Does anybody know anyone who has died from a bad tooth infection?
398674
Yes.  It's not as common here in the United States as in other, 3rd world nations. If a tooth becomes infected and left untreated or not treated early enough, the infection can spread to the blood stream-which commonly becomes fatal. It's highly important to practive good hygiene as well as visit your dentist regularly.  Even those who practice good oral hygeine, can still get a cavity.  Some cavities stay small and unnoticed for a while.  Which is why going to the dentist, and getting the exam and x-ray can allow for early detection and prevention.
976743
There is a number called 1-800-Dentist - it can help you find a good dentist in your area and tell you if a dentist has had problems in the past w/ patients, malpractice suits, etc.  Also, I would start calling different dentists in your town or surrounding towns and tell them some of your story...  ask them if they are willing to take on a charity case.  I was a dental asst. and we did this a few times a year to lend a helping hand in our community.  HTH & GL to you!
1040264
if she is undergoing a general anesthetic then that is a risk factor but that is a rare occurnce. think about this - people still die of dental abcesses in the united states because they let them go untreated. weigh the alternatives...getting her teeth cared for outweighs the danger
805581
We were having Thanksgiving Dinner a few years ago and we had the whole gang of about 20 people around.  My husband's Dad who was about 95 at the time and who had had recent chemotherapy for cancer all of a sudden got ill at the table and vomited into his napkin.  I quickly grabbed his napkin took it to the kitchen sink, shook it out and rinsed it out really good.  I then turned on the garbage disposal and all of a sudden there was this horrendous racket in the garbage disposal.  I turned it off and reached down into it and pulled out a very mangled set of false teeth. I screeched , oh my and everyone crowded around me and we all started to giggle, even though it really was not entirely funny.  We gave grandpa back his false teeth and he put them back in but they were totally missing teeth.  We all tried not to laugh but it really was a bit humorous. We will all never forget that moment.  Dad has passed on now about 7 years ago but that moment will live on and be passed on to future generations.
727191
what a strange question to ask, but no.\ni was hit by a car once. i'm ok, though.\ni was also hit with a shopping cart at walmart and was knocked senseless for 5 minutes, that hurt worse than the car, because it chipped my tooth. i had to go to the dentist because of it.
76684
BAD BREATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
392034
Exact meaning? Anyway, everyone can have bad breath. I've not heard of one person who's had a fresh mouth 24-7, and if you find 'em, lemme know.
965518
Well, I do know that Listerine got me through about a month of tooth pain! \nI had a broken tooth that was KILLING me, and I mean I was in tears daily from it. I don't have insurance so I had to wait to have it fixed. I started using Listerine 3 times a day and it helped TREMENDOUSLY! So it must kill some bacteria, or something!
1063737
Great question!\n\nYears ago I had a very old patient that probably had completely quit brushing.  Tons of plaque but very pleasant smelling breath.  My guess is that good smelling bacteria predominated.  I didn't scrape some off culture it and then package and sell it as a cure for bad breath....but I thought about it :)\n\nAs far as killing bad bacteria, there is supposed to be some testing of a genetically altered bacterial that kills off acid producing bacteria the goal being to eliminate the decay process.\n\nWe'll see....
910248
As Alabama Girl says above, the only case was David Acer. Unfortunately he died of AIDS before the cause of transmission could be truly established. However, considering how difficult it is to transmit HIV from dentist to patient, and considering that (as I remember) a couple of the patients were having negligible treatment. it has been hypothesised that he deliberately infected them. Sort of a revenge on the world. There was a book written about it (don't know the name).
993957
ABSOLUTLY NOT. What is wrong with you guys? He is in a very dangerous situation. If it's not treated, the infection will likely become septic ( poison his bloodstream, if it hasn't already). This is an infection, more dangerous than many. If the infection gets to his heart, he could very easily die, and without immediate treatment, he will. I've seen this tragedy two times in the ER. GO NOW, not later, or tomorrow. This is a job for an oral surgeon.\n\n\nGrizz
992266
if it gets infected it hurts bad.  they can put you on antibotics. they say tooth infection can affect your heart. and other problems.
1151120
SWOLLEN GUMS IS NEVER ACCEPTABLE OR NORMAL.  let the nurse stick with nursing.  maybe salt water has miracle properties at the hospital but in your mouth it does nothing.  go to the dentist immediately.  if you wait you might end up in the ER with a serious infection and then the dentist after that anyway.  talk about expensive.  don't wait til it's something serious and you lose a tooth.
574669
Please see a Dentist or Oral Surgeon immediately. You have an infection and need an antibiotic in order to get rid of it. I went through the same thing, fatigue, temperature, aching, and dizziness. I had my employer prescribe an antibiotic then had a root canal (RCT). The antibiotic is a temporary solution, it will not take care of this problem permanently. If it is a wisdom tooth, you simply need an extraction. But only a dentist can make a proper diagnosis. It is possible to die from an infection like this, but those are extreme cases. The only way to take care of your problem is to see a Dentist, have a radiograph, and exam. They will make an appropriate treatment plan. Check your area, see if they have medicaid offices, free dental clinics in place, or clinics that have a sliding scale fee. Maybe your dental office has some sort of credit company they work with that can help you.
970106
This is related to a tooth that is infected. The infection can surround the bone and make the area inflamed causing the abcess.This can occur in a tooth that has a nerve which is dying, or a tooth which has had a root canal treatment which has not worked effectively. Antibiotics are usually the first course of treatment and then a root treatment by your dentist, Anti inflammitory painkiller like ibuprofen is helpful for short term relief, but you need to visit your dentist asap.
1100638
Hi honey. It's understandable that you're scared, especially with your friend's sister dying, but you really need to try not to worry about this. I don't know what operation your friend's sister had, but operations on teeth are usually very quick and don't cause any problems. If he's crying because his teeth hurt him, they must be really sore and I'm sure you want him to feel better quickly. You said in a different question that you'd had cavities before, so you'll know what it's like getting fillings and things like that - don't you think it would be better for your little brother to just go to sleep and wake up with his teeth sorted? I think you should tell your mum about your worries so that she can help you, and you should make sure you set a good example to your little brother by making sure you take good care of your own teeth. Please don't worry, I'm sure your little brother is going to be absolutely fine.
974311
Just a few weeks ago I had the remaining 2 molars in my mouth pulled out. When I was 17 years old I had my first root canal. The years proceeding I had 5 more. Let me just say that the next 10 years of my life was a nightmare. I was in pain every day. My face hurt, my joints hurt, I just didn't feel right. I saw multiple dentists and specialists who wanted to put me on narcotics. I finally found a dentist that would help me. He said that because I had been in pain for so many years that the best thing would be to remove them. Every single tooth that had a root canal done on it had infection and was decayed on the inside. None of this could be seen on any x-ray we looked at. My destist said "No wonder you don't feel good, you have been living with a pretty big infection in your face, for what looks like years." I am now 29 and I have no molars left in my mouth and I can easily say that I have spent a small fortune on dental work. I can also honestly say that I have not felt this good in 10 years. There has to be some truth to what you are saying. The day after I had my last infected molar pulled was the first day in about 5 years that I didn't have a headache. I didn't even need to take any pain medicine because I felt soooo much better. So obviously there has to be some connection there. My new dentist says that at dental school they are really teaching about implants now and that hopefully soon more dentists will go back for continuing education and learn about them. I am curious to see what others have to say about this. Good question.