests to determine the degree of tissue damage.

Your dentist will start by treating the root cause of the issue. In this case, they can recommend the most effective treatment plan, including extracting it or prescribing medication.

Swelling under Your Neck or Jaw

Swelling along the side of your neck or beneath your jawline indicates the infection is spreading beyond the tooth region into the deeper fascial spaces of your neck and head.

In severe cases, untreated infections can reach distant regions. Signs of heart infection due to tooth bacteria (infective endocarditis) include changes in heart murmur, fever, and fatigue. Signs of brain infections caused by tooth bacteria may include neck stiffness, severe headaches, and confusion.

The complications occur occasionally. The rationale for discussing them is not to make you worried but to emphasize the importance of seeking immediate dental treatment before the infections worsen.

You Become Dehydrated

Tooth infection can result in dehydration, especially if it hinders you from drinking adequate fluids. Dehydration can cause symptoms like confusion, dizziness, and fatigue. Infections use the water in your body as your immune system fights them, leaving you with a loss of energy and resources. If you are experiencing dehydration, drink plenty of fluids and seek medical attention if symptoms worsen.

Signs of Tooth Infection Following an Extraction

It is normal to experience minor swelling, slight oozing, and some discomfort after tooth extraction. Nevertheless, normal recovery differs from the progression of a dental infection.

Here are ways to know you have an infection after tooth extraction:

  • Pain that worsens after the first two days rather than improving
  • Foul-tasting discharge or pus from your extraction area
  • A bad taste in your mouth that does not disappear with tooth brushing
  • Swelling that becomes bigger
  • Developing fever days following the extraction
  • Radiating or throbbing pain in your jaw or ear

Symptoms of infection after extraction are tenderness when you touch the site and inflamed, red tissue around your socket. A dry, empty socket or grey gum tissues do not indicate an infection but rather a dry socket, which also requires professional dental care.

Most patients overlook the signs of gum infection after extraction, even after initial improvements. If your signs return after a while of improvement, it means bacteria have entered your recovery site.

Find a Competent Dentist Near Me

If you experience symptoms like tooth sensitivity, bleeding gums, an abscess, or fever, it could indicate you have an infected tooth. Do not ignore your infected tooth; it will not go away on its own, and your symptoms will worsen, leading to severe dental issues, including tooth loss. Northridge Advanced Dentistry can review your health condition and recommend a treatment plan that can help you alleviate your symptoms and treat the infected tooth. We can also strive to ensure you are relaxed and comfortable throughout your treatment. Please call us at 818-701-3010 to learn more about our emergency services and how we can help you.