I have been having problems with an infected tooth and resulting sinus tract for quite awhile.
A month ago, I started having chills, sweats and general malaise.
I saw a dentist who said that I wasn't sick because of the tooth, that abscessed teeth did not do that.
What??????
I started on an ATB and got better.
The dentist referred me to an endodontist who re-iterated this.
I was in healthcare for 20 yrs.
I have never heard this.
In my way of thinking/learning, an infection of any kind can go systemic.
If not my tooth, it's something else!
Have any of you experienced systemic illness due to an infected tooth?
Bug
Posted by lululymemom (Member # 26405) on :
I recently had a difficult extraction after which I developed a nasty infection. I ended up having to go to the hospital at 3 AM to deal with it. I thought I was going to pass out it was so bad. They treated it very seriously when I was there and said that the infection could travel through the bloodstream and affect different organs of the body.
I was also having chills, nausea and a general feeling of being really sick..
Posted by apljack (Member # 14233) on :
About a year ago, a kid in a neighboring county died from an infected tooth. The infection reached the heart. Never once did this kid get to the dentist (I think 10 yrs old, but don't remember).
So, your dentist is very wrong.
Posted by chiquita incognita (Member # 30381) on :
There is a book called Root Canal Coverup which is really stirring.
It shows photos of before-after infection. Here is what is up with this:
If they take an extracted root canal tooth or infected tooth and plant it under the skin of a rabbit, the rabbit comes down with the same exact illnesses as the human host. Within a matter of days.
The photos are deeply stirring. There is one photo of a young boy with pussy abscesses all over his throat, because of an infected tooth.
These people are nuts and they simply aren't *thinking*. Of course an infection can go systemic!
Time for some docs and dentists to use their brains. If they don't, and if they just go by the textbook, they aren't being responsible.
And in my best understanding, it is textbook knowledge that teeth can infect other areas of the body.
In fact my own dental hygienist was adamant that because the teeth are so close to the brain, there is a concern about that.
You take care of yourself and be well. We'll all be thinking of you.
Posted by daisyrlb (Member # 15686) on :
What your dentist said defies common sense!
I read last year of an individual who died from an infected tooth. The infection spread to his brain.
If it were me (and I'm not a doctor) I'd get a new dentist.
In the meantime there are things that I would do. I've had issues with my throat and the following has helped me with infection.
Gargle with warm salt water throughout the day.
LIGHTLY (and for not long) SOFTLY brush (well, actualy more like paint) your teeth, gums, tongue, and cheeks with hydrogen peroxide (the kind you buy at Wal-Mart or other drug store, 3%), then RINSE well with distilled water.
Swoosh your mouth, even gargle, with 1 ounce of Coloidal Silver 2 or 3 times a day. Try to do this for three minutes. Spit it out, don't swallow.
All of the above is to kill bacteria.
Another thing I do morning and night (just part of my regular routine) for healthy gums/mouth and to keep my teeth is something a dentist in Florida, Dr. Behm created. In his own words:
"The healthy gum Recipe creates an environment around your teeth in which harmful bacteria can't live...The Recipe neutralizes the acid environment(and bacteria can't stand oxygen."
Following is a link to the webpage on Dr. Behm's site to what he calls "The Secret". I'm not sure why he called it that. (It uses only three ingredients that you can get at your local store or health food store, not expensive.)
Anyway, he shares this info freely.
FYI, Something for Lymies to know...80% of the immune system is actually in the gut and it starts in the mouth! So doing what we can to keep bacteria down in the mouth is super important.
Anything I can do to help my immune system become stronger, is something I want to do.
Posted by MichaelTampa (Member # 24868) on :
yes, not a very educated dentist. not much more to say about it than that.
hey, daisy, Behm is my dentist!
Posted by carly (Member # 14810) on :
Don't doubt yourself! I have been a dental hygienist for 20 years. Of course an infected tooth can make you sick.
It's infuriating how demeaning comments from health care providers just serve to makle us doubt ourselves. Yes, I say "demeaning", because the prupose of saying that was only to dismiss your concerns instead of addressing them properly.
quote: I was in healthcare for 20 yrs.
I have never heard this.
In my way of thinking/learning, an infection of any kind can go systemic.
Posted by daisyrlb (Member # 15686) on :
MichaelTampa,
Dr. Behm is our dentist too.
We arrange visits to our son and his family (they live in Tampa) around our dental appts with Dr. Behm. Ha! He's the best!