Is My Tooth Infected?

Your tooth may be infected if you’ve been experiencing sudden symptoms like tooth sensitivity to heat and cold. Regardless of the actual diagnosis, it’s vital that you call our office as soon as possible to schedule an emergency appointment. Dr. Habecker will be able to diagnose and treat the source of your pain, protecting your long-term oral health.

Here are the signs your tooth could be infected. We’ll also explain why teeth can get infected in the first place.

Signs Your Tooth is Infected

An abscessed tooth is more than painful—it’s a dental emergency. In fact, your teeth may be throbbing and keeping you awake. We always recommend our patients come to us before they’re in unbearable pain. That way, we’re able to catch issues when they’re small and at their most treatable.

Signs you have an infected tooth include:

• Severe toothache
• Sensitivity to hot and cold foods
• Difficulty swallowing
• Pain when biting down
• Fever
• Swollen, tender lymph nodes in the neck or jaw
• Swollen face or cheeks

Recognize any of the above symptoms? If so, schedule an appointment with our dentist. The longer you ignore an abscessed tooth, the more you jeopardize your health. Call our office today to request emergency dental care.

Don’t think that the abscess is gone if the pain subsides. While you can manage some of the pain from home, our dentist will need to remove the infected dental pulp. He’ll then have to reseal the tooth and cover it with a crown. If our dentist can’t salvage the tooth, he’ll extract it before the infection spreads to your jaw.

What Causes a Tooth Infection?

A tooth infection (also called an abscess) is a pocket of pus trapped within your tooth. If left untreated, the infection will spread to the tips of your tooth roots. At this point, your only option would be an emergency root canal or extraction.

You have a higher risk for an abscessed tooth if you neglect oral hygiene. Once a cavity is deep enough to penetrate the inner chamber of your tooth, you’ll develop an abscess. This means that the live tissue (pulp) inside your tooth is infected.

Will an Abscessed Tooth Go Away On Its Own?

No, a tooth infection will not go away on its own. Instead, it’ll only get worse until the abscess bursts. When this happens, the infection will spread to your jawbone, as well as the rest of your head and neck. You may even develop sepsis, which is life-threatening.

Do NOT ignore the symptoms of a tooth infection! If you suspect you have an abscessed tooth, you’ll need to call our dentist as soon as possible. The sooner you call, the more likely we’ll be able to save your tooth. For example, our dentist may be able to treat a small abscess with a root canal. Otherwise, you’ll need an emergency tooth extraction.

Request an Appointment with Dr. Habecker

If your tooth is infected, don’t panic. Our dentist in Holland, MI, can save your tooth if the abscess is caught early. To request an appointment with Dr. Habecker, call Macatawa Smiles at (616) 396-7524.

This blog post has been updated.