What happens if you don't treat ear infection?

Usually gets better: Most ear infection will resolve by themselves, so not treating an occasional ear infection may not cause a proble. However, if pain continues to increase for more than 48 hours or infections are recurrent, then examination and treatment is necessary.

Many things: The infection could clear by itself, about 25% do in 48 hours. If left alone the infection could result in permenant hearing loss, bone infection, brain abscess or thrombosis of a large vein in the brain called the lateral venous sinus (sort of a stroke)- just to name a few complications.