Antibiotic Use In Pediatric Dentistry
Anatomical and physiological differences between children and adults such as the amount of their body water and fat, the maturation of the immune system, the volume of protein, and the level of liver enzymes should be considered while prescribing antibiotics for children . Dentists treat children with antibiotics to reduce the risk of bacteremia caused by dental infections however, antibiotic therapy should not be used as an alternative method for elimination of an infection source . Furthermore, antibiotic resistance owing to inappropriate use, prescribing antibiotics in the wrong situation and for a too long period in children is a global concern . Therefore, dental practitioners should be aware of proper antibiotic choices and indications of antibiotic therapy for children under 13 years . Common types and forms of antimicrobial agents used in pediatric dentistry are listed in Tables and .
Are There Effective Home Remedies That Treat Tooth Infections
While there are no home remedies for a tooth infection, your dentist or healthcare provider may suggest that you use home remedies such as the below in addition to their recommended treatment plan to ease your symptoms:
- Rinsing your mouth with saltwater, swishing with a baking soda solution, or using hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash may help kill bacteria and promote healthy gums.
- Applying a cold compress to the infected part of your face may reduce pain and swelling.
- Over-the-counter tooth pain gels, clove oil, and pain medications such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen may help relieve pain.
When To Seek Emergency Treatment For Dental Abscesses
Ideally, a person affected by a dental abscess, or who suspects that they may have a dental abscess, should visit the dentist as soon as possible. Because it is not always possible to see a dentist in time, some people may need to be treated for their abscesses in a hospital emergency department. Medical doctors are not specifically trained to handle dental issues, but will be able to stabilize the affected person, providing antibiotics and pain relief, until they can see the dentist.
Good to know: Dentists do not form part of the regular staff in most hospital emergency departments. Treatment by a doctor at a hospital will not replace seeing a dentist. Doctors are not trained to deal with dental problems but will be able to assist with managing infection and pain.
If a person with an abscess or a suspected abscess shows any of the signs listed below, they should seek urgent medical care as soon as possible. Danger signs for tooth abscesses include:
- An abscess of more than 1cm in diameter, or which feels large
- Severe swelling or hard lumps on the gums or the face
- Bleeding on the gums or in the mouth
- Fever or a body temperature of more than 38 C / 101.4 F
- Tender lymph nodes in the neck area
If a person shows the symptoms listed below, they should immediately be seen by a hospital emergency department:
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When Are Antibiotics Recommended For A Tooth Infection
by Altima Dental | Nov 13, 2018 | Dental Services, Patient Education
If you have a tooth infection, seeing a dentist as soon as possible is important to prevent any sort of infection from spreading. Your dentist will likely prescribe an antibiotic to help kill the bacteria causing your tooth infection. The good news is that if the infection is caught early enough it can be treated.
Read on to learn more about when you should use antibiotics to treat tooth infections.
Will I Need Antibiotics After Oral Surgery
Most people don’t need antibiotics after oral surgery. There are some cases when your dentist may recommend themfor example, if you have some heart conditions or cirrhosis of the liver.
A dentist may also prescribe antibiotics for individuals with a history of infective endocarditis or a weakened immune system.
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How Long Does It Take To Work
You have tooth infections. Youre in pain and you have swelling. You were responsible and went to your dentist and they recommended antibiotics. Now youre asking yourself: How long does it take for antibiotics to reduce swelling from a tooth infection? How long does it take for antibiotics to work?
That depends on a few factors, like the severity of the infection and how effective they are against that type of bacteria. It is important to take your medication according to your dentist recommendations. Do not take more in order to speed up the process. That will not help and might even make things worse. It might take a few days for you to start feeling better, so be patient. It is also important to take the whole round of antibiotics your dentist recommended. Dont stop before consulting with your dental professional just because you feel better or your infection might come back with a vengeance.
What Relieves Tooth Abscess Pain
NSAIDs such as ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin provide the most effective pain relief for a tooth abscess. They will both relieve the pain and reduce the swelling caused by the infection. Anesthetics are popularly used, but products with benzocaine should be avoided. Benzocaine can cause rare but serious side effects. Products with counter-irritants like menthol have only a limited effect. In most peoples experience, natural or medical topical anesthetics do not relieve pain as well as NSAIDs. Keep in mind that pain relievers only lessen the discomfort of the infection, so it is important to consult with a healthcare professional to remedy it.
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Symptoms Of A Dental Abscess
Symptoms of an abscess in your tooth or gum may include:
- an intense throbbing pain in the affected tooth or gum that may come on suddenly and gets gradually worse
- pain that spreads to your ear, jaw and neck on the same side as the affected tooth or gum
- pain that’s worse when lying down, which may disturb your sleep
- redness and swelling in your face
- a tender, discoloured or loose tooth
- shiny, red and swollen gums
- sensitivity to hot or cold food and drink
- bad breath or an unpleasant taste in your mouth
If the infection spreads, you may also develop a high temperature and feel generally unwell.
In severe cases, you may find it hard to fully open your mouth and have difficulty swallowing or breathing.
Parapharyngeal Abscesses And Ludwigs Angina
Parapharyngeal abscesses and Ludwigâs angina can both cause swelling severe enough to obstruct the airways and cause difficulty breathing. Parapharyngeal abscesses require a and needle aspiration to diagnose. Ludwigâs angina is diagnosed by, needle aspiration and X-rays.
Treatment for Ludwigâs angina, parapharyngeal abscess, osteomyelitis, cellulitis and cavernous sinus thrombosis involves drainage of any pus that is present, possibly via surgery and antibiotics and possibly intravenous antibiotics. People affected by Ludwigâs angina, if untreated, may require a tracheostomy to open their airways and thereby help them breathe if the swelling obstructs the windpipe.
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Antibiotics For Tooth Infections
Antibiotics are used sparingly for dental abscesses because of the risk of generating drug-resistant bacteria. They will usually be used for abscesses with complications or if the patient has a fever or trouble breathing. Mostly, however, it will depend on the dentist or endodontist. The antibiotic prescribed will depend on the type of bacteria causing the infection. Amoxicillin is the most popular antibiotic for tooth infections. It’s often used with clavulanic acid to increase its effectiveness against bacteria. However, patients are just as likely to be prescribed penicillin, clindamycin, or azithromycin. Relief from pain and swelling will be noticeable in a day or two, but it takes three to seven days to treat the infection completely.
Some Natural Remedies Include:
- Salt water rinse: rinsing your mouth with salt water promotes wound healing, healthy gums and is an affordable alternative to seeing the dentist
- Baking soda: great for removing excess plaque, it also has antibacterial properties
- Oregano, clove and/or thyme oil: known to be antibacterial and anti-oxidizing, these oils all contain anti-inflammatory properties to help relieve pain
- Cold compress packs: reduce swelling and numbs the pain
- Garlic: rubbing a clove of garlic on the infected area will reduce the pain and kill bacteria
If youre having symptoms of a tooth infection, such as persistent throbbing pain, swelling and sensitivity to temperature or pressure, see a doctor or dentist as soon as possible. If your dentist prescribes antibiotics, follow the instructions carefully and finish the prescription. Even if the infection seems mild, it can quickly become serious without proper treatment.
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What Is The Best Antibiotic For Tooth Infection Treatment
In many cases, antibiotics from the penicillin class, including penicillin and amoxicillin, are the best antibiotics for tooth infection. But that doesn’t mean these are the right choices for everyone! In fact, antibiotics may not be what you need even If you have a tooth infection.
You should never take an antibiotic without a prescription from your dentist or doctor. Many people take antibiotics without a prescription, and this is leading to antibiotic resistance in bacteria.
That means that some bacterial infections can no longer be treated with antibiotics which is a scary thought!
Instead of antibiotics, your dentist may decide that the best course of action is to drain your abscess, perform a root canal, or possibly remove the infected tooth.
That being said, you are more likely to receive antibiotics for a tooth infection when your infection is severe and spreading or if you are an individual with a weakened immune system.
The best antibiotic for a tooth infection will depend on the type of bacteria that is causing your infection and the location of your infection. That’s because different classes of antibiotics work in different ways to fight bacteria.
This is one of the reasons why it’s essential to take the antibiotic exactly as prescribed by your dentist until you’ve finished your prescribed course of treatment. Your dentist or doctor will know which is the best drug to take for your infection based on your medical history and the type of infection.
Signs And Symptoms Of A Dental Abscess
Dental abscesses are usually painful. The pain may be situated in the tooth itself, the surrounding gum or be more generalized, including the jaw, cheeks, or even neck or face, depending on the location of the abscess. The affected tooth may:
- Feel tender
- Feel loose in the jaw
- Be sensitive to heat and/or cold in the mouth
- Be sensitive to pressure on the tooth, or to being tapped
- Be slightly raised
People with a dental abscess may experience pain in the affected area. If you are concerned that you may have a dental abscess, you can do a free symptom check with the Ada app or find out more about how it works.
Other symptoms of dental abscesses include:
- Swelling in the gums or face
- Redness of the skin over the affected part of the gum
- Bleeding in the gums
- Loss of appetite or inability to eat
- Fever
Dental examination may also reveal swelling and redness around the tooth in the mouth and a fluctuant mass in the area.Periodontal abscesses may also present with a gum boil. A gum boil, also known as a parulis, is a soft red papule that appears where a sinus or channel from an abscess reaches the outside of the gum, between the gum and the inside of the cheek. It is the result of an abscess, so it is a definite sign that an abscess is present, but it is not itself an abscess.
Rarely, in severe cases of dental abscess, the affected person may also experience:
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What Causes A Tooth Infection
Tooth infections are caused by bacteria that makes its way inside the sensitive area under your tooth, called the pulp. This can happen because of tooth decay , gum disease or a cracked tooth. The pulp has soft tissue, nerves and blood vessels. Bacterial infection may cause pus to build in this sensitive area. Symptoms can include:
- Pain
- Fever
- Bad tastes in the mouth
A tooth infection should always be treated. A tooth abscess can spread into the soft tissues of your mouth or throat. This can cause a more serious infection and can even interfere with breathing or swallowing.
Natural Antibiotics For Tooth Infections
The pain that comes with an infected tooth is some of the worst pain that you can experience. Due to the fact that there are hundreds of nerve endings in your mouth and gums, an infected tooth can sometimes lead to excruciating amounts of pain.
The pain can sometimes magnify and creep up to the head causing full-on, throbbing headaches in addition to the tooth and jaw pain. Aside from the fact that any infection, no matter where it occurs, should be looked at and tended to immediately, tooth infections are especially important. But the good news is, you don’t have to shell out a bunch of money on antibiotics and a dentist visit just to heal it.
Here are some of the top natural antibiotics for tooth infections.
1. ClovesYou can use fresh leaves or you can use the oil form of cloves in order to treat a tooth infection. Cloves contain one of the most potent anti-inflammatory agents within it, which makes it great for the swelling and puffiness that comes with an infected tooth. It also is high in antioxidant and antibacterial properties, which means that it helps to clean the infected area upon contact.
Clove has naturally occurring eugenol, which is a phenylpropene that helps to increase the helpful elements of the herb. Try grinding the leaves into a paste, add some coconut oil and put it directly on the infected tooth. If you are using clove oil, add two drops into warm water and gargle it twice a day, concentrating specifically on the area of your mouth that’s infected.
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Endodontic Treatment Of Infection
The objectives for endodontic treatment are removal of the microbes, their byproducts, and pulpal debris from the infected root canal system. This allows a favorable condition for periradicular healing. When a patient has signs and symptoms associated with a severe infection, the canals should be disinfected and the access opening should be sealed to prevent coronal leakage.
In the rare case that there is continual drainage, the access may be left open until the next day to allow the accumulated irritants and inflammatory mediators to decrease to a level that allows the patient to initiate healing. Leaving a tooth open for an extended period of time allows for gross contamination with no further benefit to the patient. When there is localized swelling, increasing in size or associated with cellulitis, an incision for drainage should be considered. Incision for drainage is important to remove purulent materials and other inflammatory mediators. Drainage improves circulation to the infected tissues and increases delivery of the antibiotic to the area. Patients requiring extra oral drainage or hospitalization should be referred to an oral surgeon.
When a patient develops signs and symptoms of a severe endodontic infection, adjunctive antibiotics may be considered .
Antibiotics are not indicated in an otherwise healthy patient for a small localized swelling without systemic signs or symptoms of an infection .
| TABLE 1: Indications for Adjunctive Antibiotics |
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Therapeutic Antibiotic Prescribing By Dentists
Most oral diseases presented to the dentist are primarily inflammatory conditions that are associated with pain. These inflammatory conditions and their associated clinical features are shown in . A considerable percentage of dental pain originates from acute and chronic infections of pulpal origin, which necessitates operative intervention, rather than antibiotics. Non-indicated clinical cases for antibiotic use include acute periapical infection, dry socket, and pulpitis. Chronic inflammatory periodontal conditions are also not indicated for antibiotics systemic antimicrobials should only be used in acute periodontal conditions where drainage or debridement is impossible, where there is local spread of the infection or where systemic upset has occurred.
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Treating Gum Disease With Antibiotics
For those of our patients at Champlin Family Dental who suffer from periodontal disease, we proudly offer topical or oral antibiotics to help reduce or entirely eliminate disease-causing bacteria. It can also help fight the bacterial infection causing gingivitis, a mild form of periodontal disease that is characterized by reddening, swelling, and bleeding of the gums.
Doctors Bauer, Lawrenz, and Stark may recommend systemic or topical antibiotics in conjuncture with scaling and root planing, as well as other procedures. These antibiotics include:
Most forms of gum disease can be treated without antibiotics, but the biggest advantage of using topical antibiotics to help treat the disease is that they are directed to their specific target areas, thus the entire body is not affected. The other advantages of topical antibiotics include reduced dosage and reduced side effects. Doctors Bauer, Lawrenz, and Stark can discuss with you the advantages, as well as side effects, of each antibiotic during your visit.
To learn more, or to schedule your next visit at Champlin Family Dental, please give us a call today at our convenient Champlin, MN office!
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