A lot of people routinely ignore the need for dental care, including filling cavities when they first start. Ignoring a cavity has many direct and indirect costs. For example, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, students annually lose a combined 34 million classroom hours due to the need for unexpected dental care. Lost learning opportunities are just one of the many risks of leaving cavities untreated. Here are several more.
More Invasive Procedures
Ignoring a cavity only makes the problem worse and could cause the tooth decay to spread to adjacent teeth. Even the best local dentist can’t reverse the tooth decay caused by cavities, but they can stop the problem from getting worse. The sooner your dentist can treat your cavity, the less work it will require. If you wait too long, then the problem might require a root canal and a crown instead of a simple filling. Such procedures can cause pain and often require multiple shots to numb the teeth, gums, and nerves.
Higher Dental Costs
The more work that your dentist has to do to treat one or more cavities, the costlier the bill. A simple filling that is fairly shallow can be relatively affordable compared to the cost of a root canal and crown. A cavity also can be filled in just one appointment while root canals and crowns often require more than one visit to complete. The additional dental work and appointments greatly increase the cost compared to the bill for a simple cavity treatment when it’s taken care of early. Eventually, any work done will need to be repeated because as with anything that is used on a daily basis, fillings and crowns eventually degrade and require replacements.
Possible Tooth Extraction
Sometimes, even the best local dentist can’t save a badly decayed tooth and may need to extract it. A tooth extraction means you may have to live without at least one of your teeth unless you have a bridge or a dental implant to replace it. Both are costly procedures, but an implant can be a permanent fix that will not cause damage to any surrounding teeth. Whether a bridge or implant is the best treatment option depends on the needs of the patient, but either option is going to be much more costly than early intervention that may have allowed you to save your natural tooth.
You can call, send an online request, or visit our dental office to schedule a dental exam and cleaning. You can also address any untreated cavities that you might have. Our dentist will be happy to diagnose your dental condition and implement a treatment plan.
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