What Are The Signs That A Dental Abscess Has Spread?

One of the most important factors in treating a dental infection, particularly one that has caused an abscess, is time.

This is one major reason why, if it is difficult to get a dentist appointment quickly, a short course of amoxicillin antibiotics is often prescribed to help alleviate the pain, minimise swelling and stop it from spreading.

This latter part is a major reason, alongside its proven long-term effectiveness in the early stages of infection, why amoxicillin is regularly prescribed both before and sometimes after dental treatment.

It is important to treat an abscess quickly, as it will not disappear on its own, and if left untreated, it can lead to potentially very serious complications.

Here are some signs that a dental abscess has potentially spread, and why you should book a consultation if this is the case.

You Feel A Pop

Abscesses can sometimes rupture on their own, which is typically rather difficult to miss. You will generally get a taste of pus and blood in your mouth, the swelling will reduce or disappear entirely, and you may get some pain or at least pressure relief.

Regardless, if it does burst, it does mean that you will need to seek out dental treatment, no matter how you feel afterwards.

Many people find that they get almost immediate pain relief, or the swelling reduces significantly once it ruptures, but this does not mean that the cause of your abscess has gone away. In fact, it is possible that it could have spread further into the mouth.

This is why, when dentists puncture or lance an abscess to treat it, they will also scrape away any infected pulp or tissue surrounding the abscess, as well as disinfect the area with a saline solution. It ensures that the pus cannot cause the infection to spread or create another abscess.

Worsening Or Sharper Pain

Sometimes, when an abscess ruptures, it may not lead to any pain relief but precisely the opposite, either a particularly sharp agonising pain or a more intense pain following a moment of relief.

This is often a sign that the infection has spread and gotten more serious, and definitely should not be ignored. Booking an emergency appointment or a course of antibiotics can help to ensure that symptoms do not get any worse.

If you do not feel any relief or the pain is too much to bear, consider contacting NHS 111, as you may need immediate medical help if you cannot get any relief.

Similarly, if you feel the pain spread to the rest of that side of the face, including earache, pain in the neck or the jaw, it could be a sign that the infection has spread into some of the underlying tissue.

Growing Abscesses

Most dental abscesses tend to be fairly small, but if it is large enough to cause problems and severe pain, or the swelling has grown over time, it is likely to need early intervention.

Try to get an emergency dental appointment as soon as possible, and it may be worth considering a course of antibiotics if it would take longer than a couple of days to get said appointment.

Facial Swelling

If you notice a bump on your face that was not there before, particularly if it is uncomfortable or painful to the touch, that could be a sign that the infection has spread to your jawbone and potentially caused osteomyelitis.

This can be treated using antibiotics if it is caught quickly enough, but in some cases, you may need an urgent appointment with either a dentist or a head and neck doctor to drain the pus and be prescribed with a longer course of antibiotics than is typically provided for an abscess.

If the swelling has progressed to the point that it is making it difficult to open your mouth, seek urgent medical attention, as this could possibly suggest a complication and significant spread of the infection.

Fever

An early sign that the abscess may have progressed further is a fever, which is a common albeit usually nonspecific symptom that the body is fighting an infection.

However, when it appears and stays following a dental abscess, it could be a sign that the infection has reached the bloodstream. 

If this is the case, and it has been left untreated, it can lead to the life-threatening condition sepsis, so a fever following a dental abscess should not be ignored.

Symptoms of dental abscess complications can often come quite suddenly, so if you feel a fever, other symptoms could appear either alongside it or soon after.

A high fever that does not go away, alongside some combination of dizziness, confusion, diarrhoea, shortness of breath and a rapid heart rate, are all signs of sepsis, and if you have a fever in combination with any of these signs, contact the emergency services as soon as possible.

Chills, Hot Sweats And Headaches

A fever often accompanies hot and cold flushes and headaches as signs that the body is fighting an infection, and all of them should be taken seriously if found in combination with a dental abscess.

Whilst there is the possibility that this is an unrelated infection, given that these symptoms are very common, it could also be a sign that the tooth infection is spreading and could be accompanied by increasingly intense and serious symptoms in the future.

Difficulty Breathing Or Swallowing

There are various reasons why a dental infection can cause problems with swallowing or breathing, but regardless of the underlying causes, the abscess at this point has become an acute medical emergency and must be treated as such.

If Any Symptoms Get Worse

Generally, following a course of antibiotics, you should start to feel relief within the time frame of the antibiotics. Amoxicillin starts working immediately on a microscopic level and will fight the bacteria over the course of a few days.

Some people will feel better very quickly, whilst others may take up to a week to feel better entirely. What you should not feel is worse.

If the symptoms start to progress, that might be a sign of a severe, spreading infection that would require urgent intervention.