Can a cracked tooth lead to infection?

Infection: A cracked tooth that is left untreated for a duration of time can result in a pulp infection. This requires immediate treatment, as infection can spread to the gums and bone. Besides swelling, you may notice fever, increased pain, tender glands, and bad breath.

What happens if a cracked tooth goes untreated?

Leaving a cracked tooth untreated can cause the pulp and other tissues inside to get infected. Once this happens, the chance of losing the tooth increases. Do know that the sooner proper measures are performed, the more chances of preventing the further progression of the crack, alleviating pain, and saving the tooth.

How do I know if my cracked tooth is infected?

Can you get a bacterial infection from a broken tooth?

Abscesses can occur in different places around the tooth, and sometimes may affect the surrounding bone and adjacent teeth. Severe tooth decay, broken, chipped or cracked teeth, gum disease, and tooth injury can all create opportunities for bacteria to get into a tooth and cause infection.

What can be done for a cracked tooth?

Your dentist can place a new filling or crown over the damaged tooth to protect it. If you've cracked a tooth and breathing through your mouth or drinking cold fluids is painful, bite on clean, moist gauze or cloth to help relieve symptoms until reaching your dentist's office.

Understanding Cracked Tooth Treatment and Symptoms

How long can you go with a cracked tooth?

Ideally, patients should schedule a visit to have the cracked tooth treated within a few days after the crack occurs and no more than two weeks after the incident. If symptoms begin to worsen, an emergency visit to the dentist for immediate care is most likely necessary.

Is a cracked tooth an emergency?

A broken tooth often warrants a visit to an emergency dental office. In fact, tooth fractures are one of the most common dental emergencies.

Can a cracked tooth cause sepsis?

It's possible for a tooth infection to lead to serious or potentially life-threatening complications. Some examples include sepsis, Ludwig's angina, and cavernous sinus thrombosis. If a tooth infection goes untreated, it can spread to other areas of the body over a period of weeks or months.

How do I know if my tooth infection has spread to my jaw?

You're experiencing swelling of your jaw, face, and surrounding lymph nodes. You may also have jaw pain from the swelling. Your gum is swollen and filled with pus. The raised swelling may look similar to a pimple around your infected tooth.

What health problems can a broken tooth cause?

Complications of a crack include easier entry of bacteria to the pulp of the tooth and under the gum, causing decay and even infection. Additionally, a cracked tooth that is left alone may eventually break, leading to the need for an extraction.

How serious is a cracked molar?

Is A Cracked Molar an Emergency? Although cracked molars may not feel like an emergency if you're not in pain, they require urgent treatment. Any cracked tooth has the potential to become an emergency at a moment's notice.

Does a cracked tooth need a root canal?

The most common cause of front-tooth fracture is trauma or physical injury. For fractures where the tooth pulp is not affected, a root canal will not be necessary, except if patients show signs of pulpitis (pulp infection). If the pulp gets exposed due to breakage, a root canal will certainly be necessary.

Is it OK to leave a broken tooth in your mouth?

Even if your broken tooth doesn't hurt, you shouldn't leave it untreated. There could be many more severe underlying issues that you are at increased risk of. One of the most alarming possible side effects of a broken tooth is that food detritus can get trapped inside, leading to bad infections.

Can you live with cracked tooth?

Sure, you can probably live with a cracked tooth. There may be minimal pain and it might not even show when you smile-but there are many dangers to living with a fractured tooth that could affect your oral health for years to come. A tooth can crack/fracture when there is a weak spot or trauma to the tooth.

Can you ignore a fractured tooth?

When your tooth gets cracked as far as the pulp, you'll feel a shock of pain right away, since your nerves are exposed. Even if your tooth only cracks a little bit, it can be dangerous to ignore, since you use your teeth every day, which will eventually cause the crack to deepen and widen.

Which tooth is connected to the heart?

Wisdom teeth, on the other hand, connect to the central nervous system, heart, liver, and intestines. They can also signal high blood pressure, eczema, headache, liver disease, pain in the extremities, and cardiovascular disease.

How do you know if you have a bacterial infection in your mouth?

What does a tooth infection feel like?

If pain, swelling, and tenderness in your jaw, face, or cheek worsens or is severe, or you have a fever, these are signs that the tooth infection may be spreading. If these symptoms occur, you should seek emergency medical attention as soon as possible.

What are the early warning signs of sepsis?

What happens when a tooth infection gets in your bloodstream?

Sepsis is a serious medical condition that occurs when the immune system severely overreacts to an infection in the blood. Untreated sepsis can lead to septic shock. With septic shock, a person's blood pressure drops dangerously low, which can lead to organ failure and even death.

Should I brush a cracked tooth?

When you crack your tooth make sure to clean the area and keep sugar and decay-causing foods away from the tooth as much as possible. Do this by brushing your teeth, gently, after it has cracked. If it is too painful to brush, rinse your mouth with an antiseptic mouthwash.

Can a cracked tooth give you a headache?

If a tooth is cracked or chipped deeply enough, the nerves inside of the tooth may be affected. This can cause tooth pain and, subsequently, a headache. The tough enamel on the outside of the tooth usually prevents such damage.

Can a cracked tooth repair itself?

It is possible for a tooth to repair itself if the damage is minimal. For example, if a tooth with a crack on the outer level and a minimal fracture line that does not cause pain may repair itself over time. The healing process is known as remineralization and refers to the minerals in our mouths.

Why does my broken tooth not hurt?

For many people, pain drives them to the dental chair with a tooth injury. However, a cracked or chipped tooth doesn't always hurt. If the break in your tooth doesn't reach the pulp—the innermost part of the tooth which contains the tooth's nerve endings—it likely won't hurt.

Does a split tooth need to be extracted?

Teeth can chip or break in different ways. This often does not cause pain, but sometimes, removing them is necessary. Broken or chipped teeth can be the cause of infection or can cause cuts on the tongue. Teeth broken with nerve endings exposed can cause severe discomfort when exposed to air and cold or hot beverages.