The problem with infected tooth roots is that sometimes they don’t hurt. That sounds like a good thing, but they are local infections around the root of a tooth in the bone. The infection is caused by either decay which has gotten in the nerve of the tooth or gum infection under the gumline that moves down the root from outside the tooth.

Either one cause creates a growing abscess in the bone that sets off an inflammatory response in the body. Where a root is infected, it will often result in loss of the tooth if it goes undetected.

Regular dental checkups with periodic X-rays and periodontal probing will detect developing problems before serious infection occurs. The old adage, “What you can’t see won’t hurt you,” doesn’t apply to infected tooth roots.