Wisdom tooth infection?

Hi there.  Can anyone tell me if an infected wisdom tooth can cause a sore throat?  If so why?

I recently got over a sore throat which lasted about 5 days. At the early stages of the sore throat i had no pain in my wisdom tooth, however on day 2-3 my lower right wisdom tooth became very painful and kind of inflamed. At this time I also had a pain under my jawline ( the side of the painful wisdom tooth only)  - is this the lymph node?

If the sore throat is down to an infected wisdom tooth - would it be contagious, say if I kissed my girlfriend??? She has no symptoms of a sore throat so i'm guessing no????

Thanks for any replies.

[charlieboy]

Just to add  - I am 28 years old and i haven't had any of my wisdom teeth removed.

[lillysomala]

I have the same thing - I went to the doctor last week as I found a lump in my neck - she said it was an isolated lymph node and a sign of infection (at which point I didn't feel ill). A few days later I developed a mild sore throat. Now, I am being woken up at night suffering with outrageous pain in the back of my mouth, shooting up to my temples - which I assume must be an infected wisdom tooth! I have another lump in my neck now, too. I'm planning on getting some antibiotics.

[lillysomala]

Oh, and last night my boyfriend was complaining of a sore throat - don't know it this is related.

[MInute Maid]

You both sound like you have abscesses, though not necessarily in the root canal.  It could be your sinuses, as that can feel exactly like toothache, and the fact that it follows on from a sore throat (or vice versa) further suggests this.

You need antibiotics as soon as possible.