Dental Oral Infection Ask The Dentist Questions about Dentistry related Infections in the Dental Health Library

Dentist Finder

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
WashingtonDC
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Dental Health Directory Library

FAQ: Oral - Dental Infections

Question:
It began with a hard gumball sized lump under my jaw on the leftside. The dentist prescribed an antibiotic and suggested a root canal. I preceded to get a root canal the following day even though the lump had tripled in size and opening my mouth was difficult.

I continued on antibiotics. It is now one week since my root canal and the swelling is the whole leftside of my face up into ear and down my neck. It is super hard, I can not open my mouth wide enough to brush the backs of my teeth and it keeps getting harder. I have been to the dentist 3 times about the swelling yet he is not concerned.

I have been on clindamycin for 7 days now and no relief! Can it take this long to get rid of an infection? And/or could it be something else because it's not like any tests are done to see if the lump is really an infection?

Answer:
It sounds like you have Ludwig's angina which can be a potential life threatening situation. You need to call an oral surgeon or ENT surgeon and get to the emergency room right away. Don't delay!

Editorial Staff

Return to Dental Infections FAQ

Ask a Question

Return to FAQ Index

You also have the option of using Google search technology to conduct a specific search within our databases to find more specific information. Use key words or short phrases:

[Home] [Ask The Dentist] [FAQ's] [Polls] [Consultants] [Directories] [Employment] [Articles]
Contact the Editor
Dental Health Directory
Ask The Dentist
Featured in

Dental Pros and Cons

Videos
Pictures Photos
New Products
Bad Teeth Gums Gallery