Do Toothaches Cause a Mouth to Swell?

Some people put toothaches right at the top of their worst-pain-of-all list. A toothache can start out as just a slight, dull ache or an electric-shock sensation when you drink something cold or hot. In time, the pain and swelling can escalate. The pain might vary between throbbing, sharp, dull, an aching sensation or burning. The pain of a toothache, which can come and go, can affect your entire mouth, according to Healthsquare.com. As it progresses your gums can swell, which might cause your mouth and face to swell.

• Extracted Tooth

Significance

• Swelling at the base of the tooth or in your cheek is an indication that you have an abscess or another kind of infection or cellulitis, according to Merck.com. If your face is swelling, or if you have a fever or swelling or tenderness on the floor of the mouth, you need to be examined and treated by a dentist.

The Process

• When you have decay in a tooth, this results in a toothache. Acids produced by bacteria that thrive in our mouth can eat through the enamel that is the hard, white coating on the outside of our teeth. When this happens, holes---cavities or dental caries---can develop. Decay can spread into the tooth's pulp, which is where the nerves and blood supply for the tooth are. That's when you are going to feel pain, according to Principalhealthnews.com.

Potential

• Some people suffer from abscesses, which are very serious infections. Pus drain from around the infected tooth and the pus stinks. Swelling occurs with an abscess. An abscess might present itself through stabbing pain, swelling, swollen glands in your neck and foul breath, resulting from the infection. If an abscess isn't treated, it can spread to the jawbone and throughout the body. Abscesses are generally the result of a deep cavity and decay. When the decay penetrates into the pulp of the tooth, it kills the cells in the tooth. That makes that area vulnerable to bacterial infection.

Solution

• If you have a toothache and can't get see the dentist until the next morning, put an ice pack against the side of your mouth where the pain is occurring. Take Iibuprofen or some other kind of pain reliever. You might want to try using clove oil, which contains antiseptic properties, according to Dentalproblems.ygoy.com. It is thought to curb the pain and the infection. Dip a cotton ball into clove oil and then dab the soaked ball directly against the cavity.

Another Technique

• Another suggestion is to place a garlic clove along the infected tooth. That reportedly reduces pain and swelling because of anti-inflammatory properties.