What Foods Help With Tooth Infection?

A tooth infection leads to unbearable discomfort that affects your oral health and quality of life. Therefore, you need to visit the dentist in Phoenix for diagnosis and treatment. As you wait for your appointment, you should consume foods that help with the infection. Continue reading to learn about these foods and the ones to avoid.

How Do You Know if You Have a Tooth Infection?

A dentist can precisely diagnose an infection in your tooth in their dental office. However, some easily recognized signs and symptoms indicate a tooth infection. They include:

• Severe and persistent toothache
• Bad taste in your and bad mouth odor
• Extreme tooth sensitivity when taking hot or cold things
• Tooth pain when you chew or bite on the infected tooth
• Fever
• Facial or neck swelling

Foods That Help When You Have a Tooth Infection

A balanced nutritious diet is good for oral and overall health. Some foods have properties that help with tooth infections. Taking them will help ease the discomfort, kill oral bacteria and promote healing. Some of these foods are:

1. 1. Raw onions

Adding a few onion rings to your salad can help reduce oral bacteria that cause tooth infections. Uncooked onions contain sulfur compounds. Chewing them for a few minutes kills all bacteria in your mouth.

2. 2. Cheese

Cheese is high in calcium and phosphate. So eating cheese when you have a tooth infection helps neutralize oral acids and kills bacteria.

3. 3. Cloves

Cloves have a compound called eugenol, which is full of anti-inflammatory properties. If you put some cloves in your mouth for about 20 minutes, they soften. As a result, they will release the eugenol and relieve inflammation in the infected tooth.

4. 4. Un-sugared green or black tea

Green tea is full of Catechins that kill oral bacteria. Black tea contains compounds known as polyphenols that inhibit the growth of harmful mouth bacteria. Healthy drinks have been known to help prevent gum disease, tooth decay, and tooth loss.

5. 5. Shiitake Mushrooms

Research shows that shiitake mushrooms have a sugar known as Lentinan. It helps reduce the growth of harmful bacteria in the mouth. Consuming it decreases oral bacteria, and as a result, the tooth infection will not spread.

6. 6. Chamomile

Taking chamomile tea or rinsing your mouth with water steeped in it helps with a tooth infection. Its inflammatory properties will slightly bring down the swelling caused by the disease.

What Foods to Avoid When You Have an Infected Tooth

Although certain foods help with a tooth infection, other foods should be avoided. This is because they can aggravate the discomfort and toothache. Some are naturally acidic foods like tomatoes, grapes, and oranges. They worsen the pain caused by the infection. Also, avoid acidic beverages, sports drinks, and fizzy sodas.

You should also stay away from salty and spicy foods. They may irritate your gums near the infected tooth. Although fruits and vegetables are great for teeth, avoid taking the hard-to-chew ones. Taking them can aggravate tooth pain and other symptoms. If you must take these fruits and vegetables, cook, puree, or mash them for easier chewing.

The Dentist in Phoenix advises patients with tooth infections to avoid sugary foods or drinks. They also recommend avoiding foods that contain artificial preservatives and partially hydrogenated foods. It is because they increase acids and bacteria in the mouth, creating inflammation.

What Can You Do About an Infected Tooth?

Do not ignore an infected tooth, as it can lead to severe complications. Therefore, seek immediate care at our dental office if you suspect having a tooth infection. Then, contact us at All Smile Dental Care for a prompt diagnosis and effective treatment. We will also help prevent more tooth infections in the future.

You should take measures to reduce the oral bacteria and ease the discomfort. For example, you can prepare saltwater rinses and use them frequently. Avoid using mouthwashes since they contain alcohol which aggravates the infection. Placing a cold compress against the affected site helps reduce the pain and swelling.

Avoid foods or drinks that can irritate the infected tooth. These include hot, cold, spicy, chewy, sticky, hard, sugary, or acidic things. Also, do not touch the tooth with your tongue or finger, as this may trigger the pain.