Chronic low grade fever

[JLyn1]

Can a dental infection cause low grade fevers and feeling unwell?  I'm going this week to the dentist. I'm 28 and have been a smoker for 15 years. Despite the smoking I eat healthy and exercise. I was diagnosed with Shingles in Sept 2013, since then my health has declined. I didn't have the rash shingles generally causes but I did have a rash on my neck. The doctor just treated me for it without being 100% certain. Starting this year I got my flu shot and then became sick with the flu. Started antibiotics and would get better then again get sick again. One virus lasted a month. Now it's May and I've been battling a low grade fever from 99.4-100.3 oral temp daily. Some days I feel ok then the fever comes and it just runs me down. I've had ear pain, sore throat, eye pain, headaches, sinus pressure, changes in vision, sweating, very bad knee pain and joint pain and just a general feeling of being unwell. I don't exercise like I used to. I did just get my braces off and have a food trap in between my teeth. The area is so hard to get food out and it looks black in between. I also have a very sensitive gum area when brushing on my lower gum. Could my teeth be the culprit?  I tested positive IGM for Lyme disease and 2 bands were reactive. But the doctor said this could be a false positive because my IGG is not elevated, it's negative. I am going to go see an ID advised from the doctor I work for. I'm currently on augmentin and it's not doing much. My WBC are not elevated at this time and other labs seem WNL.  I just feel so worn down. Mentally I push myself and my body just is weak. This weekend I had a painful swollen lymph node on my right side of my neck with a headache that wrapped around my right ear. I am trying to be patient, but this is really running me down. Any advice?

[JLyn1]

I went to the dentist yesterday. He said he is going to fill the area with a filling. There is no redness or swelling. It is just very black and very painful when food gets stuck in between or when I'm cleaning the food out. My orthodontist slenderized that tooth and with the braces it never closed fully. It gives me a lot of pain for hours when something is stuck in between or when I'm trying endlessly to floss it. There is always good stuck between those teeth.

Ok. I don't think they did test for it. I am a nurse and very active. I just haven't felt myself in months. My PCP ran an ANA test and it was negative. I do see the ID doc this next month and sure he will run a full work up.

Thanks for your reply.

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Its possible a dental infection can cause a low grade fever if the infection has spread into the bloodstream but since its an infection, usually it'll worsen.  Any dental pain in the mouth at all?  Or swelling?

Have you been test or checked for fibromyalgia? I'm not a medical doctor so I don't know how to diagnose but off the top of my head, that may be a possible diagnosis.