Table of contents:
- The dangers of cavities if left untreated
- 1. Severe pain
- 2. Affects the jaw structure
- 3. Abscess formation
- 4. Gum disease
- 5. Broken teeth
- 6. Heart disease
- 7. Stroke
- How to treat the dangers of cavities?
There are still many people who fail to maintain healthy teeth and mouth. Not a few are also less aware of the importance of routine control to the dentist. In fact, untreated teeth are prone to damage and even cavities. If allowed to continue, cavities are dangerous to health. Not only for oral health, but also for overall body health. Complications due to cavities can even cause danger in the form of chronic disease that may lead to death.
The dangers of cavities if left untreated
Cavities are usually in the form of black or dark brown holes that develop on the surface of the back molars and other molars that are responsible for chewing and grinding food.
Generally, cavities are experienced by children, but it is possible that many adults experience this one dental problem.
Quoted from the Mayo Clinic, cavities are a very common dental problem. Therefore, it is also not unusual for people to not take it seriously. In fact, if left alone there will be danger from cavities. Such as tooth decay coupled with serious complications.
If cavities are not treated properly, they can lead to infection of the body's tissues. Well, if the body's tissues are infected, the infection will spread to other organs.
When teeth are cavities and damaged, the things you can experience are:
- Pain that interferes with daily activities.
- There is weight loss to nutritional problems. This happens due to difficulty chewing it is also painful.
- Loss of teeth which can lead to an impact on appearance
Here are some health problems due to untreated cavities:
1. Severe pain
Cavities cause pain that sometimes shouldn't be taken lightly. The severity of this pain depends on how large the cavity is.
The first danger of cavities is that you may suddenly experience a throbbing pain in the tooth, then soon disappear.
But not long after, the pain reappeared and even spread to the ears and jaw, causing headaches. This pain sometimes hampers your activities.
In fact, not infrequently when pain appears, the effect of this cavity causes you to be more sensitive to your surroundings, irritable when you hear noise, for example.
2. Affects the jaw structure
If you have a cavity but left it too long, this will cause other cavities, such as the infection to spread. Not only in the teeth, but down to the gums.
Even if not healed, the danger of cavities will cause damage to the jawbone.
This happens if there are several teeth that are toothless due to the decay of the cavities, then the teeth will automatically shift and affect the structure of your teeth and of course it will affect the structure of the jaw as well.
3. Abscess formation
The dangers of cavities can also create abscesses in the area of your teeth. This is what happens if the cavities are not treated so that the infection spreads to the soft tissues of the pulp, mouth, or jaw.
Abscess formation, or a pocket of pus, can be seen around the gums or teeth and can be very painful. This abscess is caused by bacteria that collect in the mouth.
You need treatment from the cyclone directly to avoid the condition getting worse. If not, what happens is tissue damage to the tooth bone.
4. Gum disease
Gum disease can also be one of the dangers of your cavities. Like gingivitis, it is characterized by pain and inflammation in the gums, and can spread to other parts of the gums.
This causes the gums to appear red and swollen, and they will even bleed when you touch or brush them.
In more severe cases, this may allow you to develop gum disease called periodontitis. This current condition is an infection of the gum area but is more serious. This is because the infection can damage the bone tissue that supports the teeth.
5. Broken teeth
Teeth are one of the strongest members of the body. However, when something like an injury occurs it will cause the tooth to break.
Not only do you fall, bite something hard, or even chew your food too hard, broken teeth can also occur because of the dangers of cavities. This happens because the teeth are weak and unable to withstand the load so that they risk breaking easily.
6. Heart disease
The American Academy of Periodontology said that there have been many studies linking periodontal disease (tooth and gum disease) with the risk of heart disease.
Swollen and injured gums can trigger bacteria in the mouth to enter the bloodstream. This condition is also a danger from cavities that can occur so that it can cause infection in the inner muscle of the heart (infective endocarditis).
These infections require further treatment using antibiotics.
7. Stroke
Other studies have shown a link between periodontal disease and stroke. The study looked at a causal relationship from the dangers of cavities such as oral infections as a risk factor for stroke.
The reason is that there are problems with oral infections in patients c erebrovascular ischemia - a condition in which insufficient blood flow is carried to the brain, leading to an isemic stroke.
Both heart disease and stroke are both at risk of causing death.
How to treat the dangers of cavities?
The most important thing to do if you experience the dangers and effects of cavities is, immediately go to a doctor's consultation so that immediately be addressed what further actions should be taken. If the tooth cavity has started to get bigger, usually the doctor will fill it.
In addition, there are several other ways you can deal with pain before going to the doctor.
- Maintain oral and dental hygiene as well as possible. This also includes areas of the tooth that are feeling problematic, such as cavities.
- Take temporary pain relievers such as ibuprofen, paracetamol, or naproxen. In addition, you can also take antibiotics that have been prescribed by your doctor.
- Also pay attention to the intake of food or drink consumed. First avoid foods and drinks that are too cold, hot, and sweet.
So, from now on, don't underestimate cavities! The reason is, in addition to causing pain, cavities if not treated will cause the infection to get worse and even death.