When An Infected Tooth Becomes Much More

Earlier this year, a surgical resident was paged to the emergency room to evaluate a man with an angry mass bulging beneath his chin. Dr. Habib Zalzal half race-walked, half ran to find a panting 40-year-old in obvious distress. In addition to an infection, the man had a choked, high-pitched voice, an elevated tongue, a swollen neck, and a drool. "Please help me," read the panicked look on his face. In his patient's eyes, Dr. Zalzal also saw such hopelessness and fatigue he feared the