So a rotten tooth or one that has a lot of decay on it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s infected at that point, but left unchecked and without somebody to remove that decay, it will inevitably lead to an infection that can cause problems down the road.
Symptoms to Watch For
If you’re having symptoms that you’re concerned, you have some cavities, whether that’s hot and cold sensitivity, discoloration, foul taste, sometimes bleeding gums can be a sign of a cavity because the tissue can kind of swell up into that space and is really sensitive and tender. If you’re having any of these symptoms, definitely get with your dental professionals so they can help you evaluate what the best plan for saving those teeth are.
Progression of Decay
So the next stage of cavity is when it actually goes into the internal part of the tooth called the dentin. So once it’s reached that point, it is really close to the nerve and that’s when you really, the majority of the time, going to have a lot of sensitivity to hot and cold.
A lot of times sweets can really make teeth hurt, and in that situation, a lot of times the filling gets really large and at that point it might need to have a crown to protect it. And sometimes when the decay reaches into the nerve, which is that center part of the tooth, then we can get an infection. And when that happens, a lot of times you’ll have some swelling in the area, a lot of pressure, and that’s when you get that typical Hollywood “Ow, my tooth is killing me!” Pain is when the nerve on the inside of the tooth is involved, and once the nerve’s been involved and the decay or the cavity has reached it into that central point, at that point, the only solution is a root canal. And basically what that means is we go down the inside of the tooth, take the nerve out, put a nice, safe, stable filling on the inside to seal the tooth, and then generally a crown over the top to protect the tooth because when a tooth has had a root canal, it’s lost its nerve, it’s lost a significant amount of hydration.
So it’s a little bit more brittle, it’s a little bit more prone to breaking down. So at that point, we want to protect the tooth because you’ve made an investment to save the tooth at this point, and we want to make sure it doesn’t break down in the future.
Why an Infected Tooth Matters
Is an infected tooth a big deal? Actually, it really is a big deal. By definition, an infected tooth has a lot of extra bacteria and a lot of inflammation and a lot of unhealthiness in that area. And you may think it’s just isolated to your mouth, but actually if you think about it, the mouth is only about two inches away from the brain and there’s a lot of blood supply. There’s a lot of ways that that bacteria can travel, and so leaving an untreated infection can lead to a lot of further health risks and health complications further than just teeth and mouth issues.
We don’t see this in my practice, but there are patients unfortunately with either no access to care or afraid to go to the dentist that have been having infections lingering for a long time. Those can lead to abscesses. And the abscess is basically when that small infection that was localized around the tooth all of a sudden spreads out, it starts taking away bone structure, it starts eating into the nerve. A lot of times it can lead to paralysis of the jaw, it can lead to broken jaw. If it spreads into the submandibular space where it can get to the lymph nodes, a lot of times it can spread to other parts of the body. And in extreme cases, when abscesses are left untreated, they can actually lead to brain damage and death. Now, this is not to say that you’re going to die from a cavity, but I do want you to make sure you take them seriously because if left unchecked, a lot of times we see some pretty extreme results of infections that develop from cavities that weren’t taken care of when a lot of times it’s just as easy as coming in, letting us get you nice and numb, removing that little bit of unhealthy tooth structure and just replacing it with a nice filling or crown.
Treating and Preventing Severe Decay
Now, I know I’ve never heard anyone say, “Gee, I love a root canal.” But if you look at it from the big picture, if you want to go through a little bit of discomfort to save the tooth and eliminate any kind of future pain or discomfort, it’s definitely a worthwhile time investment.
As a dentist, here’s my public service announcement. I know nobody really wants to come to the dentist, and I know it can have a lot of fear. There can be a lot of anxiety involved in “Is it going to be painful? Are they going to laugh at my mouth? Are they going to talk about my mouth?” I promise you, none of that will happen in our office. But my concern is I don’t want you to leave a cavity unchecked or to leave any bacteria that are just kind of multiplying and going crazy in your mouth because that can lead to infection, and what little bit of pain and discomfort you’re having now if left untreated a lot of times can get bigger and more involved.
There’s a saying in dentistry that everything gets more expensive over time. If you don’t treat something small now, it’s going to be a bigger problem and it’s going to be more expensive and more involved, and it may involve more teeth and a bigger overall treatment plan. Whereas when you first catch something small, especially if it’s just isolated to one tooth, a lot of times the treatment is pretty straightforward.
Final Thoughts
So if you’re worried or concerned that you might have some decay or you might have something not feeling right, I promise you you’ll feel a million times better. You come in, let us take a look at it. And a lot of times knowledge is power because knowing that, yeah, okay, so I’ve got a small cavity. What it’s going to take to fix it is just a small filling is so much better than letting something fester and blossom or not even knowing that you have something going on and then all of a sudden you’ve got a big tooth problem. The tooth’s in a lot of pain, you have an emergency. And in my experience, that always happens on a Friday night or it happens when you’re about to head out of town. And so honestly, in dentistry, one of the things is catch it early so we can help you when it’s small.
I’m Dr. Brett Langston, owner of Dental Implant Aesthetic Specialist here in Brookhaven, Georgia, and I’m here to help you watch your mouth.
English 
Spanish