You’ve noticed a little bit of tooth decay in your mouth, but it’s only a small amount and you’re not really feeling any pain or side effects. Why bother going to the dentist and paying a fortune to have something done about it? It’s been there for a while and still hasn’t caused any major issues, so you may as well just leave it, right?
Well, leaving or ignoring tooth decay is rarely a smart idea. Actually, scratch that, it’s NEVER a smart idea. What starts off as a minor problem can eventually cause major oral health issues that cost a lot more to fix. Not to mention that tooth decay can genuinely impact your life in a negative sense. With that in mind, here are three reasons you shouldn’t ignore any tooth decay in your mouth:
You’ll end up in pain
As tooth decay progresses – and it will progress – you will eventually end up in a lot of pain. What tends to happen is the decay gets deeper and deeper, going closer to the pulp and root of your tooth. From the outside, it might still look like a small black dot that you don’t think is anything to worry about. But, the deeper it gets, the more chance there is of excruciating pain. In fact, it can get to the point where it infects the nerve and you need more extensive treatment – like a costly root canal.
You can lose your tooth
Furthermore, tooth decay can cause your tooth to become so badly decayed and infected that the only option is to remove it. Having a missing tooth is a problem for many reasons, the main one being that it can weaken the supporting structures of the teeth around it, meaning they can come loose and fall out as well. While it is possible to replace the tooth permanently when it’s extracted, this will be very expensive. Once one tooth falls out, many others will follow unless you have replaced it somehow. Effectively, you’re in a catch 22 situation; either deal with a mouth of missing teeth or fork out to replace your decayed one.
Your breath will stink
What do you think about when you hear the word decay? That’s right, your mind casts images of things rotting away. Essentially, that’s exactly what’s happening to your tooth – and how do you expect this will affect your breath? Yep, it’s going to be very bad. People with tooth decay suffer from chronic bad breath, which can be a huge cause of self-confidence issues in your daily life. You can’t ignore tooth decay if you want to maintain fresh breath and full confidence!
Clearly, tooth decay is a more serious problem than you initially expect. Even when you have a tiny bit of decay, you should see a dentist, get it treated. The first warning signs of tooth decay are black marks on your teeth – if you spot these, book an appointment, just to be safe.
