My two front teeth were shattered 2 weeks ago - I haven't been able to get to my personal dentist because I'm not in town & Ill be out of town for another Week before Ill be able to see him. Both my teeth have become infected (abscessed Teeth) How long does it take abscess teeth to spread and cause other complications like
# spread of the infection to other parts of the jaw
# spread of infection to other parts of the body

I'm positive both of them will need to be extracted- taken out & I don't expect to be able to save them but will this resolve the abscess teeth infection for good? Also is three weeks of abscess teeth long enough for the infection to severly spread - and cause complications for possible getting dental implants or Dentures..... I'm really starting to get worried?

my other teeth are perfectly healthy - are they at risk of getting infected too within a three week time period?

Hi Stephanmyoung,

There is no way to know how quickly the infection will spread to other areas. But as you can see, it hasn't taken long for those teeth to become infected in the first place. Have you seen a dentist at all for at least an antibiotic until you get home?

As far as getting rid of the infection in that area of your mouth ....unfortunately the only sure way is to have the teeth removed. Root canal treatment simply buys you some time before you have to treat the teeth again and ultimately have them removed anyway. The jawbone in the upper front of the mouth is much thinner than anyplace else in the mouth so infection can proliferate pretty quickly in that area.

With regard to the success of placing implants in the front of your mouth... if too much bone is lost to either infection from trauma or infected root canaled teeth, then implants may not be a viable option.

What happened to your teeth?? Were you in a car accident?

Bryanna

Thank you for the response Bryanna,

I hurt my teeth playing Basketball outside - I went face first into the cement... So yesterday morning I went to the dentist and had them extracted!! The dentist prescribed pain killers and antibiotics... I should have asked more questions but I didn't and the dentist never said anything about them being infected either! However after he completed the extractions
he did say that i wont need a bone graft for the implants which is good news!! So now its the day after my extraction and I have a few more questions for you.

My upper lip is still extremely swollen on the second day (is that common)

Also my gum's still seems to be pretty bloody....

Other then that I feel better today Ive only taken two of my pain killers when I needed them & Ive been regularly taken my antibiotics....

other questions - can I brush my other teeth the second day using toothpaste - can I use Listerine or should wait for it to heal a little longer

in the meantime Ive been rinsing with salt and water!!

Is it safe to eat regular food yet??

Hi Stephan,

Well no more basketball for you!!!
I'm glad you had the teeth removed and didn't wait. So I guess you are not smiling too much ;-(

As for the bone grafting.... whoever does the dental implants may add some bone graft because that area of the mouth has thin bone. So don't be surprised if that is part of the implant surgery.

Yes, your upper lip may be swollen for several days, that would be normal. The surgical sites should not be oozing blood. They may appear bloody looking but the actual oozing of blood should have stopped by now.

You should always brush your teeth twice a day no matter what. However, you can refrain from using toothpaste for a couple more days and instead, just dip your toothbrush in the warm salt water and brush with that.

About rinsing..... ONLY rinse with warm salt water. ALL other mouthwashes should be avoided completely until the gums heal closed. Listerine and ALL mouthwashes that contain alcohol are harmful to your gums and oral tissue. Those products will contribute to tooth decay and periodontal disease.... so it is best to avoid them indefinitely. If you want to use a mouthwash after everything heals up, then use an herbal one made by Jason company or Spry. They are therapeutic to the gum tissue and won't cause any problems with your teeth.

Eating... do not eat anything on the front area of your mouth until the gums have closed over. A soft food diet, no soda, no sugar, healthy... will help your immune system to take care of the healing process.

Please keep us posted on how you are doing!!!
And.... stay on the sidelines.... ok??

Bryanna

Thanks Bryanna,

Its been five days now since my extraction and it seems to be healing pretty nicely. I do have a follow up on September 20th with my dentist. I just wanted to say thank you - You have been so helpful and informative - I thank god that there are people like you that actually take the time to answer question for these types of things/situations! I will indeed keep using this website as a source and/or also use it to keep you posted with the dental implants (I'm pretty sure ill have a ton more questions about that ) but once again thank you!!

Hi Stephan,

You are welcome!!

Glad to hear that you're doing ok. Please do keep us posted on how things are going and absolutely come back with your questions.... anytime!!

Bryanna