When toothaches go untreated

Has a tooth been bothering you? A few aches and pains? Too busy to have it checked out?

You may want to head to the dentist’s office before letting it fester any longer – the longer you wait, the more detrimental it could be to your health. 

“A local dental infection can quickly become a major health issue,” says Reena Talwar, oral and maxillofacial surgeon and associate professor at the University of Alberta School of Dentistry. “Where there is dental pain, there is a problem. What would be a common tooth extraction or filling can easily become infected and spread throughout the entire mouth if treatment is delayed for too long.” 

As an oral surgeon, Talwar says patients are often assessed for treatment and do not complete it. Leaving an abscess untreated not only leads to more intense pain and swelling, but tooth loss can occur if too much of the bone is damaged.

She’s seen patients leave abscesses untreated and end up in the intensive care unit because of it. 

“One patient with a long standing toothache and repeat infection kept on taking antibiotics and  postponing treatment. They ended up in the hospital with a breathing tube and several teeth removed,” says Talwar. “When something like this happens, it not only changes the patient’s life, but it affects their family and friends.”

Ma Micah, who is a patient of orofacial pain clinical professor Ivonne Hernandez, agrees with this. Experiencing pain in her mouth for almost three years, she put off seeing a dentist. 

“I thought it was my wisdom teeth. The pain would last three or four days and then go away. To be honest, I thought it was normal,” she says. 

It wasn’t until a bump developed on her cheek ­­— inside and outside with yellow discharge — that she decided to seek medical advice. Her doctor diagnosed it as a cyst that would need to be removed. However, the surgery didn’t solve her problem. 

She went to her dentist.

After a dental exam, she was told she needed a root canal. The cyst she had was actually a fistula — the result of a tooth abscess. A fistula is an abnormal passage from the apical periodontal area of a tooth to the surface of the oral mucous membrane, permitting the discharge of inflammatory or suppurative material.

Within three days of having the procedure, her cheek started to heal.

“If you have pain in your mouth, get it checked by a dentist. I have a scar on my cheek now, but I’m glad I got it done,” says Micah.

Talwar says when people feel discomfort or pain, they should see a dentist as soon as possible.  Infections, especially in the mouth, spread much faster than in other parts of your body. 

“Children and elderly who have infections need to be treated within 24 hours,” she says. “The longer treatment is prolonged, the harder it is to get anesthetics to work, the cost of procedure can go up, sedation may be required or a specialist needed.” 

If your dentist is not available, remember hospitals have emergency dentists on call.