Have you ever wondered why your face gets swollen when you get a tooth infection? Do you also wonder why you experience severe pains when you have a swollen face?

Well, fear not. Having a swollen face from a tooth infection is a common thing. When this happens one or both of your cheeks can swell up too. 

A swollen face from a tooth infection happens when both your facial and oral tissues have become inflamed as a result of infection (Facial cellulitis). Not only does your face swell up, but you can also experience severe pain. This is a serious condition and if not treated well can spread quickly. 

In the United States alone, millions of cases have been reported of facial cellulitis each year. 

In this article, you will get to know how and why tooth infection causes your face to swell up and how to get rid of it.

What is a tooth infection and how does it occur?

A tooth infection is an accumulation of bacteria and pus in the tooth or gum. The human mouth is home to a lot of bacteria from foods and saliva. Bacteria can sometimes enter the tooth or below the gum line leading to a tooth infection.

A tooth infection is easily treatable but if treatment is delayed, serious risks and complications can occur some of which include; sepsis, osteomyelitis, etc.

What are the signs and symptoms of a tooth infection?

The following are some symptoms that can tell you if you have a tooth infection.

• Pain in the tongue and around the mouth
• Swelling of the face, cheeks and neck
• Fever 
• Severe headache
• Nausea

How does tooth infection cause a swollen face?

Tooth abscess, a type of tooth infection can cause you to get a swollen face. This infection occurs at the base or sides of the tooth as a result of bacterial infection.

When this happens, pus (a thick yellowish or greenish liquid caused by bacteria infection) accumulates in the tissues of the tooth. If the pus cannot be drained, it forms what we call an abscess. 

An abscessed tooth can cause your gum to swell up, become red and give you a lot of pain when you chew. When the abscessed tooth becomes more severe, it can cause both your oral and facial tissues to become inflamed, resulting in you having a swollen face.

What happens if you do not treat your swollen face?

If left untreated, it may affect your ability to speak and eat. It can result in mouth odor.

Having a swollen face as a result of tooth infection can make you feel very uncomfortable. It will make it very difficult for you to sleep, especially at night. 

Difficulty in seeing or loss of vision can also occur if you do not treat your swollen face. Since the facial tissues are inflamed and your cheeks are all puffy, it puts pressure on your eyelids causing them to close.

How to treat swollen face caused by tooth infection

If you notice your face is swelling up as a result of tooth infection, quickly contact your primary care physician or look for clinical consideration.

Also, the area of swelling can help the doctor identify the exact problem and know what type of treatment to give you.  

Also, an abscessed tooth needs to be treated by a dental professional. At the point when you have a tooth disease, you can keep your face from expanding on the off chance that you seek treatment right off the bat from a dental expert or dental specialist. 

Your dentist can give you antibiotics to help stop the infection. He or she may make a hole in the tooth or cut open (lance) the abscess inside your mouth to drain out the infection, which should relieve your pain. You may need to have a root canal treatment.

This can save your tooth by taking out the contaminated mash and supplanting it with a recuperating medication or potentially a filling. Assuming these medicines don’t work, your tooth might need to be eliminated.

Are there any home remedies that can help get rid of a swollen face caused by a tooth infection?

Many home remedies can be applied to get rid of a swollen face from a tooth infection. If you cannot afford to go to a dentist or a dental professional, you can try out these home remedies.

Using salt water to rinse

You can utilize saltwater to flush your mouth. Saltwater is great for wound mending and advancing sound gums. Besides, saltwater is very affordable, and rinsing your mouth with salt water is an easy remedy to perform at home.

To use this remedy;

• Mix half a teaspoon of normal table salt with half a cup of warm water
• Rinse your mouth with saltwater. Make sure to swirl or swish the salt water around and inside your mouth for at least 2 minutes.
• Make sure to spit the water out after you 1are done with the second step. (Repeat this process 3 times every day.

An ice pack or cold compress

An ice pack or cold compress can help get rid of the swollen face caused by a tooth infection

This remedy is very easy to perform. All you need to do is

• Put ice cubes in a dry towel
• Place and hold the ice pack or cold compress against your skin near the affected area.
• Make sure to use the cold compress for 15-minute intervals
• This process can be repeated many times per day.

Hydrogen peroxide

This is another good home remedy that can be used to get rid of a swollen face. Hydrogen peroxide is good for fighting bacterial infection. It can also help reduce plaque and treat bleeding gums.

Here is how to use hydrogen peroxide to get rid of a swollen face from a tooth infection

• Mix equal parts of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide with water
• Put the solution (hydrogen peroxide mixed with water) in your mouth and swish the solution 
• Spit the solution after you are done in 5 minutes. 
• This is very important and you should take notice of this step. Make sure not to swallow the solution after you are down swishing the solution in your mouth. Spit the solution out.
• You can use hydrogen peroxide multiple times per day especially after each meal.

Garlic

Another home or natural remedy that can be used to get rid of a swollen face from tooth infection is using garlic. Garlic is an excellent bacteria killer and pain relief remedy. 

• To use this remedy:
• Crush the clove of garlic to make a paste
• Rub the paste on the infected area
• You can repeat this process multiple times a day

Garlic has lots of health benefits that you may be interested in. You can find out the top health benefits of garlic here.

Teabag

Teabags can also be used to get rid of a swollen face caused by tooth infection. The tea bag helps absorb the toxins and pus from the infected tooth or area. All you need to do is place a used tea bag on top of the infected tooth and leave it overnight.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is an affordable home remedy to use to treat a swollen face caused by a tooth infection. You might even have some laying around in your kitchen. It has antibacterial properties and is very effective in removing plaque (a sticky film of bacteria that constantly forms on teeth) in the mouth.

Here is how to use baking soda to treat a swollen face from a tooth infection

• Make a mixture of half a teaspoon of baking soda with half a cup of water and a pinch of salt
• Swish the mixture in your mouth for about 5 minutes.
• After swishing, spit the mixture out 
• Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the mixture is finished.
• You can repeat this up to two times per day.

Key Takeaway from this Article

It is a normal occurrence to have a swollen face from a tooth infection. Some of the home remedies that can be used to get rid of a swollen face from a tooth infection include using saltwater, garlic, baking soda, ice pack, and hydrogen peroxide.

If treatment for such a tooth infection is delayed it may deteriorate into a more serious condition and some cases require the attention of a dental specialist.