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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Could Swelling And Numbness In The Face Be Due To Broken Tooth?

The left side of my face was a little swollen when i got up this morning and stayed that way till early this evening. It was a little sensitive and somewhat numb and had a tingling feeling. Now all of a sudden the swellen has increased and the pain has increased. This is the same side of my face that I have a broken tooth on. It broke off about 3 mths.ago. But my tooth is not bothering me. What could be wrong?
Fri, 22 May 2015
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Dentist,  's  Response
Hi..
Can understand your concern..

As per your complain a broken tooth can be the most potent source of infection which has led to swelling over the face..

The tooth is not bothering you it means that it has become non vital or dead due to damage to its nerves and blood vessels which must have occurred due to trauma or injury to the tooth or if infection is the cause of breakage of the tooth..

The swelling must have occurred as the broken tooth must have got further infected leading to infection reaching below the tips of root of the tooth which causes formation of pus leading to swelling,tenderness,numbness and increased temperature of skin in that area.

I would suggest you to consult a dentist and get checkup done as well as IOPAR (x ray ) done to rule out the exact cause of swelling and if the tooth is the culprit an x ray will enable a dentist to find out whether the tooth can be root canal treated and saved or needs extraction followed by antibiotics and painkillers..

But i would suggest you not to apply hot packs over the swollen area as it may further be damaging.

Hope your query is solved..

Thanks and regards..
Dr.Honey Nandwani Arora.
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Could Swelling And Numbness In The Face Be Due To Broken Tooth?

Hi.. Can understand your concern.. As per your complain a broken tooth can be the most potent source of infection which has led to swelling over the face.. The tooth is not bothering you it means that it has become non vital or dead due to damage to its nerves and blood vessels which must have occurred due to trauma or injury to the tooth or if infection is the cause of breakage of the tooth.. The swelling must have occurred as the broken tooth must have got further infected leading to infection reaching below the tips of root of the tooth which causes formation of pus leading to swelling,tenderness,numbness and increased temperature of skin in that area. I would suggest you to consult a dentist and get checkup done as well as IOPAR (x ray ) done to rule out the exact cause of swelling and if the tooth is the culprit an x ray will enable a dentist to find out whether the tooth can be root canal treated and saved or needs extraction followed by antibiotics and painkillers.. But i would suggest you not to apply hot packs over the swollen area as it may further be damaging. Hope your query is solved.. Thanks and regards.. Dr.Honey Nandwani Arora.