Signs of bacteremia could be slight fever, nausea and distal infection. Rarely, bacteremia may resolve on its own. It also may progress into septicemia, a more serious blood infection that is always accompanied by symptoms such as chills, high fever, rapid heartbeat, severe nausea, vomiting and confusion.
A persistently high fever, dizziness, lightheadedness, a rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, confusion, and digestive problems are potential signs of sepsis and should be treated as a medical emergency.
While it takes a long time for a tooth infection to become fatal, it's possible for a tooth infection to develop into sepsis if left untreated. Typically, this process takes a few months. And even though it may feel like your pain subsides when the abscess bursts, don't be fooled.
Sepsis following a bacterial infection from a dental condition or treatment is rare.
Most symptoms of post-sepsis syndrome should get better on their own. But it can take time. There are things you can do to help with some long-term effects.
If the infection has spread or you have a generalized infection, you may develop other signs and symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, pain, etc. Sometimes however, you may have an infection and not know it, and not have any symptoms.
To begin with, a tooth abscess does not go or die down on its own, and professional intervention is crucial to treat a dental abscess. In case a person does not treat a dental abscess in its initial stage, then the infection may last anywhere between 5 months to 12 months or even more.
To summarize, a dentist can easily pull an infected tooth out. However, to prevent the bacteria from infecting other sites, dentists prefer to either drain the abscess or reduce the infection with the help of antibiotics first. This way, there won't be any alarming results after.
Penicillin-type antibiotics are also used to treat blood infections (sepsis), meningitis, endocarditis, and other serious infections. Brand names of amoxicillin include Moxatag and Amoxil.
If you have a severe tooth infection, your dentist may prescribe a course of antibiotics to prevent it from spreading. 1 Antibiotics may prevent tooth loss and other serious health complications.
As sepsis worsens or septic shock develops, an early sign, particularly in older people or the very young, may be confusion or decreased alertness. Blood pressure decreases, yet the skin is paradoxically warm. Later, extremities become cool and pale, with peripheral cyanosis and mottling.
The Danger of Untreated Infected Teeth and Gums
If they are not treated, they can last for several months or years. There are two types of dental abscess – one can form under the tooth (periapical) and the other in the supporting gum and bone (periodontal).
A dental abscess is a sac of pus that forms inside your teeth or gums. If left untreated, a dental abscess can push your tooth upwards until it's loose enough to fall out. Thankfully, your dentist will be able to perform a root canal before you run the risk of losing teeth.
Sepsis is known as the 'silent killer' because its symptoms often mimic that of other illnesses such as the flu or gastro. But, if it is identified and treated early, patients can recover.
Stage one: Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS)
Sepsis can be hard to identify, but is typically denoted by a very high or low body temperature, high heart rate, high respiratory rate, high or low white blood cell count and a known or suspected infection.
Antibiotics alone won't treat sepsis; you also need fluids. The body needs extra fluids to help keep the blood pressure from dropping dangerously low, causing shock. Giving IV fluids allows the health care staff to track the amount of fluid and to control the type of fluid.
When treatment or medical intervention is missing, sepsis is a leading cause of death, more significant than breast cancer, lung cancer, or heart attack. Research shows that the condition can kill an affected person in as little as 12 hours.
However, there might be other symptoms related to sepsis based on where the infection is. Abdominal pain is one such symptom.
Signs of sepsis are: • Pale, blotchy or blue skin, lips or tongue. Blotchy skin is when parts of your skin are a different colour than normal. Sometimes it is hard to know if you or somebody you look after has sepsis, or if it is something else, like flu or a chest infection.