5 Problems That Could Develop If A Cavity Isn’t Treated

Have you been to a family dentist in Lisle and gotten told that you need a dental filling even though your tooth didn’t hurt? You’re not the only person who’s wondering why preventive care is necessary, which is why it’s important to shed light on this common belief among patients. Leaving oral health problems untreated only results in more severe and painful issues down the road that wreak havoc on your entire mouth. A small dental filling that nobody will even be able to notice is a way easier treatment to get than a root canal. Read on to learn about five problems you could encounter if you don’t get a cavity treated.

An Unexpected Visit To The Emergency Dentist Due To Severe Pain

When cavities first begin to develop, they usually don’t hurt. Typically, you’ll just notice occasional sensitivity to hot and cold temperatures. However, once they progress into a problem that’s more severe, the inner pulp of your tooth that contains thousands of nerves may become damaged and infected. This can result in a severe toothache that can disrupt your work life and even keep you up at night, all because of a simple cavity that wasn’t filled. By this time, it’ll be too late to be able to schedule a treatment. Instead, you’ll have to leave work or school for an emergency visit to your dentist, which can shuffle around your entire day.

Cavities In Other Teeth

Cavities are known to “jump” to surrounding teeth. Because they’re caused by a bacterial infection, when the area isn’t sanitized and sealed off with a filling, the cavity can transfer and bacteria can spread at the bridge where the surrounding teeth touch each other. That means that instead of a single small filling, you’ll need to have two medium-sized fillings because the problem wasn’t treated before it had a chance to spread.

Root Canal Therapy

Cavities slowly inch their way through the outer, protective layers of your tooth towards the inner more fragile center. Once they’ve reached these deep areas of your dental structure, they carve out a hollow path in your tooth that allows harmful oral bacteria access to the inner chamber and pulp of it. Once the bacteria begin to multiply and upset the cluster of nerves, they can cause facial swelling, severe toothaches, and infections. At this point, you would need a root canal from your emergency dentist in Lisle to stop the infection from spreading to other teeth. This involves accessing the inner portion of the tooth and removing the pulp, topping the damaged tooth off with a dental crown.

Tooth Extraction

Once your cavity-ridden tooth has become penetrated by harmful oral bacteria, it’s important to get it treated right away. However, when the issue is still left to progress, the damage could make it so that even a root canal won’t fix the problem. In this case, you would need to have a tooth extraction to save the rest of your pearly whites from becoming affected.

More Costly Dental Treatments

The trend painted above basically lays out the fact that without timely intervention, the treatment options only get more costly and invasive. A small dental filling is simpler and more cost-effective than a dental crown and root canal, or a tooth extraction procedure. The more severe the treatment, the longer the recovery time as well, meaning you’ll need to take additional time off work and school to allow your mouth to fully heal.

The bottom line is there’s no easier scenario than the one where you receive preventive dental care. With a simple cavity filling, you can avoid heaps of stress and worry down the road. Plus, you’ll be able to preserve more of your natural smile, which you’ll be glad about as you age.

About the Author

Dr. Frank Marchese has been maintaining the health of his patients’ smiles for over three decades. He has attended over 1500 hours of advanced dental training and keeps up with the latest technology in his field so he can provide the highest possible quality of preventive care to his patients. As a master in the Academy of General Dentistry, his patients trust that they are in safe and reliable hands. For questions or to schedule routine checkups and cleanings, visit Arbor Dental Care’s website or call 630-969-2310.