At times, toothache and sore throat come together. Even though pain in teeth and soreness in the throat are common, having both at a time is not common. It might be a warning sign indicating the progression of infection in a tooth and starts spreading to your body. Hence you should treat the diseased or infected tooth quickly.
You might think, can a decayed tooth cause pain, soreness in our throat? Yes. It can. Wisdom tooth is another culprit. This blog post explains the connection between a problematic tooth and soreness in the throat. Keep reading.
How does an infected tooth cause throat pain?
Lymph nodes like tonsils are located at the back of the throat. They filter out the microbes like bacteria and germs entering the body to prevent infectious conditions.
A decayed tooth is a hub of various harmful oral microbes. If left untreated, it will become abscessed, in which the oral bacteria create pus at the tip of tooth roots. In such circumstances, the chances are higher for the microorganisms to spread to the throat tissues. When tissues in the throat are infected, they will be inflamed and cannot function as usual.
Similar to decayed teeth, impacted wisdom teeth can also stimulate problems in your throat. As the third molar teeth do not have sufficient space inside the mouth, they would erupt in awkward angles and be partially covered by a flap of gum tissues. It is quite hard to clean this tooth and the gums covering it. It shows wisdom teeth are more likely to get infected and develop a pocket of pus. Right?
Hence microbial invasion is inevitable for oral tissues around such diseased teeth and wisdom teeth. Inflammation in the gums and throat are some instances. Such inflammation and irritations in the throat provoke discomforts like pain, soreness, etc.
What are the signs of abscess-induced sore throat?
When the tissues in the throat are infected due to abscessed teeth, soreness in the throat is accompanied by various signs as follows:
- Odd feeling in the throat
- You would see more mucus than normal
- Difficulties in refluxing liquids and foods
- Swallowing difficulties
- Voice issues
When the throat is infected due to any dental illness, it also affects the vocal cords. Hence the sufferers would notice a difference in their voice.
How do dentists treat such abscess-related sore throats?
- As soreness in the throat is rooted in infections in a tooth, dental doctors start treating the diseased teeth.
- In most cases, dentists prefer extracting wisdom teeth. Apart from causing cavities and infection in the surrounding tissues, third molars will push the neighboring teeth and disrupt the alignment of teeth.
- When treating abscessed teeth, dentists make a small incision into the abscess to drain the pus. Then the infected regions inside the tooth are cleaned.
- If soreness in the throat occurs due to cavities, there are numerous ways to treat tooth decay. Dentists prefer the right option depending on the severity of the decay. If the infection in a tooth has entered the sensitive regions underneath the enamel, Root Canal Treatment (RCT) is preferred. However, if dentists detect a tooth cannot be saved by disinfecting with in-office approaches, they will remove the diseased tooth surgically.
What causes Sore Throat After Dental Filling?
Sore throat after dental treatment is normal affecting the throat for a short time. Avoid very hot and cold foods as they may delay your throat’s healing process. But, if it lasts longer than 2 days, consult with your dentist as it may be an infection.
How wisdom teeth can cause a sore throat?
An impacted wisdom tooth (entirely trapped third molar into gums) can cause a sore throat. Impacted wisdom teeth usually cause severe oral health problems, including ding infections. Food particles get to the gum near the unerupted wisdom teeth, are hard to clean, and lead to a disease that inflames sore throat. Consult with your dentist. Wisdom tooth removal is the treatment option; you can go for a sore throat caused by impacted wisdom teeth.
Bottom line
Untreated infections in a tooth will process gradually and eventually affect the surrounding oral tissues. Tissues in the throat are not an exception. It stimulates abnormalities like sore throat, voice issues, excessive mucus, etc.
Hence we advise you to consult your dentist immediately if you sense pain in a tooth and odd things in your throat together.
FAQs
Yes, tonsillitis can cause tooth pain due to the proximity of the tonsils to the teeth and the spread of inflammation from the tonsils to the teeth.
Yes, a cavity can cause throat pain if the infection from the cavity spreads to the throat area.
Yes, a broken tooth can cause a sore throat if the broken tooth leads to an infection that spreads to the throat.
Yes, a gum infection can cause a sore throat as the infection can spread from the gums to the throat area.
Yes, a bad tooth can cause a sore throat due to the spread of infection from the tooth to the surrounding tissues, including the throat.
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