Can An Untreated Cavity Kill You?

By Author: Miguel Casanas
Total Articles: 55
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As a dentist, I treat many patients’ cavities. I also see patients, however, who don’t think a cavity deserves urgent care. These kinds believe the issue is a minor nuisance at best. The reality, though, is quite the opposite: an untreated cavity could actually kill you in some cases. Therefore, it must receive treatment as soon as possible. As for the proof of these claims, I’m happy to explain. Here’s a summary of why an untreated cavity can be deadly and thus requires immediate attention.

Cavities Can Lead to Infections
Technically speaking, a cavity isn’t that dangerous. The real issue is what such decay would allow – a tooth infection.

You see, teeth can get infected when bacteria reach their inner layers. In reaching this “pulp,” they’d damage a tooth’s nerves and start to reproduce. Should that happen, the pearly white would become a severe problem for your oral health and life.

An Infected Tooth Could Kill You
A cavity-induced infection does more than just cause toothaches. Left to itself, its bacteria can spread throughout your body. You could then face one (or more) ...
... of the following life-threatening problems:
Breathing & Respiratory Issues
Among other places, germs from an infected tooth can reach your lungs. This is a dangerous outcome, as the lung is the best breeding ground for such bacteria. Once the microbes start multiplying, they’d make breathing hard for you and cause other respiratory challenges. Such things can then lead to death.
Sepsis
If an infection grows enough, your body may try to fight it with certain chemicals. However, this chain reaction – sepsis – is often deadly. In many cases, it damages organs and makes them fail. So, remember to watch out for the condition’s signs — fever, difficulty breathing, low bread pressure, etc.
Meningitis
A tooth infection can even trigger meningitis, a very risky brain and spinal cord swelling. The latter condition is even more lethal for those with weak immune systems. CDC research states its death rate is as high as 70 percent.

How a Dentist Can Help
If you act quickly, dentists like me can treat a cavity before an infection develops. All it would take is a standard filling procedure. From there, the tooth would be protected from harmful bacteria getting inside it.

Even if the chomper gets infected, though, dental providers could still help. Depending on the issue’s severity, they could perform treatments like:

• Abscess Draining: If your infection involves a dental abscess, a dentist could drain the latter of its pus.
• Root Canal: For this option, a dentist removes the infected pulp from your tooth. They’d then clean and fill the pearly white, ending treatment after capping it with a crown.
• Tooth Extraction: If an infected tooth is too far gone, a dentist may need to extract it instead.

As you can see, an untreated cavity deserves fast care. Therefore, see your dentist for it quickly.