Severe tooth infections can potentially cause high blood pressure but if it's only mild to moderate, you won't get an increase in blood pressure. Regardless of your hypertension status from a dental infection, you will need to see a dentist to have it properly treated.
When tooth infections cause high blood pressure
Only severe dental infections can cause high blood pressure such as a severe toothache or a severe tooth abscess with swelling. The severity of these two oral conditions can potentially elevate your blood pressure if they are left untreated.
Severe toothache
A throbbing toothache can be so intense that it disrupts your everyday life and prevents you from performing daily activities. It can be so intense that we've had patients hopping around the office as if they were playing hop-scotch. Yes, that is literally how bad some toothaches can get.
Oral conditions that cause a raging toothache:
Cavity into the tooth nerve
Exposed nerve
The intensities of these types of tooth pains can elevate your blood pressure.
Abscess with swelling
A dental abscess with significant facial swelling can be incredibly painful and disfiguring. The sight of it when you look into the mirror will get anyone's heart pounding and consequently a rise in blood pressure.
Make no mistake, these are dental emergencies and it would behoove you to seek professional help immediately. If left alone, you may need to be hospitalized for the infection to be properly treated.
When it won't cause high blood pressure
Mild to moderate dental infections (enamel/dentin decay, fractured teeth, abscesses without swelling) usually do not result in an increase of blood pressure. These conditions aren't severe enough to make an impact on your cardiothoracic system.
Enamel and dentin decay
Tooth decay which has not yet reached the pulp will not affect your blood pressure. As a matter of fact, most people present with no symptoms (asymptomatic) and are usually unaware they even have cavities.
Decay on the side of the teeth are usually quite easy to see but the in between cavities that are into the dentin cannot be visualized without x-rays.
In the x-ray above you can see a large dark circle in the in between area of the upper premolar.
Fractured teeth
You may be surprised but most people don't have elevated blood pressure from cracked teeth. They may be feeling highly concerned but the pressure won't go up because of it.
The photo above shows an upper molar that fractured and is literally missing the back half. Surprisingly the patient was NOT in pain at all nor were their heart pounding out of their chest.
Abscess without swelling
Not all dental abscesses present with grotesque facial swelling and a classic example of this is a gum boil. It typically presents as a reddish pimple on the gums which may or may not be oozing pus.
The photo above shows a molar tooth with a gum boil. The patient was not in pain nor did they even realize that it was there. As you guessed, they had normal blood pressure!
All dental infections need to be treated
Whether you have high blood pressure or not from a suspected tooth infection, it will need to be treated by a dentist. The reason being there is no way to get rid of the infection without professional help.
Nonetheless, the elevated blood pressure is an indication of urgency. Dental infection with raised blood pressure is more urgent/emergent than one without.
What that means:
Infection with raised blood pressure means you should drop everything that you're doing and seek help immediately.
Infection without blood pressure change means you should have it treated as soon as possible. Preferably today if you're able to.
With that being said, a good rule of thumb is that if you suspect that you have an oral infection you should schedule a dental consultation. If you're nearby in Long Island City, NY one of our dentists can assist you with that!
