Unlike other types of pain, a toothache hardly goes away on its own. A toothache is usually an alert from your body indicating something wrong with your dental wellness. Therefore, when you experience unexplained tooth pain, visit your dentist immediately for treatment.

However, there are occasions when you might want to let the ache disappear on its own or use painkillers to manage the pain. Unfortunately, these measures could trigger more serious complications that you might not expect.

Read on to discover what happens when you fail to treat a toothache.

Tooth Loss 

A toothache could be a result of a cavity in your tooth. Cavities occur due to unhealthy bacteria that attack your teeth and damage them.  

Although your mouth has healthy bacteria, poor oral hygiene can encourage harmful bacteria growth. The bacteria mixes with sugary food residue to form an acidic coating on your teeth (plaque).

Plaque erodes your enamel and dentin layer granting the bacteria access to the pulp. The pulp contains blood vessels and nerves. A bacterial infection inside the pulp causes severe inflammation and pain in your tooth. Failure to take quick action can ultimately lead to gum infection. Eventually, the infection damages your gums and bone structure, weakening your periodontal structure.

To curb the spread of the bacteria, your dentist may have to extract the decayed tooth. Other times, the weakened tooth can even fall off on its own. Visit your dentist whenever you feel an unexplained pain in your tooth to avoid losing it.

Spread of Infection to Your Body 

Most bacterial infections usually cause pain in your teeth. If you ignore the pain, the bacteria will attack the pulp, which contains vital nerves and blood vessels. Harmful bacteria can easily invade these blood vessels and spread to the areas surrounding your teeth –– causing further infection.

When the infection attacks your gums, it causes them to swell, redden or bleed. With time, the gums loosen the grip on your teeth. From here, the infection spreads to your cheeks and neck. You're likely to notice some swelling when this happens. A swollen face, cheeks and neck make it difficult to open your mouth or even swallow food.

In addition, an untreated tooth infection can spread to your sinuses, resulting in cavernous sinus thrombosis. This condition can severely affect your health even further if you don't understand its symptoms.

Don't wait for your toothache to worsen and turn into something you're not ready for. Visit your dentist and get treatment as early as possible. Also, maintain proper oral hygiene to prevent dental problems that might result in unexplained toothaches.