Can a piece of tooth stuck in the gum cause infection or death?!
Question:
Can a piece of tooth stuck in the gum cause infection or death?
My boyfriend has a tiny piece of tooth still stuck in his gum from 2 years ago when he got a hole in his tooth and then broke the tooth and ripped what he thought was the rest of it out. Can this cause an infection which will lead to death? Again, it's been there for 2 years and it doesn't hurt him at all. He doesn't have a fever or any signs of infection. It does bleed often though.
Answers:
If this is a permanent tooth that cracked and broke, he probably still have rotten roots under the gums (there is no way you can pull out those roots on your own).
Anytime you have rotten teeth, it's a bad thing. The rotten pieces serve as reservoirs for germs to hide in, and it is a chronic infection. Have him go to a dentist and get those rotten roots taken out, because they do have the potential to cause real serious problems down the line.