Dental Infection | Tooth Pain

90% of all dental infections have zero pain associated! That is why dental pain is a poor indicator of overall oral health. If you are in need of professional dental care, give the team at LADD Dental Group a call today!

What is a Dental Infection:

Dental infections form at the dentition or its supporting structures and can spread to the surrounding teeth and tissue. Dental infections most commonly occur when bacteria breakdown the tooth pulp and spread to surrounding tissues. Dental infections can also affect the gums causing gingivitis, which can later cause periodontal disease. Symptoms of a dental infection (infected tooth) can include: tooth pain. throbbing pain in the jaw bone, ear or neck (typically on the same side as the tooth pain) and pain that worsens at night or when you lie down. A tooth infection or “tooth abscess” is a formation of pus and bacteria that gathers inside the tooth or gum. Without proper dental treatment, tooth infections can spread to other areas of the body, and this can lead to serious and life threatening complications. One of the most common dental infections are dental caries. Dental caries are the primary result of tooth decay. Widely known as the leading cause of tooth loss in children 12 and under, dental caries are caused by the bacteria known as “Streptococcus mutans". Oral medication like antibiotics of the penicillin class, such as penicillin and amoxicillin, are most commonly used to help treat dental and tooth infections. An antibiotic called metronidazole may be given for some types of bacterial infections. It's sometimes prescribed with penicillin in order to cover a larger variety of bacterial species. Antibiotics don't fight the decay or start the healing process, but it does stop the infection from increasing.

If you are currently struggling with tooth pain, give the team at LADD Dental Group a call today. We have been a family serving families since 1978!

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