Tooth infections are not only serious; they’re tricky. Some people with significant tooth infections experience very few or even no symptoms at all. The difficulty of identifying the presence of a tooth infection yourself based on symptoms alone really reinforces the importance of seeing a dentist in Delta regularly. Your dentist will be able to identify early indications of tooth infections long before symptoms could emerge and even if you experience no symptoms. Even though some infections present no or few symptoms, there is a common cluster of symptoms that, if present, may indicate the existence of a serious infection requiring root canal treatment:
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Severe pain while chewing or when you place pressure on the tooth
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The tooth is a different colour than its neighbours
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The gums around the tooth appear swollen and/or feel tender to the touch
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You see a small bump on the gums near the tooth that looks a bit like a pimple
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You experience pain when the tooth is exposed to hot or cold, and that pain persists even after the heat or cold is removed
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You have a fever
If you have any combination of those symptoms, you should contact a dentist near you as soon as possible to determine whether you have an infection that should be treated.
We understand why people delay in contacting their dentist even when they may be experiencing a serious tooth infection. After all, many people have heard a lot of terrible things about root canal procedures. Root canal in Delta has a reputation as being extremely complex and painful. The truth, though, is very different. Root canal procedures are not painful; rather, they relieve pain. Tooth extractions aren’t a better option; root canals save teeth from unnecessary extractions and eliminate the need to deal with tooth replacements. Here’s one more important truth. Waiting too long to undergo a root canal near you can have serious consequences.
What are the consequences of delaying root canal?
If you need to undergo a root canal in Delta, but wait too long to make an appointment to see a dentist near you, there are three serious potential — but avoidable — consequences:
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The infection will get worse. A tooth infection will not spontaneously resolve on its own, even if symptoms seem to have disappeared. In fact, the disappearance of pain can be an especially concerning symptom in and of itself. It may indicate that the nerves within your toth have died. An infection allowed to progress can spread throughout your jaw. In extreme cases, you may lose portions of your jaw that can only be replaced with reconstructive surgery.
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You’ll lose the tooth. Your dentist in Delta’s goal in providing root canal therapy is to save your tooth from unnecessary extractions. A tooth extraction is an invasive procedure that leaves a hole in your smile and jaw that must be dealt with at some point, or expose you to significant health risk in the years to follow. Dealing with that gap in your smile and jaw will require further dental procedures and costs — all of which can be avoided with timely root canal therapy.
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Your health and life will be placed at risk. A tooth infection that is permitted to progress without treatment will not remain within your tooth. It will spread into your gums and jaw and cause the development of abscesses that can contribute to life threatening strokes, heart attacks, and sepsis (a chain reaction triggered throughout your body caused by the tooth infection).
Getting a timely root canal from a dentist near eliminates symptoms of serious tooth infection and removes the infection from your tooth and mouth. If not removed, that infection can spread and place your health — and even your life — at risk. If you’re experiencing any symptoms of a tooth infection, please don’t hesitate to contact a dentist. You can be freed of that infection, that pain, that risk… and even keep your own tooth if you contact a dentist in time.