Death from a Tooth Infection

We get a lot of questions about whether or not you should treat or nurse along a tooth infection. I worry most about all the people who don’t write in to ask. Because of that, I’m going to tell you about a story that happened not too long ago, which I hope will impress upon people the importance of taking a tooth infection seriously.

In general, there are about five to ten deaths because of tooth infections a year. The number is probably up since COVID because many dental offices were shut down during that time which threw people’s oral health into a tailspin.

But, even before that, there were some tragic stories. One of these took place in 2017. This particular story illustrates the importance of not relying on antibiotics to hold back your infection without treatment.

Long haul truck driver and father of two young girls, Vadim Kondratyuk Anatoliyevich, started off on his route to New York for a hauling job. According to his wife, his tooth was bothering him when he left. By the time he reached Oklahoma, his tooth was hurting more so he stopped off to see a dentist. The dentist prescribed him an antibiotic and sent him to continue his journey.

At first, it helped. His tooth felt better. Then it got worse. By the time he got to his delivery, the side of his face swelled up. At this point, he was in so much pain that he could no longer drive. His brother flew to New York in order to drive him home. His condition worsened and they stopped at a hospital in Utah, which placed him on oxygen and then med-flighted him to Salt Lake City where they had a better facility.

By this point, the tooth infection had spread to both his lungs as well as his blood. He was placed on dialysis but was not improving. His wife flew up just in time to say goodbye before he passed away.

The Only Ways to Treat a Tooth Infection

In order to truly deal with a tooth infection, the infected pulp has to be physically removed from the tooth. The best option you have for an infected tooth is to have a root canal treatment done. This enables you to save the tooth. Let’s say you are in a situation such as Mr. Anatoliyevich and you can’t wait around for the root canal. In that case you should at least have the root canal started with a disinfectant sealed inside. Then, you can finish off the procedure when you return home. Though, ideally, if you have a toothache, consider it a dental emergency and take care of it before you leave.

If the tooth can’t be saved, the next option is a tooth extraction. The downside to this is that you then need to replace that tooth in order to keep the other teeth from shifting or tipping into the open space. When that happens, it throws off your bite. That can lead to jaw pain, migraines, and even TMJ Disorder.

This blog is brought to you by San Antonio Endodontist Dr. Scott Janse.