Tooth pain is often easy to ignore at first. Maybe it’s just a twinge when you drink cold water, or a dull ache after biting down on something hard. It’s tempting to hope it will just go away on its own. Unfortunately, when it comes to the infected pulp inside a tooth, time is not on your side. Delaying necessary endodontic treatment doesn’t just prolong your discomfort—it can lead to serious, sometimes irreversible, health complications.
At Cascade Endodontics in Orem, Utah, we specialize in saving teeth that might otherwise be lost. Led by Dr. Jon Jenson, our practice is dedicated to helping you understand why timely intervention is the key to maintaining a healthy smile.
Why Waiting is a Gamble with Your Health
When a dentist or endodontist recommends a root canal, it is because bacteria have invaded the soft inner tissue of your tooth, known as the pulp. This infection will not heal itself. Your body cannot reach inside the tooth to clear out the bacteria like it might with a skin cut.
If you choose to wait, the infection continues to spread. Here are the most common consequences of putting off treatment:
1. Excruciating Pain and Abscesses
The most immediate consequence of delay is often a dramatic increase in pain. As the infection spreads, pus builds up at the root tip in the jawbone, forming a pus-pocket called an abscess. An abscess can cause severe, throbbing pain, facial swelling, and tenderness in your lymph nodes. This is a dental emergency that requires immediate attention to drain the infection and treat the source.
2. Loss of Bone Density
Infection doesn’t just stay inside the tooth. It travels out through the root tips and begins to attack the surrounding bone structure. Chronic infection causes the bone around the tip of the root to degenerate. If the bone loss becomes too severe, the tooth may become loose, making it difficult or impossible to save even with endodontic treatment.
3. Systemic Health Risks
Your mouth is the gateway to your body. Leaving a severe infection untreated allows bacteria to enter your bloodstream. While rare, untreated dental infections can contribute to serious systemic issues, potentially complicating heart conditions or diabetes. Addressing the infection at its source protects your overall well-being.
4. Tooth Loss
The ultimate risk of delaying a root canal is losing the tooth entirely. If the structure of the tooth becomes too compromised by decay or if the tooth fractures vertically due to weakness, extraction becomes the only option. Replacing a missing tooth with an implant or bridge is significantly more expensive and time-consuming than saving your natural tooth with a root canal.
Expert Care You Can Trust
When dealing with complex dental pain, you need a specialist. Dr. Jon Jenson is a highly qualified endodontist committed to the highest standards of care. His expertise is backed by memberships in prestigious organizations, including the American Dental Association, the Utah Dental Association, the Utah Association of Endodontics, and the American Association of Endodontists. These credentials reflect a commitment to continuous learning and advanced techniques in the field of endodontics.
Our Endodontic Services
At Cascade Endodontics, we provide comprehensive services designed to relieve pain and save your natural teeth.
- Root Canal Therapy: Removing infected pulp to save the tooth.
- Endodontic Retreatment: Addressing teeth that have not healed correctly after a previous procedure.
- Apicoectomy: A minor surgical procedure to remove the very tip of the tooth root if infection persists.
- Traumatic Dental Injuries: specialized care for teeth damaged by accidents.
Don’t let fear or procrastination put your smile at risk. If you are experiencing tooth pain, timely treatment is your best defense.