Your tooth can die
When your tooth has a cavity, it’s more sensitive to nerve infections. An infection can cause swelling and if that’s the case, your blood can no longer reach the nerves and the tooth will die. “When you have a dead nerve, the pain goes away but the tooth will continue to be destroyed by the decay process,” Dr McManama warns.
The rest of your mouth could also get infected
A cavity can not only do a lot of damage to your tooth but also to the rest of your mouth. The dead tissue of your tooth makes your mouth vulnerable to abscesses and infections. “The toxins from the dead tissue start infecting the bone at the tip of the root,” Dr McManama says. “Then the infection can break through into your cheek and into the floor of your mouth.” He also explains that this could lead to swelling in your jaw and the glands in your jaw and you could get a fever as well. In rare, serious instances, an untreated cavity can even cause abscesses like this to grow in your brain with a fatal conclusion. In other words: getting your teeth checked out at the dentist regularly is no unnecessary luxury.
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Source: Reader’s Digest | Image: Pexels
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