When your dentist tells you that you need a root canal, you may look for excuses to avoid going through with it. The problem with this is that when a tooth needs a root canal, it generally means there is an infection inside the tooth. If you do not get the root canal that you need, you could be taking risks that will affect your mouth and health. Read more about three risks you take by not getting a root canal when it is needed.
You Could Lose the Tooth
When a tooth needs a root canal, it is because the inner parts of the tooth are infected. A dentist must enter inside the tooth to remove the tooth pulp from it, and this is done to remove the infected parts of the tooth.
If you fail to get a root canal, the bacteria from the infection will spread and could eventually take over the entire tooth. This will result in losing the tooth, whereas a root canal will help you save the tooth.
After a root canal procedure is finished, the dentist will typically create a crown to place over the tooth. Root canals require a loss of part of a tooth, but most of the tooth will stay and it is better to have a partial tooth than no tooth at all.
It Could be Painful
In some cases, teeth that need root canals are not currently causing any pain, but there are other times when an infected tooth will be extremely painful. This pain is primarily caused by the infection in the tooth, and this infection will not go away on its own.
Dentists commonly prescribe antibiotics to kill the infection, but a root canal procedure should follow shortly afterwards. Without getting the root canal, the infection is likely to return, and you could experience more pain the second time than you did when the problem initially began.
The Infection Will Spread
The third risk you take by not getting this done is that the infection from inside the tooth could travel to other parts of your body. Infections in the mouth commonly spread to the heart and lungs. When this happens, it can put you at risk for having a stroke, or for developing heart disease or other heart problems.
Getting a root canal is not necessarily a fun event, but it can protect you from other problems. If you have a tooth ache, it could be due to an infection inside the tooth, and you should go to the dentist to have it examined.
Share30 December 2014
When the bottled water craze began, I jumped on the bandwagon with everyone else who was drinking water from bottles instead of from the tap. I wasn't sure why bottled water was healthier, but I liked the taste. When I went for my next dental check-up, I had my first cavity in a while, so I had it filled and didn't think much of it. Well, I had two more during my next check-up after that, and I began trying to think of why my teeth were suddenly going bad. The only change in my habits was the switch to bottled water, so I made the switch back to tap water and my teeth began to improve. I created this blog to encourage others who have begun getting cavities suddenly to look into their changes in habits. They may find they made a change similar to mine.