This is what could happen if you ignore a cavity in your tooth
Don’t delay a visit to the dentist’s if you suspect you have a cavity
There are women who dramatically claim they’d rather birth a child than go to the dentist, even though the dentist has your best interest at heart, of course. Are you experiencing an unpleasant feeling in one of your teeth and do you suspect it might be a cavity? Then you don’t want to delay a visit to your dentist because an untreated cavity can cause a lot of misery.
These are the things that can happen when you ignore a cavity.
Your tooth can split
A healthy tooth is very unlikely to break. However, teeth with (relatively big) cavities are a different story. “If you have a lot of decay or a tooth with big, old fillings in it, those teeth are more susceptible to cracking,” Dr Carl McManama, professor of dentistry at Boston University, explains to Reader’s Digest. Simple things that seem innocent, like chewing your food, can already cause a decaying tooth to split.
It can cause nerve damage
“In the middle of every tooth is this skinny little hollow tube where the nerves and blood vessels are. When the decay reaches into the pulp of the tooth, that’s when the patient can have excruciating pain,” Dr McManama explains. In other words: as the cavity gets deeper, the pain gets worse. Eventually, nearly everyone gives in and makes an appointment with the dentist, but in some cases, it might already be too late. If that’s the case, you need a root canal treatment. In some cases, the tooth is already too far gone and can’t be saved anymore, which means it needs to be removed. To prevent this from happening, you should already contact your dentist when you’re experiencing only minor discomfort.
Your tooth can die
When your tooth has a cavity, it’s more sensitive to nerve infections. An infection can cause swelling and if that’s the case, your blood can no longer reach the nerves and the tooth will die. “When you have a dead nerve, the pain goes away but the tooth will continue to be destroyed by the decay process,” Dr McManama warns.
The rest of your mouth could also get infected
A cavity can not only do a lot of damage to your tooth but also to the rest of your mouth. The dead tissue of your tooth makes your mouth vulnerable to abscesses and infections. “The toxins from the dead tissue start infecting the bone at the tip of the root,” Dr McManama says. “Then the infection can break through into your cheek and into the floor of your mouth.” He also explains that this could lead to swelling in your jaw and the glands in your jaw and you could get a fever as well. In rare, serious instances, an untreated cavity can even cause abscesses like this to grow in your brain with a fatal conclusion. In other words: getting your teeth checked out at the dentist regularly is no unnecessary luxury.