How to Control and Prevent Tooth Infection

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Tooth Infection is a slow and gradual process resulting in dental cavities or dental caries. This tooth decay occurs when disease causing bacteria produce an acid which removes the top most layer of the tooth surface, the enamel. This infection can go deeper in to the pulp chamber and results in tooth loss or it may even cause infections to wisdom tooth.

Tooth infection can be easily prevented by brushing the teeth properly and flossing regularly, and by consulting a dentist or dental professional, also by avoiding taking foods that are very high in sugar

Tooth infection can cause the bacteria in the mouth to enter the blood circulation, in to the blood stream to infect the heart valve, causing bacterial endocarditic, and it mostly occurs in people who had rheumatic heart disease, when they were young. This condition affects and weakens the heart valves, making them susceptible to infection. And those who have artificial heart valves or pacemakers are even more prone to infection originating from tooth decay or infection in the mouth.

Causes of Tooth Infection

A tooth infection usually starts from a normal tooth decay or cavity, and as the cavity deepens the bacteria enters the pulp tissue causing infection within the tooth. These bacteria that have entered the pulp chamber cause destruction of blood vessels and nerve tissue within the pulp; it causes liquefaction of the dead tissue. This mixture of living bacteria and rotten tissue, leaks out of the end of the tooth. The dead tissue irritates the surrounding alveolar bone and the supporting structures, making the tooth mobile. Fortunately, with a healthy immune system, the body fights back. However, if the infection is long term or chronic then the symptoms gradually appear.

Tooth decay is caused by bacteria, when it comes in contact with food particles on the tooth surface. Plaque, a transparent layer formed on the tooth few hours after brushing, contains disease causing bacteria which feeds on the food you eat with high sugar content which in turn creates acid that destroy the teeth. Few minutes after eating this acid will start attacking the teeth and over a period of time acid will completely destroy the tooth enamel, resulting in tooth decay. Any dental infection can cause serious problems and should be addressed as soon as possible.

Types of Tooth Infections

A tooth infection can be very painful. And there are several types of dental infections depending upon the area of invasion.

The first type is an infection inside your tooth, in the living pulp tissue. This comes from tooth decay or severe irritation resulting from chronic infection. Inside your tooth, the natural defense mechanism breaks down because the blood vessel which transports antibodies and white blood cells gets destroyed. Therefore, when your tooth becomes infected, it will not recover, and the pulp tissue will die. The treatment for this condition is a root canal treatment. With a root canal treatment, the soft tissue inside your tooth is removed and replaced with a sealant material that keeps infection from seeping back into the tooth.

There is a second type of tooth infection which occurs in the bone surrounding the tooth. A tooth abscess may or may not be painful; it is formed near the root of the tooth. When bacteria are in the bone, your body can fight them with antibodies and white blood cells. The problem is that there is a constant supply of new bacteria to the region from the dead tissue inside your tooth. Your body may or may not be successful in walling off the infected area, so an abscess can go on for years without hurting. But the risk of damage is great. The abscess can grow and spread to surrounding roots of other teeth, and it can even cause the root of your tooth to be gradually dissolved. Treatment, again, would be a root canal procedure, followed by deep gingival curettage or abscess drainage.

A subdivision of this type would be a wisdom tooth infection, which occurs in the surrounding gum and is treated with a tooth extraction.

Signs and Symptoms of Tooth Infection

One of the first signs that a tooth infection is out of control is the presence of pus. Pus is a thick yellowish white material made up of living and dead bacteria, white blood cells, and dead tissue. Pus can cause a foul taste and foul smell.

When you chew something you feel pain, the teeth move when you chew food. You can have bad breath or sever halitosis. Fever can be possible in this disease. You may feel bitter taste of the mouth.

Most infections cause dental pain but many remain silent and painless for years. You can have this tooth problem without feeling the dental abscess and without a toothache. This why, it is important to see a dentist regularly.

Tooth Infection Control

1. Look for swelling of the gums or cheeks as an early sign of infection. Some discoloration may be present as well.
2. Rinse the mouth three or four times daily with a mixture of 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 liter warm water.
3. Apply cold packs to the cheek to minimize the pain.
4. Administer oral antibiotics immediately if evacuation is delayed. Consult your physician for antibiotics used for tooth infections.
5. Evacuate immediately to a dentist or physician.

Tooth Infection Diagnosis

Tooth infection diagnosis can be done by your dentist by various ways.

• By taking X rays of the infected teeth
• Using small mirror and periodontal probe to examining your teeth
• By asking your past medical and dental problems.

Treatment of Tooth Infection

To eliminate tooth infection, treatment is necessary. Antibiotics are helpful to get rid of infection. Do not place aspirin directly over the tooth; it increases the irritation, which can cause of mouth ulcer or aspirin burn. However, antibiotics kill the invading bacteria but don’t go inside the dead tooth so the open canals provide a safe area for the bacteria to hide.

A dental antibiotic cannot cure a tooth infection because of this. Many bacteria are resistance to antibiotics which makes even small dental infections turn out to be more serious infection.

Root canal treatment should always be accompanied by antibiotic administration to cure the infection completely. In this therapy the infected tissue in the central part of the tooth pulp is removed and replaced by a root canal filling material. This filling material seals the teeth and prevents further damage to the teeth as well as the surrounding structures like the bone.

Prevention of Tooth Infection

To prevent continued infection, the area is then sealed. Sometimes Surgery is needed to remove the infected material from the bony tissue around the root. Sometimes the root canal therapy is not successful in that case the tooth usually has to be extracted. Antibiotics and analgesics can help only for temporarily relief .It is not possible that tooth infection can be permanently treated without root canal therapy or the removal of the tooth.