Can periodontal disease or abcessed tooth make your whole body sick?

I recently went to an 'assembly-line' dental clinic. Was told I had gum disease and needed a root canal. Although my glands were very swollen at the time, I was not prescribed antibiotics. Within days I was sick: very swollen glands and exhaustion. The tooth needing the root-canal has never ached and truthfully, the dentist never called it an "abcessed tooth".

The infection I have had has had me flat on my back, off and on, for 3 weeks. Could the infection be a result of the gum disease or the "tooth needing the root canal"? I am baffled as are my doctors.

Periodontal disease is an "active infection" in your tissue that if left untreated causes tooth loss and bone deterioration. It has also been linked to be the same plaque build up which is the cause of heart attacks. It can destroy good teeth and bone causing abscesses in other teeth to develop, bad breath, loose teeth as well as effect you鈥檙e over all general health.

An abscess within a tooth is an "active infection" when left untreated can cause tooth loss and bone deterioration as well. Sometimes an abscess will go unnoticed without the excruciating pain that is so commonly associated with it. These are the occasions that an x ray picks it up or, the patient just feels something is wrong with the tooth, has a bad taste in their mouth or has developed drainage from a fistula that may have formed to allow the infection to drain outside from the abscess area. In other words the abscess will drain from the root, where the infection is present, to the inside of your mouth. This usually can't be missed by a patient because they can taste and smell the infection present.

Either of these are serious infections that need to be treated with an antibiotic. Both can cause loss of surrounding teeth, or with perio it can cause the loss of all of the teeth. Both can be treated and cured saving the teeth for you鈥檙e over all dental health. And yes, both infections can spread rapidly through out your body making you sick.

I would suggest seeing a dentist to have these conditions evaluated further and have the infection cleared up with antibiotics and dental treatment. The problems that exist will not go away with out treatment and will likely cause more severe medical problems if left untreated. Sorry I can't give you any good news with this but hopefully this will help you to realize the importance of taking care of this immediately. Hope you get to feeling better soon.

In the meantime use a half and half peroxide water solution, to rinse your mouth with several times a day until you can get to the dentist. This will kill some of the bacteria in your mouth. A medical doctor will only refer you to a dentist although he may give you antibiotics for the infection.

it is possible, the poisons travel through your body.

yes, i just heard that it can lead to other problems.

Yes, an absessed tooth or gum disease can cause serious problems to your health. You definitely need to get on antibiotics asap. My wife had an absesed tooth a couple months ago and her whole face and neck were swollen. She had to go on 2 rounds of antibiotics before they would do anything to her mouth. Get this taken care of as soon as you can. I know how bad you feel and hope you feel better soon.

Yes, this can cause problems with your health in general. It is important that you seek medical advise, and get on some antibiotics before you have anything done in your mouth. Also I'm not too sure about the dentist that you visited. First get yourself to an MD and get that problem straightened out, and then look for a GOOD dentist good luck, and health!!!

Oh absolutely.
If you have any kind of infection in your mouth Antibiotics are a must, and should be started before any work is done on your mouth.
I recently watched an episode of Dr. G Medical Examiner.. This otherwise perfectly healthy man was dead and no one knew why.
turned out he had had an abscessed tooth and gums requiring dental attention.. he put it off and put it off and bam he's dead, the infection travelled through his whole body.. like you he was flat on his back of and on for about 3 or 4 weeks. He didn't realize it was because of his tooth.
Go back and get this taken care of.
Good Luck