The Cost of Not Getting a Root Canal

If your dentist has been telling you to get a root canal and you have been procrastinating on the issue, you need to rethink your decision. It could be that the fear of pain or financial constraints are stopping you. 

However, dental experts recommend that you do not delay this simple procedure. The consequences of not getting a root canal when required could be dire. Here is what it may cost you not getting this procedure.

Unrelenting Pain

Getting a root canal when your dentist recommends it helps alleviate pain. Most people are afraid of the procedure because of fear of pain. On the contrary, the treatment alleviates pain and is better than treating a cavity. The sooner you get a root canal, the sooner you will have a pain-free dental experience.

Tooth Infection

If you do not get a root canal once your tooth gets infected, your tooth will eventually die and require extraction. According to experts, the outer layer of your teeth might be hard, but the inner layer comprises soft, living tissue. 

But due to factors such as cracks in the tooth or deep decay, your tooth might get an infection, commencing its demise. If you do not get a root canal immediately, you will experience prolonged pain and get an infection that could spread.

Whole-Body Inflammation

It may sound farfetched, but an infected tooth could lead to systematic entire-body inflammation. If your dentist recommends a root canal procedure and you do not act on it, it can lead to serious health issues. 

This is because the bacteria from your infected tooth pulp might travel through the tooth’s root and into the jaw and gums. This may lead to sore abscesses full of pus, requiring treatment. If left untreated, it can culminate in serious conditions such as stroke and heart disease in more severe cases.

Tooth Extraction

Your dentist has your best interest at heart. He or she wants you to keep your natural teeth as long as possible. Moreover, your teeth keep stimulating your jawbone, keeping it from deteriorating. 

While a tooth extraction procedure might save your infected pulp, it is not the most ideal way to go. Through a root canal procedure, you have a better chance of saving your tooth and preserving the original structure of your natural smile too.

It Gets Worse

Just because you choose to ignore some things and they go away does not mean you are okay. Postponing your root canal is not one of those things, though. In some instances, you may wait it out and the pain goes away.

This does not mean that you are healed. It means that the nerves inside your tooth are already dead. This will lead to the spread of the infection to other parts of your body, eventually manifesting in other places and other forms.

For more information about the consequences of not getting a root canal, visit Marietta Smile Gallery at our office in Marietta, Georgia. You can call 770-809-1500 today to schedule an appointment.