Abscess

"Love conquers all things except poverty and toothache."-Mae West

Today I look at the second topic from 7 WARNING SIGNS YOU SHOULD NOT IGNORE. Prior to the invention of antibiotics, infections were the main cause of human death (now the leading killers are Heart Attacks and Cancer). There are obvious infections from cuts or bites but there is also a type of deadly infection that is not so obvious (except for the pain). This is the common tooth cavity.

Bad teeth have plagued man since the dawn of time. A study of 3,000 Egyptian mummies concluded that 18% of all mummies had a nightmare array of dental diseases. Just like a cut in the skin, a hole or crack in a tooth allows outside bacteria inside the body where it can grow and spread. Sadly for us, a tooth is a lovely place for bacteria to grow. The narrow opening in teeth roots is too small for white blood cells to enter inside the tooth and wage war. So bacteria can grow unchecked until it pushes out of the tooth into the surrounding gum tissue and jawbone. At this point the cavity becomes an abscess.

The infection from a tooth abscess can spread to the brain and kill or spread to the throat, swelling it and making breathing difficult.

Have a dentist examine any persistent toothache. If you cannot see a dentist immediately, here are some steps you can try for tooth pain before your dental appointment:

· Bite down on a tea bag (wet or dry) for a few hours
· Mix salt and baking soda, dip a wet cotton ball in this mixture, and position the cotton between your cheek and tooth for a few hours. Hydrogen peroxide is known to reduce toothache.
· Use hydrogen peroxide 1.5% as a mouthwash.
· Gargle in your mouth with tea tree oil mixed with water.
· Gargle in your mouth with salt water.
· Apply drops of clove oil or vanilla extract to the infected tooth.

Bottom Line

Just because your tooth stops hurting does not mean the problem is gone. It could mean that the bacteria has reached the root of the tooth and killed the nerve. The next step is an abscess and danger. You’ll be pain free until the infection is deeply rooted in the gum or jaw or brain and much more difficult to fix.

See a dentist; don’t risk your life with a tooth infection.

"It is outrageous today that in America, a young boy can die because his family can't find a dentist to remove an infected tooth," – actual event in Maryland in 2007