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I’ve had a toothache for a couple of days, I wasn’t too worried about it and had a dental appointment scheduled for about a month from now. However, today I woke up with swelling on one side of my face. I know I need treatment, but is it urgent? If so, I’m not sure where I should go. Is facial swelling from a toothache something I go to a dentist for or should I go to the emergency room?
Luke
Dear Luke,
Facial swelling with a toothache is something you should take seriously. It means you not only have an infected tooth, but that your tooth infection has broken out of your tooth and is spreading.
How Do You Treat a Tooth Infection?
One thing people often misunderstand is that a tooth infection is treated differently than other types of infections. Because of that you cannot just take an antibiotic and get on with your life. With an infected tooth, a dentist has to physically remove the infected pulp.
How antibiotics help is simply by temporarily keeping the infection under control until you can get the infection permanently removed. Once the antibiotics run out, the infection will flare back up.
When Should You Go to the Emergency Room?
There are situations when facial swelling associated with a dental infection becomes a medical emergency rather than something that should wait for a dental appointment.
Seek emergency medical care if you develop symptoms such as:
- Difficulty breathing
- Difficulty swallowing
- Confusion, extreme weakness, or feeling seriously ill
Swelling that begins interfering with your airway is particularly dangerous. Don’t wait for a dental office to open or try to manage those symptoms at home.
If you are unsure whether your symptoms have reached the level of a medical emergency, err on the side of getting urgent medical attention.
The distinction between medical and dental emergency care has to do with urgency and outcome.
An emergency department can address potentially dangerous complications of infection. Medical professionals can evaluate problems involving your airway or severe swelling. They will get you out of danger. However, the underlying dental problem will still need to be treated by a dentist.
Think of the emergency room and emergency dentist as having different jobs. If your overall health or airway is in danger, the hospital comes first. Once you are medically stable, the dental source of the infection still needs attention, but only a dentist will do that.
There are two ways to get rid of the infected pulp: a root canal treatment or a tooth extraction.
Facial Swelling Is Your Signal to Act Now
A minor toothache can be tempting to watch for a few days. Once facial swelling develops, however, it’s time to seek professional care. People die from tooth infections every year in the United States, but only because they either don’t seek treatment or wait too long to get treatment.
Consider this a dental emergency. Think about how close your jaw is to your heart, lungs, and (going the other way) brain. You don’t want any infection spreading there.
This blog is brought to you by a judgment-free dentist in Baton Rouge, Dr. John Theriot.
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