Medical Disclaimer: This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical or dental advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Home remedies are not substitutes for professional dental care. Tooth pain during pregnancy may indicate serious conditions requiring immediate professional attention. Always consult your dentist and OB/GYN before using any home remedies, especially during pregnancy. If you experience severe pain, swelling, fever, or signs of infection, seek immediate professional care.
You’re doing all the right things. You have a good sleep routine, exercise, hydrate, and nurture your body, yet you still feel fatigued. You might want to consider a visit to the dentist if you’ve ruled out the usual culprits. An analysis of eight studies, which spanned over 36,500 participants, found significant associations between poor oral health and poorer sleep quality.
A massive 90% of dental infections have no pain, but can quietly affect your health in ways you’d never expect, including your heart health. Learn how to spot possible signs of infection and how these infections could lead to feeling more fatigued.
Why a Tooth Infection Can Make You Feel Tired
A tooth infection causes the same effect on your body as other infections. Your immune system produces antibodies to target the germ, and the accumulation of cells creates inflammation.
Your Immune System Uses Energy to Fight Infection
The concentration of fighter cells becomes so intense at times that swelling or a painful lump forms. But in some instances, there’s no obvious sign at the infection site that anything is amiss. The only sign that there’s a tooth infection is tiredness as your body burns through energy to target germs. Infection can lead to:
- Sleep disturbances
- Shorter sleep duration
- Reduced sleep quality
Knowing how your body responds to infections may help you detect a tooth infection as the cause of fatigue sooner. Your mouth is connected to the rest of your body, so addressing a tooth infection early can improve your overall health.
Inflammation Can Affect Your Whole Body
Your mouth is connected to the rest of the body through the bloodstream and immune system. A pain-free, infected tooth allows bacteria and inflammatory chemicals can enter circulation and trigger a wider immune response.
This is part of what researchers call the oral-systemic connection, and the idea that inflammation in the mouth can influence other parts of the body. When the immune system is constantly responding to infection, it uses energy and releases inflammatory signals that can affect sleep, energy levels, and your overall well-being. That’s one reason a dental infection may be associated with symptoms beyond tooth pain, including fatigue.
Sleep Disruption From Tooth Pressure or Pain
Research identifies orofacial pain as one of the most widespread health challenges affecting everyday life. Cavities and tooth decay top the list as reasons for dental pain, and the research reveals that continued pain can affect your quality of life. With a toothache, the pain itself might be severe enough to keep you awake, or you might have trouble finding a comfortable sleeping position.
The reasons for your fatigue might be clearer now, but it helps to identify possible tooth infection symptoms early on. Clearing up your tooth infection quickly could help you get back to better sleep and higher energy levels.
Common Tooth Infection Symptoms
You might not experience the severe, throbbing toothache often associated with an oral infection. Some other tooth infection symptoms include having:
- Swollen lymph nodes that may feel tender to the touch
- Sensitivity to hot or cold food and drinks
- Pressure or sensitivity while chewing or biting down on something
- Difficulty opening your mouth properly or swallowing
- Unpleasant taste in your mouth and chronic bad breath
- Unexplained fever, and feeling unwell
Your fatigue might signal a serious tooth infection when you’re experiencing the last few symptoms on the list above. Knowing what to do next might prevent serious effects on the rest of your body.
What to Do If a Tooth Infection Is Causing Fatigue
When you’re almost certain a dental infection is the reason for your fatigue, it’s time to take action. Start with these steps:
- Step 1: Get a dental exam and radiographs (X-rays)
- Step 2: Identify the source of the infection
- Step 3: Treat the infection
Common ways your dentist might treat your infection include a root canal, drainage, antibiotics, or extraction. They might do one procedure, or a few, depending on the severity of your infection.
Preventing Tooth Infections
Daily personal accountability will help you maintain your oral hygiene, and this approach might help you avoid complicated products and clinical procedures.
- 8 to 10 minutes of cleaning: Take the time to do a thorough eight to 10-minute clean once a day. Four minutes should go to brushing, and four minutes to cleaning between your teeth.
- Clean between your teeth every day: Cleaning between your teeth removes plaque where brushes can’t reach. Ways you can reach these tricky areas include dental floss, interproximal brushes, and directed water irrigation with a water flosser.
- Use a soft toothbrush: Soft toothbrushes prevent tooth enamel erosion and gum damage.
- Use disclosing tablets to improve cleaning: You’ll see exactly where you missed when you’re cleaning your teeth, as disclosing tablets discolor plaque.
You’re more likely to prevent expensive dental procedures when you take care of the small details when it comes to oral hygiene.
Can a Tooth Infection Make You Tired All the Time? FAQs About Fatigue and Oral Hygiene
You’re in good company if you’re wondering whether your dipping energy levels might have something to do with your dental health. Find out what others have asked about the link between fatigue and tooth infections:
Can a Tooth Infection Make You Tired All the Time?
You can feel tired all the time as your body uses up your energy reserves to fight off the infection. If the infection lingers, causing ongoing inflammation or disrupting your sleep, it can worsen fatigue. Tiredness on its own isn’t enough to diagnose dental infection, so be on the lookout for other symptoms like dizziness.
What Does an Infected Tooth Look Like?
If you suspect you have an infected tooth, look for darker, cracked teeth or red, swollen gums. You may also notice a bump on the gum near the tooth, but sometimes there are very few visible signs. The tooth may appear completely normal and healthy, yet be infected.
When is a Tooth Infection an Emergency?
A tooth infection becomes an emergency when you experience trouble breathing or swallowing. You might have facial swelling or rapidly worsening pain, which could indicate the infection is spreading beyond the tooth. Treating your dental infection will help to avoid a medical emergency.
Take Control of Your Dental Health and Energy Levels
There’s a strong connection that links your dental health with your wellbeing. A tooth infection causes your body to respond through inflammation, which uses energy. What’s important is visiting your dentist as soon as you link your oral health to your fatigue.
Other symptoms might reveal your mouth as the source of infection. As 90% of dental infections are painless, the only way to tell if you have an infected tooth is to go for a complete dental exam. We have to find and address the source of the disease, rather than only treating the symptom.
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