Ignoring a toothache has severe consequences
A toothache, especially one that won’t go away may be a sign of an expanding cavity or a deep infection. You are the best advocate for your dental health, and you have the power and control to better not only your dental health but your health overall. Pain is an early warning sign that you shouldn’t ignore. The best and most effective way to improve your dental health is regularly seeing a top dentist. Today, we’ll provide for you three reasons why ignoring a toothache is detrimental.
Toothaches May Result in A Serious Infection
The consequences of ignoring dental pain can be severe. Tooth decay is the result of a bacterial infection that has entered your tooth. Once inside, this infection can make its way into your bloodstream. At this point, the bacterial infection can spread throughout your entire body, resulting in a wide range of health issues such as heart or brain infections! If you or someone else has a pre-existing condition, the spread of these bacterial cells can make those health concerns worse.
In the past, we’ve discussed that your dental health impacts your health overall. Ignoring a toothache can lead to a domino effect of other health issues. In a more localized and obvious scenario, tooth loss is another consequence of neglecting dental pain. When bacterial attacks are ignored for long enough, they can form into an abscess in or around the tooth. These can be excruciating and lead to possible extractions if the tooth is deemed hopeless.
Tooth Decay and Cavities Present a Problem When Left Untreated
The tricky thing about a cavity or tooth decay forming is that you can’t always detect. Sometimes you don’t experience any pain. Typically, you only feel tooth pain when the cavity expands close enough to your nerve. Until that happens, cavities can remain silent. This is why our doctors recommend treating a cavity when the problem is small and less expensive. In most cases, a simple dental filling can fix the problem at this stage. However, if a cavity is left unchecked and expands, it can quickly become too large for a standard filling. In these cases, a dental crown, onlay or inlay are ways to solve this problem, but indeed are costlier than a filling.
In a worst-case scenario, if decay is not treated, tooth extraction may be required. Tooth loss can be a painful experience to go through, not necessarily only because of the pain itself, but because it affects a person’s appearance and confidence. Luckily our doctors can offer many simple solutions to fix these issues such as dental implants!
Ignoring a Toothache Could Lead to Gum Disease
Gum disease is not a disease that pops up overnight. In its early stages, there are some red flags that you can detect. Pain, swelling, and bleeding gums are a few of them. In some cases, you may feel as if you’re experiencing pain from a tooth. However, the pain could instead come from swelling and sores from in and around your mouth. Likely from bacteria that have infiltrated your gum tissues. Our office can easily diagnose these issues with a quick exam and suggest solutions at an affordable price that works with your budget.
The top way to combat gum disease is to make sure that you brush and floss religiously and keep up with your dental appointments every six months.
Get in Touch With Smile Designs of Olney Today!
For your smile makeover or any other dental needs, come to Smile Designs of Olney! Book an appointment with us. Whether you want your teeth whitened, straightened, or restored altogether, we pride ourselves on quality patient care and giving you the smile makeover that you deserve. Our small, professional staff will make you feel right at home. We service the Montgomery County regions including Olney, Laytonsville, Brookville, Silver Spring, Rockville, Columbia, Bethesda, Chevy Chase and Germantown, MD. Contact us at (301) 260-0700, visit us online, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube.