What is a Jaw Infection and what does it feel like?
A jaw infection or inflammation is called osteomyelitis of the jaw bone or the jaw bone marrow. Osteomyelitis is more common in the pelvis, arms, legs, and spine but it is possible to get an infection in the temporomandibular joint. When your jaw bone is infected you can expect to have problems in your face, head and neck.
Usually an infection is the result of a bacteria entering the body. If you have had oral surgery, like a root canal, and you are not diligent about your oral hygiene, then the bacteria has an opportunity to get into the tissue in your jaw. Medications and diseases like diabetes can leave you with a weaker immune response so you may be at a higher risk for infection. For people who need to have a series of dental treatments like people who need root canals before a dental implant are at a higher risk for infection due to the increased exposure of deeper tissue.
Statistically, men experience jaw infections more than women do and osteomyelitis of the lower jaw or mandible is more common than the upper jaw. There are different treatment options to address the infection and the dentist will be able to help you with the best option for your specific case of osteomyelitis. A few different options that dentists can use to help eliminate the infection and to reduce your pain include antibiotics and lasers, but each person’s needs are different. The dentist will review your medical history, your dental history, your medications, and your symptoms to provide you with the best treatment for your jaw infection (which may include the extraction of a tooth). You will want to be sure that you are working with a dentist who has experience treating all kinds of osteomyelitis of the jaw.
You will not want to delay treatment if you suspect you have a jaw infection. Infections spread when they are not treated and they do not heal on their own. A jaw bone infection can lead to other bones and tissue in the head, face and neck, infections in your blood, and potential death of tissue. If you find that you have stiffness in your jaw, a fever, tiredness, swelling in your face or neck, tenderness in the area, loss of teeth, pus, or draining of the sinus, then you may have a jaw infection. Take the time to call the dentist to make an appointment to address the problem before it gets worse or even deadly.
Of the different types of jaw infections, you may have acute osteomyelitis, sub-acute osteomyelitis, or chronic osteomyelitis. In the case of acute osteomyelitis, the infection sets in within two weeks of a trauma or illness. The pain in these cases is very intense and the infection should be serious. People with these infections will need four to six weeks of antibiotics that are taken intravenously. In the case of sub-acute osteomyelitis, the infection comes on one to two months after an injury or trauma. Treatment depends whether or not there is damage to the bone. In the case of chronic osteomyelitis, the infection starts more than two months after the initial infection or injury.