{"id":192,"date":"2026-07-21T15:54:27","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T15:54:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dangreenwooddental.com\/blog\/?p=192"},"modified":"2026-07-21T15:54:29","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T15:54:29","slug":"dangers-of-not-having-a-root-canal-treatment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dangreenwooddental.com\/blog\/2026\/07\/21\/dangers-of-not-having-a-root-canal-treatment\/","title":{"rendered":"What Could Happen If You Avoid Root Canal Treatment?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Recently, you\u2019ve been suffering from serious pain in your tooth. When you went to your dentist, they determined that the discomfort is the result of an infection, and they recommended having a root canal treatment<\/a> performed to address the issue. However, the idea of undergoing the procedure makes you nervous, and you\u2019re somewhat tempted to simply skip it. But before you make any decisions, it\u2019s important to be fully aware of the potential consequences that could occur if you avoid a root canal for too long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Basics of Root Canal Treatment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A root canal treatment involves removing the pulp at the center of the tooth. At the beginning of the procedure, a local anesthetic is used to numb the mouth. Then your dentist creates a small hole in the tooth in question. The pulp is taken out, and the inside of the tooth is cleaned to make sure no harmful bacteria are left behind. Once the cleaning process is complete, the tooth is refilled and resealed. The tooth will often be weakened after the root canal process, so you may need to get a crown<\/a> to keep it safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consequences of Avoiding Root Canal Treatment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Choosing not to undergo root canal treatment can have several negative consequences. For one thing, the pain caused by your infected dental pulp will persist, and it may even grow more severe over time. On top of that, the bacteria responsible for the infection can attack the structure of the tooth, gradually weakening it. Eventually, the tooth could become so badly damaged that your dentist has no choice but to remove it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to note that the infection won\u2019t necessarily stay confined to your tooth. After a while, it could start to spread to other parts of the body. This can have a devastating impact on your overall health and could even lead to a heart attack or another life-threatening issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Benefits of Root Canal Treatment<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Having a root canal treatment performed as promptly as possible is typically the best option for your oral health. For one thing, it increases your chances of being able to save the tooth in question, thereby allowing you to maintain a complete, natural smile. Furthermore, getting rid of the dental pulp will help put a stop to the pain that you\u2019ve been experiencing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s important to recognize that root canal treatment isn\u2019t as frightening as its reputation suggests. Because local anesthetic is used, you shouldn\u2019t experience any pain during the procedure. There may be some discomfort afterward, but it will eventually fade on its own, and you can keep it under control with over-the-counter pain relievers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An infected tooth isn\u2019t a problem that you can afford to ignore for too long. As soon as you find out that you need a root canal treatment, you should make arrangements to have it performed as soon as possible so that you can get your oral health back on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Author<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Dan Greenwood earned his dental degree at The Ohio State University, and he completed a residency in General Practice Dentistry at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Cleveland. At Greenwood Dental in Sagamore Hills, he offers solutions for a wide range of oral health issues, including root canal treatments for infected teeth. If you have a toothache and believe you might need root canal treatment in the near future, you can schedule an appointment with Dr. Greenwood by visiting his website<\/a> or calling (330) 467-2522.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Recently, you\u2019ve been suffering from serious pain in your tooth. When you went to your dentist, they determined that the discomfort is the result of an infection, and they recommended having a root canal treatment performed to address the issue. However, the idea of undergoing the procedure makes you nervous, and you\u2019re somewhat tempted to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dangreenwooddental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dangreenwooddental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dangreenwooddental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dangreenwooddental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dangreenwooddental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=192"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.dangreenwooddental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":195,"href":"https:\/\/www.dangreenwooddental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/192\/revisions\/195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dangreenwooddental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dangreenwooddental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dangreenwooddental.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}