“What happens if I don't go for my root canal?”

Infection and pain will return. Please go forward with the root canal

The longer you postpone the treatment, the prognosis for success grows worse. If you have not already experienced pain and swelling with the tooth, you risk that the longer you leave it untreated. I don’t know anybody who “likes” things like this , but sometimes we are presented with opportunities to improve our health, that although challenging, are necessary.

If the tooth has been opened and treated with medication, and you are flying on your trip the tooth can be painful when flying. Airline pilots are grounded until they finish there root canals. If you put it off long enough the tooth will abscess at some point.

Although the pain in the tooth may dissipate, the source of the pain will remain. The infection will grow. This can lead to loss of the tooth and worst case scenario sepsis which may lead to the need for hospitalization and in antibiotics and could possibly end in death.

May get infected

It will become reinfected and with a different strain of bacteria requiring different antibiotics.

Root canal treatment is required if you have an infected tooth. So if you don’t get it done the infection will still be there and get bigger.

There is no real prophetic answer. The issues at hand are usually potential for discomfort, pain, and/or an abscess, which is an acute infection. Some infections can be serious. It's best to speak to your dentist and express your thoughts about delaying the treatment because of your trip.

Good luck and enjoy the trip,

Dr. Trachtenberg

When a tooth has previous extensive dentistry from decay, fracture or injury, the inside of the tooth which houses the pulp chamber and pulpal canals can become inflamed or die from chronic inflammation. This allows bacteria to grow inside your tooth resulting in tooth pain, bone loss around the tooth, and sometimes, unfortunately, tooth loss. We have a procedure to restore your tooth to good health, it is called tooth nerve therapy, or a root canal. The proper term is endodontic therapy. Today, modern methods of treatment allow for most root canal procedures to be completed in one visit. There are a few exceptions when chronic infection is present and additional medications are required before the root canal can be completed.

Delaying needed treatment will only cause more damage to your tooth and the surrounding tissue and resulting in extreme pain. Not what you want to happen during a busy work week, that long-planned vacation, or on a weekend when access to care is limited. Most times patients experience very little or no discomfort after endodontic therapy or when there is discomfort after treatment. Most of the time we can treat it with a light steroid, ibuprofen, and acetaminophen for fast relief. I do hundreds of endodontic therapies each year helping patients keep their natural teeth and avoid more costly implant procedures. For most teeth that require endodontic therapy, it is important to protect the top (coronal) portion of your tooth and the root from fracture. We do this by placing a crown on your tooth. At our office, we are able to complete root canal therapy, place a filling to seal the root canal access, and prepare the tooth for a crown all in one appointment. This method allows for a good seal of the root canal and protecting the tooth from fracture. A temporary crown is placed while the dental lab fabricates your ceramic crown. New technology allows us to make crowns using a scanner, no more impressions. Newer ceramic materials appear very natural to the color of your teeth and are very strong, giving you a comfortable, healthy smile.

Dr. Joe Ferraro

It depends on a few factors, but if your dentist recommends treatment and you don't go ahead with it, you risk getting a nasty infection in your mouth that has a risk of spreading; you also risk having the tooth get too decayed to be saved and then needs to be extracted. Delaying the treatment for a week may be an option, I would ask your dentist if that was medically safe to do.... but you should get the tooth treated. The alternative treatment option for root canal treatment is extraction - having the tooth removed. We always advise you to save your natural tooth when it's possible!

1st off, are you in pain or were you in pain with respect to this tooth? If so, then you give the bacteria a chance to ramp things up and make your life miserable. If not, but you have a deep restoration, then there is also a chance the nerve can become inflamed and also make things miserable. Bottom line, you need to call the dentist that referred you for the root canal to get your final answer. There is not enough room here to explain the consequences and I do not know the full history of the tooth in question. Better to be out of pain than to be in pain. If the root canal is done right and you don't wait for an infection to develop, then you should be in pain. Hope this helps.

You lose your tooth.

Dr Jensen

It depends on the reason for needing the root canal. If there is an infected root, eventually it will get worse and can be painful if the infection spreads. If you were in pain, and the doctor gave you some medication, that medicine does not get rid of the 'cause' for the pain it just masks it for a little while. The pain will return when the medicine wears off. Another option would be to have your tooth removed and to then consider an implant, bridge or partial depending on the situation.

I hope that helps!

Dr. Reiser

I would not recommend not going for the root canal appointment as the tooth is infected and that is the reason root canal was advised

Dear patient,

If you are in pain, you should go at least to get a therapeutic pulpotomy. If you are symptom-free and you are traveling, you should have antibiotics with you.

Depending on why you need root canal treatment, delaying treatment can increase the risk of extreme pain and infection. Usually, the only other option other than a root canal is extraction.