What Happens If You Leave a Broken Tooth Untreated?

What Happens If You Leave a Broken Tooth Untreated?

When you become aware that you’ve got a broken tooth, it’s only natural to think about whether or not you should talk to your dentist about emergency treatment. But should you? How important is it? Spoiler Alert: When it comes to your oral health, it doesn’t pay to sit and hope for the best.

It might only feel like a small chip at first, but once you feel that sharp edge with your tongue or get a sudden pain biting down, it’s difficult to stop thinking about it. However, it can settle down, making you wonder if it still matters.

Each year, around 5% of people have to deal with some sort of tooth fracture, and you normally get some clear and obvious sign that you shouldn’t ignore a broken tooth. This article explains what you need to know.

What Can Happen if You Leave a Broken Tooth Untreated?

Even when you break a tooth, it doesn’t always immediately feel like an urgent problem. If it’s caused by an impact, sure, you’re going to know about it pretty quickly, but there are occasions when you might not even know it’s happened to begin with…until other problems arise.

At the start, it might only hurt when you bite down in one particular way, rather than the throbbing you get when you need a composite filling or root canal. The issue is that when you ignore it, it’s something of a ticking time-bomb.

Damaged teeth rarely stay stable for long, with just regular chewing and bacteria starting to affect the inner tooth. Without wanting to use scare-tactics, it’s not something you want to leave for too long.

Generally speaking, the earlier a broken tooth is treated, the easier the fix is going to be. Sure, we’d be able to explore ways to help you replace missing teeth, such as dental implants, but we’d much prefer to assist in stopping it from ever getting to that stage.

Signs Your Broken Tooth is Getting Worse

One of the biggest mistakes people make when ignoring a broken tooth is assuming that the problem can’t be serious because there’s no pain. In reality, some cracked or damaged teeth aren’t painful at the start, but end up worsening regardless.

The trouble is that once bacteria reach the inner part of the tooth, the symptoms often become much harder to live with – as our table showed. It’s not always 100% obvious you have a cracked tooth, so watch for:

• Pain when biting down – A sharp pain when chewing is often one of the clearest signs that a crack has spread deeper into the tooth. Some people notice it most when releasing pressure after biting.
• Getting pain and sensitivity more often – Occasional sensitivity to cold drinks can gradually turn into lingering pain from hot, cold or sweet foods as the inner part of the tooth becomes more exposed.
• Swelling around the tooth or gum – Swelling, tenderness or a small bump on the gum can sometimes point to infection developing underneath the tooth, particularly if bacteria have reached the nerve.
• Part of the tooth breaking away – A tooth that has already chipped or cracked is usually structurally weaker, so it’s not unusual for another section to break away unexpectedly while eating.
• Bad taste or unpleasant smell – While bad breath can happen for many reasons, a bad smell around a tooth – that comes back after brushing – tells you something is wrong.

It’s absolutely worth saying again that the sooner you get the problem looked at, the lower the likelihood of complex dental work. Want to know more about self-monitoring? Read 5 signs you need to see a dentist.

Got a Broken Tooth in Manchester? Ringway Dental Can Help

Fact: A broken tooth won’t fix itself, no matter how long you leave it. Even if the pain dies down for a while, it’s a matter of time until the inner part of your tooth gets weakened. From there, it may not be long until you’re having to figure out how to fix the gap in your smile.

At Ringway Dental, we see patients with chipped, cracked and broken teeth every day and we have the dental skill and experience required to restore your dental health – before it becomes a bigger problem.

So, if you’re worried about a broken tooth, or you have noticed pain, swelling or increasing sensitivity, get in touch today. We’ll help you get things sorted.

FAQs

Q – Can a broken tooth heal on its own?

A – No, it can’t. Your teeth don’t heal themselves like your skin does, so once you’ve got a broken tooth or one with a crack in it, it’s going to stay there until your dentist in Manchester fixes it.

Q – Why does my broken tooth only hurt sometimes?

A – Cracked teeth are funny like that. The pain can fluctuate depending on what you’re eating (if it’s hard to chew) or drinking (if it’s cold).

Inconsistent symptoms don’t mean things are fine – it means that the damage isn’t so bad yet that your tooth is hurting all the time.

Q – Can I leave it if it’s only a small chip?

A – It depends. Some small chips are purely cosmetic and don’t cause any further problems. Others hide a deeper crack that isn’t obvious from the outside. It’s always worth getting it looked at, if only to rule out anything more serious.

Q – What happens if bacteria get inside the tooth?

A – The moment that bacteria gets to the inner part of your tooth, infection can take hold. From there, it may not be long until you get swelling and pain that won’t go unless you take medication. By that point, the choice of whether or not to have treatment is no longer yours.

Q – Is it really easier to fix a broken tooth early?

A – Almost always. Catching it early usually means more straightforward options are on the table. The longer it’s left, the more the damage can spread, and the more expensive sorting it out tends to get.

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