A cavity is a type of tooth decay that occurs when natural oral bacteria eat away at your teeth to create a hole in the surface. This dental damage needs professional treatment from a dentist to eradicate. Your dentist will get rid of the decay and use a dental filling to restore and protect the tooth.
Though cavities are common, you should not downplay the severity of this issue in your smile. If the decay advances, you can notice major discomfort as well as irreversible damage to the look and feel of your smile. Make sure that you schedule treatment with your dentist right away if they identify a tooth cavity.
You can feel more encouraged to seek the dental care that you need when you know about the oral health risks of advanced tooth decay. Read on to learn about three serious dental problems that might develop if a cavity in your tooth remains untreated.
Cosmetic Dental Concerns
Some people will not realize that they have a cavity until a dentist diagnoses the tooth decay during a routine check-up. But even if you do not experience symptoms at first, the problem will worsen. Many people might feel upset when an untreated cavity begins to affect the appearance of their smile.
A cavity might appear as a visible hole in the tooth that will deepen and broaden if you do not seek treatment. Cavities might also look like brown or black spots on the tooth. This can seem stark against the white appearance of the rest of your smile. Avoid these cosmetic dental concerns by treating a cavity as soon as you can.
Tooth Pain
When you have a cavity, the damage to your enamel, the outer layer of your tooth, can reveal the vulnerable interior of the tooth. This dentin layer contains nerves that can transmit pain signals to the brain if stimulated by food and other items. As a result, you can experience tooth sensitivity that may worsen when you have an untreated cavity.
People with advanced tooth decay may experience other types of oral discomfort as well. They can experience a dull, constant ache in the tooth that may radiate through the face. Or the pain can feel sharp and severe. Tooth pain of any kind is abnormal and warrants urgent treatment from a dentist.
Oral Infections
Tooth decay itself is a type of rotting that will continue to destroy the structure of your teeth until you receive treatment. The teeth might even fall out or require extraction. But this weakening within your teeth can put you in grave danger of other oral infections within your tooth too.
Without strong enamel, oral bacteria can reach the pulp of your tooth and give you an abscess or other severe infection. If you do not seek emergency treatment for this infection, it can reach your bloodstream and travel throughout your body. Since your brain is so close to your mouth, you could risk major medical problems. So do not delay cavity treatment.