Tooth infection spreading to the body symptoms: What are the early signs?

Overview: What does a tooth infection spreading to the body feel like?

Tooth infections hurt. However, what makes them bad is that the infection can spread. If left untreated, the infection may make its way to other parts of the face around the tooth: the jaw, the sinuses, or the soft tissues in the lower face. From there, the infection can move to the eye sockets, the neck, the blood, the brain, the chest cavity, or the heart. 

A tooth infection can evolve into so many other infections that it’s hard to keep the symptoms straight. One thing is certain: people will know they're sick when a tooth infection spreads to other parts of the body. Fever, chills, swelling, redness, fatigue, and swollen glands are common. Many will feel pain, sometimes severe pain. They may not realize these symptoms started as a toothache, but they will know they aren’t good signs. Serious symptoms, such as high fever, low body temperature, racing heart rate, rapid or troubled breathing, dehydration, stomach pain, or diarrhea, are red flags that require emergency and even life-saving treatment.

RELATED: Dental abscess treatments and medications

What are the early signs of a tooth infection spreading to the body?

A tooth infection first spreads to the area below and around the infected tooth. The immune system immediately responds, and a pocket of pus and bacteria, called a periapical abscess, forms at the tooth’s root, causing the following symptoms:

• Toothache or throbbing pain

• Tooth pain when pressure is put on the tooth (such as biting or chewing)

• A small pimple or pustule on the side of the gums

• Gum swelling

• Facial swelling

• Swollen lymph nodes

• Bad breath

If left untreated, a dental abscess can spread to the rest of the face or body. The infection first spreads to the soft tissues or bone near the abscess or to the sinuses. Sinus infections can spread to the soft tissues around the eye and to the brain. Soft tissue infections around the abscess can spread to the neck and down the chest cavity. A bacterial infection anywhere on the face or neck can spread to the blood, the brain, or the heart. Symptoms vary depending on what tissues are affected, but the first signs of a dental abscess spreading to the body include:

• Pain

• Fever

• Chills

• Swelling

• Swollen lymph nodes

Other symptoms

When a tooth infection spreads to other parts of the body, symptoms vary based on what structures or tissues are infected. No matter where a tooth infection spreads, the most common symptoms are:

• Fever

• Chills

• Feeling sick

• Fatigue

A tooth infection or dental abscess most commonly spreads to the soft tissues around the abscess or the sinuses. It also commonly spreads to the bone near the affected tooth. 

An infection of the soft tissues and skin is called cellulitis. It is the most common complication of a tooth abscess, particularly in children. The most common symptoms of cellulitis include:

• Skin redness and warmth

• Swelling

• Tenderness

• Fever

• Chills

• Tiredness

• Feeling sick

The teeth are located near the sinuses, so the bacteria can cause a sinus infection (sinusitis). The most common symptoms of a sinus infection include:

• Fever

• Sinus pain or pressure

• Sinus congestion

• Facial swelling

• Discolored nasal discharge

• Headache

• Earache

• Loss of smell

Sinus infections can spread to the soft tissues surrounding the eye (orbital cellulitis), including the eyelid (periorbital cellulitis). Children are particularly vulnerable. Symptoms of these infections include: 

• Eyelid swelling

• Eyelid discoloration

• Eye pain

• Eye swelling

Finally, a tooth infection could spread to the bones in the skull near the tooth, either the jawbone (mandible) or the bone right below the cheeks (the maxilla). The most common symptoms of this kind of infection include:

• Fever

• Chills

• Feeling sick

• Jaw pain or bone pain

• Loose teeth

• Red and warm skin over the infected bone

• Swelling of the face

Left untreated, a tooth infection that has spread to other parts of the face can spread even farther to the neck, brain, blood, middle chest cavity, or heart. These infections are less common, though, and some are rare. 

A soft tissue infection caused by a tooth infection can spread to the neck and cause a neck abscess, a potentially severe and life-threatening infection. The most common symptoms of a neck abscess include:

• Difficulty swallowing

• Pain when swallowing

• Voice changes

• Stiff neck

• Swollen neck

• Swollen lymph nodes 

• Difficulty breathing

A neck infection can migrate down the neck and into the middle of the chest, another serious and potentially life-threatening infection. Symptoms of a chest infection include: 

• Fever

• Chills

• Chest pain

• Shortness of breath

An infection in the brain, called bacterial meningitis, is also a severe and life-threatening infection that, in rare cases, is caused by a tooth infection that spreads. The most common symptoms of bacterial meningitis include:

• Fever

• Neck stiffness

• Changes in mental status, such as confusion

• Headache

A tooth infection can also cause an infection of the blood, septicemia. The biggest worry is that the bacteria will cause an infection in the sinus blood vessels, potentially leading to a life-threatening condition called cavernous sinus thrombosis. The most common symptoms of this are:

• Fever

• Headache

• Pain around the eye

• Vision changes

Bacteria in the blood can also infect the inside of the heart, a condition called endocarditis. The most common symptoms of endocarditis are:

• Fever 

• Chills

• Feeling sick

• Fatigue

When to see a healthcare provider

Any symptoms of a dental abscess or bacterial infection require medical care. See a dental professional or healthcare provider to get the infection diagnosed and promptly treated. Severe symptoms of a bacterial infection, such as high fever, low body temperature, low blood pressure, trouble breathing, racing heart rate, or rapid breathing, are signs of sepsis, a severe and life-threatening reaction to a bacterial infection. Sepsis symptoms require emergency medical care.

Diagnosis depends on the nature of the infection. A tooth infection or dental abscess is typically diagnosed and treated by a dentist after obtaining a medical history, performing a mouth exam, and completing X-rays. 

When the infection has spread to the face or the body, a healthcare provider or specialist needs to diagnose and treat the infection. In addition to a medical history and physical exam, the healthcare provider may use X-rays, CT scans, or MRI scans to better look at the infected tissues. Blood tests and bacterial cultures may be needed. 

Complications of tooth infection spreading to the body

Unless treated, a tooth infection that has spread to the body can result in severe medical conditions, depending on where the infection spreads. These complications include:

• Sepsis

• Chronic infections

• Bone loss due to a bone infection

• Vision problems or blindness due to a sinus infection, orbital cellulitis, or cavernous sinus thrombosis

• Airway obstruction and inability to breathe due to a neck abscess

• Brain damage or seizures due to a brain abscess, bacterial meningitis, or cavernous sinus thrombosis

• Heart damage, stroke, blood clots, pulmonary embolism, or kidney damage due to a heart infection

• Organ failure, serious illness, chronic organ injury, weakness, amputations, and early death from sepsis

• Death

How to treat tooth infection spreading to the body symptoms

Bacterial infections that have spread to other areas of the body need treatment to prevent serious complications. Most cases require a short duration of oral antibiotics. The antibiotic prescribed depends on the severity of the infection, where the infection is located, and the bacteria responsible. A specialist in tooth surgery (endodontics) may perform a root canal treatment on the affected tooth or tooth extraction to prevent recurrence. The tooth abscess may be drained through a small incision.

However, some cases may require additional treatment:

• Intravenous antibiotics for severe infections

• Hospitalization for neck abscesses, brain abscesses, meningitis, severe infections, blood infections, or infections that have spread throughout the body

• Bone surgery for osteomyelitis

• Blood thinners for cavernous sinus thrombosis

• Intensive care treatment for people diagnosed with sepsis

Signs of tooth infection spreading to the body getting better

Tooth infections that spread to other parts of the body usually resolve with appropriate treatment. The first sign that antibiotic treatment is working is the easing of symptoms. For moderate or mild infections—which is most of them—some people may be symptom-free in a day or two. However, antibiotics need to be taken for the full prescribed duration to ensure the eradication of the bacteria. Do not stop taking antibiotics for a bacterial infection early, even if the symptoms completely go away. Take the pills for as long as the healthcare provider has prescribed them.

RELATED: What happens if you don’t finish antibiotics?

FAQs about a tooth infection spreading to the body symptoms

What does dental sepsis feel like?

Sepsis is a body-wide illness. It affects every organ in the body. The most common warning signs of sepsis are fever, chills, hypothermia, rapid heart rate, rapid breathing, low blood pressure, and changes in mental status, such as confusion or disorientation.

Can a dentist tell if a tooth infection has spread?

A dentist is familiar with the physical signs and symptoms of a dental abscess and a tooth infection that has spread to other parts of the face and body. An X-ray can reveal the abscess. If it has spread to other parts of the face or body, the dentist may refer the person to a healthcare provider, specialist, or medical facility.

What are the first signs of sepsis from a tooth abscess?

Sepsis affects the entire body, not just the infected area. Body temperature increases (fever) or decreases (hypothermia). Confusion and disorientation occur, making it difficult to think clearly. Heart rate and breathing increase. Blood pressure decreases, so people can feel lightheaded, dizzy, or faint. These are critical signs of a serious and life-threatening response to a bacterial infection. Immediate treatment is required.

What’s next? Additional resources for people with tooth infection spreading to the body symptoms

Test and diagnostics

• Cellulitis, StatPearls

• Dental infections, StatPearls

• Diagnosis and management of osteomyelitis, American Family Physician

• Osteomyelitis, StatPearls

Treatments

• Cellulitis, StatPearls

• Dental abscess treatments and medications, SingleCare

• Diagnosis and management of osteomyelitis, American Family Physician

• Osteomyelitis, StatPearls

Scientific studies and clinical trials

• Orbital cellulitis secondary to dental abscess in children, Cureus

More information on related health conditions

• Sepsis symptoms: what are the early signs of sepsis?, SingleCare

• Sinus infections treatments and medications, SingleCare

• What causes an abscess tooth? Diagnosis, prevention, and treatment, SingleCare