A 39-year-old member asked:
what happens to a tooth with a cavity that doesn't get a filling?
2 doctor answers
Dr. Gary Sandler answered
53 years experience Dentistry
Serious stuff!: It will continue to decay, leaving less and less tooth structure available to repair or salvage it. You will likely need root canal therapy and\or a crown if you wait too long or if there is already extensive caries present. Even worse would be the need to have the tooth extracted if it is un-repairable. Eventually it will cause an infection that can spread to other parts of your body.
Answered on Apr 29, 2017
Dr. Robert Rosenfeld answered
37 years experience Dentistry
Toothache or worse: Certain bacteria in everyone's mouth digest carbohydrates and produce acids. These acids cause a loss of minerals from tooth, which softens them. This is decay. Left unchecked, these bacteria infect nerve in tooth, and can cause toothache. Tooth may break (enamel shell is brittle and depends on inner portion [dentin] for support). Pain, expensive repair, or tooth loss occurs if no treatment.
Answered on Apr 19, 2014
1
1 thank
90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions or offer you advice, prescriptions, and more. Get help now:
Related questions:
A 46-year-old member asked:
Dr. Peter Karsant answered
38 years experience Dentistry
Depends on : Size however generally less than 1 hour.
A 33-year-old member asked:
Dr. Gary Sandler answered
53 years experience Dentistry
Need exam: There is no way to diagnose your symptoms over the internet without actually seeing you and an x-ray of your tooth. It could be many things, or nothi ... Read More
A 64-year-old male asked:
Dr. Heidi Fowler answered
24 years experience Psychiatry
I : I believe you are asking if sealing a filling will help if a new cavity has formed underneath an old filling. If there is new decay, usually the old ... Read More
A member asked:
Dr. Theodore Davantzis answered
39 years experience Dentistry
Without : Without an exam and a radiograph, it is tough to tell how large that restoration is. Molars take the brunt of your biting force, and it may very well ... Read More
1
1 comment
90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions or offer you advice, prescriptions, and more. Get help now:
People also searched for:
Connect by text or video with a U.S. board-certified doctor now — wait time is less than 1 minute!
Unlimited visits
$10/month