Some of the common concerns that people have regarding dental abscess are as follows:
1. I have an abscessed tooth. What if I don’t get the RCT (Root Canal Treatment) done? Can it get life threatening?
Yes. However, the likelihood of the abscessed tooth causing life threatening infection depends on the location of the offending tooth. Any infection in the area between the upper lip and the eyes, including nose has the potential risk of spreading to the brain. This is called the “danger area of the face”. Abscess of the top front teeth (mainly central and lateral incisors & canines) can result in brain abscess and death. The next segment explains how the infection can spread.
2. Why do I need to get the bad teeth out? I’m scheduled for a major surgery in a few weeks.
If you have a constant source of infection in a specific area, you do run the risk of that infection spreading to the rest of the body. Many people do not realize that oral cavity is highly vascular and therefore, any infection of the oral cavity can very easily spread via bloodstream causing widespread bacteremia (presence of bacteria in the blood stream) and septicemia (widespread infection). Virulent organisms can lead to brain abscess, pyelonephritis (kidney condition), bacterial endocarditis (heart condition) that can become life-threatening. The Facial vein, which collects the blood from the oral structures drain eventually into the Cavernous Sinus of the brain. That is how a dental abscess can lead to brain abscess. When you have a surgery done, your body immunity gets compromised and you become vulnerable to all sorts of infection. So, you definitely need to take care of oral infections (i.e., get any abscessed tooth taken out or decayed teeth extracted or restored). Some surgeons will not even let you schedule the surgery until you get a dental clearance.
3. Why didn’t my dentist put me on antibiotic in the first place?
If you do not have any systemic condition like Diabetes Mellitus or any other immunosuppressive condition, it is not recommended that you be prescribed antibiotic. No physician will over-medicate you as a routine. You will be prescribed an antibiotic only if the presence of an infection has been determined and/or if you have some medical conditions, as discussed above.
4. Every time that I get an abscess I go in for emergency care, get a prescription for antibiotic and it stays fine for a few months. So, why not keep on taking antibiotic the rest of my life?
When you take antibiotic for an infection, it is targeted at destroying the causative organisms. These organisms have the capability of mutating and creating a slightly different strain. So, every time the organisms become a little bit resistant to the antibiotic. Therefore, after a while you will end up needing a stronger antibiotic. Eventually, the mutated strain can become so resistant that you may not have any suitable antibiotic left for you to resort to.
Note :
a)It has been a challenge to find a cure for AIDS because of the same reason. HIV has tremendous capability of mutating.
b)When taking antibiotic, make sure you take the recommended full course. If not, the likelihood is high that the same antibiotic will not work for you anymore.
Considering all the risks involved, it is a good idea to get evaluated by a dentist to get the condition treated. One more thing, when you have a dental abscess, do not apply heat, it will cause the infection to spread quickly.
