With the high costs of dental treatment, it can be very tempting for a person to avoid going to the dentist at all. The fact is that too many people ignore the fact that dental treatment is actually incredibly important to your overall health. It is crucial that a person visits the dentist office on a regular basis to keep their teeth in the best shape possible. If there is a problem, like the development of a cavity within a tooth, this will need to be taken care of right away. These are some potential risks that you can face if you delay getting treatment.

• Things Can Get Worse… and Costlier

A simple cavity can grow into a more expensive and complicated process later on, such as requiring a root canal. A root canal will be required because an infection in the pulp tissue of a tooth can once decay spreads to the center of the tooth. The infection can even spread to the bone in the jaw, which can lead to bone loss and other issues with the jawline. Even worse, untreated infection from dental decay can spread to the blood stream, which can be life-threatening.

• Gum Disease

You may think that gum disease or periodontal disease is nothing that is too serious, but it is a bacterial infection that can wreak havoc on your mouth. If this gum disease is left untreated, you can end up with tooth loss, bone loss, and gum recession. As this disease progresses, you may end up requiring surgery that will be needed to regenerate tissue and bone growth that will create a healthier mouth again.

• Ignoring a Chipped Tooth

A chipped tooth can seem like it is a merely cosmetic problem, but it can actually be more disastrous than that. If you let a chipped tooth stay as is without any repair, the chip can get a lot worse and cause a broken tooth. It will also expose your tooth and its pulp to more harmful substances that can cause tooth decay and other issues. You will also continue to lose more tooth enamel that can hurt the integrity of your tooth.

• Risks to Your Physical Health

While you already know about problems like heart disease and stroke, there are so many things that can happen as a result of a lack of dental care. For instance, there have been a multitude of studies going back several decades evaluating the link between periodontal (gum) disease and heart disease.

If you have any dental issues, you should see a dentist to have them evaluated and addressed right away. Oral problems can lead to issues in your health that could be much more serious than just filling a cavity. People come up with all types of excuses for not visiting the dentist, like financial reasons or because they are afraid of the dentist. These are minor problems in comparison to the much more serious issues that could occur if you delay dental treatment. The dentist is only here to help ensure you are the healthiest person you can be.