{"id":160,"date":"2023-08-24T22:46:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-24T22:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifetimedentalga.com\/blog\/?p=160"},"modified":"2023-08-24T22:46:00","modified_gmt":"2023-08-24T22:46:00","slug":"toothaches-can-lead-to-potentially-deadly-complications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifetimedentalga.com\/blog\/toothaches-can-lead-to-potentially-deadly-complications\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Ignoring a Toothache Be Fatal?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-161 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lifetimedentalga.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/toothache-300x227.jpg\" alt=\"Model of a severe toothache\" width=\"300\" height=\"227\" \/>Contrary to what many people think, an occasional toothache isn\u2019t normal. It\u2019s a symptom of an underlying problem that shouldn\u2019t be ignored. Although many factors contribute to dental pain, toothaches are often caused by an infection. If it isn\u2019t treated in a timely manner, losing your tooth will be the least of your concerns. If you wait too long to see an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifetimedentalga.com\/emergency-dentistry.html\">emergency dentist<\/a>, you can face life-threatening complications.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Toothache is a Dental Emergency<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">1 in 6 Americans experience a dental emergency annually. They don\u2019t always result from accidents or injuries. Often, an untreated dental problem is the culprit, which can cause a persistent toothache.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A small issue, like a cavity, can turn into a dental emergency if it isn\u2019t treated. Decay and bacteria can reach your pulp, which is the inner layer of your tooth. It can lead to a serious infection that can spread from your tooth to surrounding tissues. It can also enter your bloodstream and affect brain activity. It can increase your risk of a potentially deadly infection.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Signs You Have a Tooth Infection<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">An infected tooth can cause many symptoms, including:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Throbbing discomfort<\/li>\n<li>Pain when placing pressure on the tooth<\/li>\n<li>Sensitivity to hot or cold foods and drinks<\/li>\n<li>Bad taste in your mouth<\/li>\n<li>Chronic bad breath<\/li>\n<li>Fever<\/li>\n<li>Swelling in the throat, face, or gums<\/li>\n<li>Pimple-like bump near a tooth<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Treating a Toothache<\/h2>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don\u2019t wait to see if your toothache goes away. If your pain subsides, it may mean your tooth has died and will need to be removed. Instead, contact your dentist right away. They\u2019ll get you into the office to examine your mouth. Your dentist will find the source of your pain to create a personalized treatment plan, like a root canal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Root canal therapy is a procedure used to treat severely decayed or infected teeth. Your dentist uses special dental instruments to extract your pulp. Your tooth is sterilized and sealed using a material called gutta-percha. Your dentist may place a crown over your tooth for an added layer of protection.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although root canals have a bad reputation for being painful, you won\u2019t have any discomfort while in the dentist\u2019s chair. They\u2019ll administer a local anesthetic to block any pain signals to ensure your comfort. While you won\u2019t feel anything during your procedure, your mouth may be a little tender for a few days.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A toothache doesn\u2019t have to ruin your day or put your life at risk. Contact an emergency dentist to safeguard your tooth from extraction and restore your oral health.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>About Dr. Shue Her<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifetimedentalga.com\/meet-the-dentist.html\">Dr. Her<\/a> earned his dental degree from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry and has completed advanced education in various specialties, including IV sedation, gum disease treatment, and CEREC. If you need an emergency dentist, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lifetimedentalga.com\/request-an-appointment.html\">request an appointment<\/a> through his website or call (470) 228-4977.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Contrary to what many people think, an occasional toothache isn\u2019t normal. It\u2019s a symptom of an underlying problem that shouldn\u2019t be ignored. Although many factors contribute to dental pain, toothaches are often caused by an infection. If it isn\u2019t treated in a timely manner, losing your tooth will be the least of your concerns. If [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":492,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-160","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifetimedentalga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifetimedentalga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifetimedentalga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifetimedentalga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifetimedentalga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifetimedentalga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifetimedentalga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/492"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lifetimedentalga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifetimedentalga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lifetimedentalga.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}