What Can Happen If You Ignore A Toothache?

Failure to act quickly can lead to significant dental treatment

What is your reaction at the first sign of a toothache? If you are like the majority of people, unless the pain is very sudden and severe, you probably choose to try to ignore it in the hope that it will go away and heal on its own.

Occasionally, a piece of food may become lodged painfully in the gums and may feel like a minor toothache, only to be washed away soon after and the pain not repeated.

However, this is relatively rare and any pain or discomfort you feel in a tooth, especially if it lasts for more than a day, is likely to indicate that there is a problem that needs professional attention from your local dentist.

At the Cygnet Dental Practice in Wickford, we encourage our patients to act quickly when they notice or suspect a problem with their teeth or gums. As we will see in today’s blog, there are a number of reasons why you should do this and why ignoring a toothache or other dental discomfort definitely doesn’t pay in the long run.

So what can go wrong if you do ignore early warning signs?

Condition worsens

This is almost inevitable although the consequences may come more quickly or slowly depending on a lot of factors, but they almost inevitably will come. What might have been rectified with a relatively minor treatment such as a small filling, could become a much larger problem if you don’t see a dentist as soon as you possibly can. In some cases, more extensive treatment might be needed if the problem is allowed to deteriorate further, such as the fitting of a crown or even root canal treatment if the infection reaches the area deeper inside the tooth.

Increase in pain

A ‘mild’ toothache may seem to be manageable, especially if you use painkillers to lessen it, but almost inevitably this pain will become worse. In addition to suffering from any significant discomfort, it is also likely to affect your abilities in your daily life and even basic things, like the ability to think clearly or to get a good night’s sleep will almost certainly be affected. You are also likely to find it more painful to eat as well, spoiling your enjoyment of what you are eating.

Infections

Although some discomfort might be caused by an infection of the gum, such as an abscess, the problem can spread if not treated promptly and can start to cause infections which can lead to swellings and fevers. In some cases, this could even lead to sepsis which is very dangerous indeed and can be life threatening.

Tooth loss

Once you feel a pain in your tooth, you can be fairly sure that there is something that needs treating. Whilst dentists have a lot of tools and techniques to help avoid extractions, unfortunately this isn’t always possible. Ignoring that little niggling pain in its early stages could eventually lead to the loss of the tooth and the need for a replacement, such as a dental implant, dentures or a bridge.

Cost considerations

Even if you feel that you can put up with the pain of a toothache or gum soreness, and you really shouldn’t; remember that the more extensive a treatment is, the more likely it is to cost more. A small filling on the NHS for example, would currently cost you £23.80. If you allow the problem to worsen though, you could find yourself having to pay for a Band 3 NHS treatment such as having to have a crown fitted which would cost you £282.80. As you can see, there is a big difference and with other household costs increasing as well, spending around £250 extra for your treatment is something you will probably want to avoid if you possibly can.

In addition to the daily care of your teeth and gums by brushing well and using floss, you should also make sure that you have both dentist and hygienist appointments booked at our Wickford clinic. This will reduce your chances of having problems in between but this doesn’t mean that they are completely avoidable. In the event that you do feel that there is a problem, such as discomfort or pain, make sure to contact us straight away and, in some cases, we may be able to book you in for an emergency appointment to get treated as soon as possible. For both general and emergency appointments, please call the Cygnet Dental Practice toda on 01268 733078.