When a toothache strikes, it can be pretty difficult to ignore. Severe throbbing tooth pain is often a result of an advanced untreated dental infection, and it can lead to many oral health issues such as persistent tooth pain, new dental infections, and tooth loss. However, you may not be aware of the significant risks that an untreated tooth infection can present to your overall health. Here’s a brief guide to how neglecting to treat a toothache can lead to serious consequences.
What Causes Toothache?
Toothaches can arise from a wide variety of sources, and not all dental pain counts as an emergency. Dull tooth pain may be the result of a sinus infection, and sensitivity usually goes away on its own after a few days. However, throbbing and severe tooth pain is typically the result of harmful oral bacteria penetrating the enamel and dentin layers of a tooth and infecting the soft pulp tissue inside. This sort of infection will not get better on its own and requires immediate dental attention to resolve.
How Can a Toothache Harm My Overall Health?
An untreated dental infection leads to tooth loss and can potentially spread to other teeth, meaning that your toothache can possibly destroy your whole smile if you ignore it for too long. However, some research suggests that the bacteria causing a dental infection can be carried through the blood stream to other tissues of the body where they can cause potentially life-threatening issues like pneumonia and sepsis.
How Can a Toothache Be Treated?
Luckily, today’s endodontists are trained and equipped to perform treatments called root canals that can kill dental infections at their source and preserve a tooth after extensive decay. This procedure involves removing the infected pulp, sanitizing and filling the tooth, and replacing the lost dental structure with a crown. This whole process is rendered painless by local anesthetic, and you may receive a sedation treatment to help you stay still and calm if necessary. However, a tooth that cannot be saved may have to be extracted and replaced.
Ignoring your toothache can lead to serious oral and overall health consequences. Getting the care you need when you need it can help you keep your smile and the rest of your body in great shape for life.
About the Author
Dr. Paul Scott earned his dental degree at the Northwestern University Dental School in Chicago and served with the United States Navy. He is proud to be a member of the American Dental Association and the American Association of Endodontists. His office in Melbourne provides root canal therapy, oral sedation, and emergency dentistry. If you currently have a severe toothache, dial (321) 722-0550. For non-emergency inquiries, contact the office online.