Why Dental Cavities Need to be Treated

Some people with dental cavities are always going to say “I don’t have the time to get that fixed”, even though they know that pain and discomfort shouldn’t be ignored, and their teeth will just deteriorate further. This is what will happen if they don’t treat the problem.

More deterioration, more decay

Ignoring a cavity will lead to it growing in size, and the related decay will result in a tooth that’s brittle and likely to crack, while the bacteria from tooth decay will affect surrounding teeth. If noticed and treated in a timely fashion with a tooth filling, dental decay can often be easily addressed.

Major nerve pain

Avoiding treating dental decay can lead to pain that is difficult to ignore, as bacteria causing decay reaches the nerve. When this occurs, your options to eliminate the pain and infection are

1.  Try to save your tooth with a root canal treatment
2. Have your tooth removed and either have a gap or have the gap filled with a denture, dental bridge or dental implant

Bacterial infection

Bacterial infections arise in the jaw bone as bacteria in the decay process reach the pulp infecting it and pushing pus into the bone, leading to swelling of the gum and pain symptoms. This kind of bacterial infection can lead to larger infections that can cause inflammatory damage around the body – think cardiovascular disease or even worse.

Serious illness and death

Before modern dentistry, tooth cavities could even cause serious illness or death, and while rare, this is still possible in the worst cases – not to scaremonger but it’s important to know that tooth cavities leading to infection can be fast-moving and can cause huge problems. It’s always best to get them sorted out before they affect your life in a negative way.

Form healthy habits and keep them up

Of course, the best way to fight cavities and tooth decay is to follow the same healthy habits you always hear about. These practises help to keep your teeth healthy and prevent cavities:

• Brush your teeth twice daily with high quality toothpaste for 2 minutes
• Floss daily to clean surfaces of your teeth the brush can't reach
• Eat healthy and balanced meals and avoid sugary foods.
• Avoid snacking
• Get regular dental check-ups. 

Contact Hobsonville Point Dental for a check-up and any of our other services, including cosmetic dentistry, tooth whitening services, fillings, dental implants, Fastbraces. We want to take care of your teeth and make sure you have a bright and happy smile for life. 

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