Even if your tooth extraction is simple and straightforward, there is a chance of complications. One of the more serious complications is tooth extraction infection, a painful condition that can lead to sepsis. Worldwide, sepsis is fatal in a third of the people who contract it, with survivors sometimes suffering lasting health issues that include PTSD and chronic pain. Don’t let it go that far. Here are eight signs of tooth extraction infection (and what to do about them!).

What types of tooth extraction infection can occur?

You may undergo a simple tooth extraction or a surgical tooth extraction.

In a simple extraction, your tooth is clear from other teeth and not anchored to the jawbone. Your dentist can extract and remove the tooth with dental pliers. They’ll perform this procedure when you’re under local anesthetic. Since it’s simpler, complications are rare.

A surgical extraction is much more complicated and can vary from patient to patient. Your dentist will need to cut into the gum, again under local anesthetic (and sometimes general anesthesia if needed).

Once the gum is opened, the tooth may have to be removed in sections from the top, or another incision may be necessary in the side of the gum. This allows your dentist access to the tooth’s roots for loosening and easier removal. After the tooth is extracted, your dentist will clean the extraction site and stitch it closed.

Tooth extraction is a very common procedure, but for both types of extraction, infection is a possibility.

Simple and surgical tooth extraction rely heavily on a post-procedure blood clot to protect the extraction site. This clot covers exposed bone and nerves and keeps bacteria out. If this blood clot is compromised, an infection may result.

Type of tooth extraction infections

There are three main types of tooth extraction infections.

  • Periodontal: This includes gum infection after extraction
  • Endodontic: An infection inside the tooth itself or in the jawbone
  • Other: The lips, palate, and tongue can become infected

In some cases, patients might also experience an ear infection after extraction. For very rare cases, a deep neck infection in the cervical vertebrae may occur after tooth extraction.

8 signs of a tooth extraction infection

Pain after tooth extraction is not uncommon but should be neither excessive nor long-lasting. This is often the very first sign of infection.

For all types of tooth extraction infection, the signs are similar in the beginning. Look for the following eight signs of infection:

  1. Foul breath
  2. Bitter or foul taste in the mouth
  3. Fever
  4. Pain that increases after extraction
  5. Extra tooth sensitivity (hot and cold temperature)
  6. Swollen gums
  7. Swollen glands of the neck
  8. Swelling in the jaw (that is visible)

Patients who develop an ear infection as a result of tooth extraction may also experience ear pain and dizziness. Other common symptoms include pain or pressure across the sinuses and a feeling of fullness in the head.

A deep neck infection may come with the same symptoms but must be diagnosed with an MRI.

There are a few symptoms that are serious enough to trigger an immediate trip to the emergency room). Fever and swelling in the jaw together, with or without difficulty breathing, means you may be experiencing potentially fatal sepsis (or are close to it). Call your emergency dentist, and if they are not available, go immediately to the closest emergency room.

Preventing an infection

The best infection after tooth extraction treatment is prevention. After your extraction, follow the dos and don’ts of tooth extraction aftercare and make sure to practice good oral hygiene as directed by your dentist.

Follow-up visits are important to make sure the blood clot is in place and your stitches are clean and healing.

What helps an infected tooth extraction?

If you do find yourself with an infection after extraction, you may receive some or all of the following treatments.

  • Antibiotics: Take the full course as directed by your doctor, even if you start feeling better.
  • Analgesic or topical dressing: For infected socket after tooth extraction, an analgesic dressing or other topical pain reliever can help ease pain. Some sufferers of dry sockets (this type of infection) swear by clove oil for pain relief, and many treatments include this as an active ingredient.
  • Over-the-counter medications: Many infections begin to respond immediately to antibiotics, but over-the-counter pain medications can help with pain and swelling. If you are experience excessive bleeding, your dentist may avoid blood-thinning ibuprofen and instead suggest acetaminophen or naproxen sodium.
  • Cold pack treatment: When managing the infection and the pain, cold pack treatments can be very soothing. Apply cold treatment (a cold pack, or even a bag of frozen peas) to the painful or swollen area for 15 minutes at a time.
  • Prescription pain medications: These are rarely the first line of defense but you may use them for a brief period of time if pain becomes severe and unmanageable.
  • Root canal: If the infection is in the dental pulp of a neighboring tooth, a root canal may be necessary to remove the infection.
  • Draining the infection: An infection can cause a build-up of pus. Your dentist will drain this and thoroughly clean and treat the area with a topical antibiotic.
  • Debridement: In extreme cases where the infection has moved to the jawbone, causing necrosis (death) of the bone, debridement is used. This procedure scrapes away the necrotized bone.

Get help

If your pain is extreme and your find yourself in need of an emergency dentist, give AZ Dentist a call. With offices across Phoenix and weekend hours, we are here when you need us for a tooth extraction infection.

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