How Did An Infected Tooth Lead to This Woman’s Heart Surgery?

‘I’m calling the dentist tomorrow.’

A woman is sending a PSA about dental care after an infected tooth landed her on life support for a week. 

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In a TikTok with over 691,000 views, content creator @thefinemethod shares her scary experience and encourages viewers to stay on top of their dental health.

“If your tooth is hurting, go to the dentist,” @thefinemethod says to start the video.

How an infected tooth can lead to heart complications

@thefinemethod tells users that tooth infections can be deadly, citing the September 2023 death of former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Mike Williams. According to medical examiners, Williams died from a rare bacterial sepsis traced to a dental infection.

@thefinemethod shares a shocking revelation that she too suffered from a dental infection that instead spread to her heart. “I got a tooth pulled and it still got infected. I became septic; it went to my heart and I had something called endocarditis,” she explains.

It landed her on life support for seven days

@thefinemethod goes on to say that she was part of the 1% of people who after her tooth extraction took all of her antibiotics and still developed an infection. The ordeal landed her in the hospital on life support for seven days.

But things only got scarier. “They told me I had to have open-heart surgery. I went to see the surgeon and everything. The thing that grew on my heart from the infection ended up going away because I did six weeks of IV antibiotics,” @thefinemethod says.

As the video ends, @thefinemethod encourages viewers to go to the dentist if their teeth are hurting. She also has a clear message for anyone who gets an extraction and must take medicine afterwards: “Take every [expletive] one of those antibiotics, please.”

Users weigh in

In the comments, some users shared @thefinemethod’s urgency around dental health and even had their own horror stories of tooth infections gone wrong.

“My friend died because his tooth got infected. It burst and went to his blood stream,” one user shared.

“I got a brain infection from a tooth infection in 2020,” a second viewer wrote. In a follow-up comment, the same user called the tooth infection “no joke” and revealed they lost sight in their left eye as a result of it.

“This is my sign; I’m calling the dentist tomorrow,” a third person chimed in.

“I had [an infected tooth] during my first pregnancy. The tooth ache was worse than the contractions,” wrote a fourth user.

What health issues can an infected tooth cause?

While rare, an untreated tooth infection can lead to life-threatening health complications that prove fatal. Along with endocarditis and sepsis, other possible complications from an untreated tooth infection include osteomyelitis, brain abscesses, and necrotizing fasciitis.

Along with brushing and flossing at least twice a day, it is recommended that most people see the dentist at least once a year. Many dentists encourage a visit at least once every six months to ensure early response to any dental issues (abscessed tooth, cavities, tartar buildup, etc.) and to save patients money and pain in the long run.

By being prompt with your dental appointments, you can help prevent serious oral issues that could dramatically threaten your life and long term dental health.

The Daily Dot has reached out to @thefinemethod via TikTok message for more information.

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