Dental infections occur for many reasons. This article tries to explain the most common causes and remedies for these common maladies.
The No. 1 reason for dental infection is an untreated dental decay. The untreated decay can penetrate into the pulp (nerve) of the tooth and cause a serious infection resulting in throbbing pain and swelling of the gums and face. An untreated dental infection can spread to the surrounding tissues and can occasion result in death due impingement on the air tubes or spreading into brain. The recommended treatment is root canal therapy or extraction of the untreated tooth. Antibiotic treatment is also recommended in conjunction with the definitive treatment of root canal therapy or extraction.
The second most common cause of dental infections is due to untreated gum disease or periodontitis. Untreated gum disease will lead to pain, puffiness and swelling of the gums, bleeding, loss of the surrounding bone around the teeth, foul oral odor, and temporary loss of the tooth. The recommended treatment is scaling & root planning (deep cleaning), gum surgery and extraction of the untreated teeth.
The third common cause of the dental infections is a hard blow or trauma to the teeth which may or may not lead to tooth fracture. The traumatic event can lead to nerve gradually dying inside the tooth and overtime becoming infected. One of the early signs of a traumatized tooth is excessive sensitivity to cold and gradual changing of its color to grayish brown color. The recommended treatment is endodontic or root canal therapy.