Oral infections can be quite sneaky, seeming to suddenly appear in the mouth and cause problem after problem wherever they strike. When these infections penetrate the teeth, common nuisances such as pain, sensitivity, and inflammation are sure to follow. It is critical to receive treatment for tooth infections, not merely because of the discomfort that they cause but also due to the chance that the infections could spread to other parts of the body. Our team of expert root canal therapy specialists at Precision Endodontics knows how to halt these infections in their tracks, and we have prepared the videos below to answer in detail some of the most commonly asked questions about tooth infections.
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How Did My Tooth Get Infected?
Maybe you’re wondering why your tooth got infected in the first place. An oral infection happens because, one way or another, bacteria was able to get inside your tooth and cause infection. Either there’s a crack in your tooth or you’ve had trauma to your tooth. Cavities are caused by bacteria, which slowly work their way inside the tooth and start causing problems. Initially, the tooth will become inflamed, and you might have a toothache or experience sensitivity when you drink ice cold water or eat ice cream or other sweets. Then, the issue will progress from that point.
Will Antibiotics Take Care of a Tooth Infection?
Patients frequently come into our office for an appointment scheduled a few weeks earlier when they were given antibiotics by their dentist. When they present at our office, they’re no longer in pain, so they question us as to why they have to be here and ask if there is still a problem because the antibiotics seem to have fixed it. The problem with an oral infection is that the infection itself is really inside of the tooth, That means, in order to solve the problem, we have to actually go inside the tooth and fix it. Antibiotics really only mask the symptoms. If you don’t take care of it, the problem usually comes back even worse than it was the first time you experienced it.
Can an Oral Infection Cause an Infection in My Body?
One big question that comes up, especially online and with different holistic centers, concerns the focal infection theory which contemplates whether a tooth infection can cause infection in the whole body. It’s true that systems throughout our entire body are connected, and that dental, oral, and periodontal infections can affect other aspects of the body, including heart conditions and diabetes. Normally, if an oral infection is really just coming from a tooth, it is a localized infection. However, if left untreated, it can spread and become a more generalized infection. You certainly want such infections to be treated, and it’s an even better reason not to postpone any treatment that can help save your teeth and improve their health.
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