How Long Can You Wait to Fill a Cavity?

Do you have pain with a specific tooth in your mouth? If so, you might have a cavity in the tooth. In some cases, cavities can lead to pain, but in other cases, dentists find cavities that people did not even know they had. When you have tooth decay, it is vital to treat the problem, but is there a specific amount of time you can wait before getting the cavity filled? You can ask your dentist to answer this, but here are several things you should know that can help you find the answer to this vital question.

1. Treat It Soon If You Have Pain

You can wait a few weeks or months to treat a cavity in some cases, but you should not wait too long if you have pain. If you know that you have a cavity due to its pain, you should try to get it removed and filled quickly. A painful cavity on a tooth represents a problem in your mouth, and this problem will not go away on its own. It will likely become worse. When you have pain with a tooth for any reason, you should not wait to fix it. It is better to get the problem addressed by a dentist quickly to relieve the pain and fix the problem. The pain and problem will likely worsen if you ignore it and push off the treatment.

2. Waiting Too Long Can Result in Further Problems

Waiting too long is also never a good idea for other reasons. If you do not treat a cavity soon, you can end up experiencing various other issues. Here are some of the issues you might experience by waiting too long:

• Pain: If you do not have pain now, leaving a cavity untreated could result in developing pain.
• Spreading: A cavity does not remain as it is. Instead, it grows and spreads. Once this happens, a small cavity becomes a big cavity.
• Infection: Leaving a cavity in your mouth can also result in developing an infection. If this happens, you can feel tremendous pain and might need a root canal to fix it.
• Increased costs: The other thing to know is that it costs more to fix bigger problems. If you wait to fix a cavity, you might spend much more money fixing the tooth.

It is better to treat a dental problem quickly rather than wait to treat it. If you have questions about your oral health or decay you have on your teeth, contact a family dentist today.