What Happens If You Delay an Emergency Root Canal?

Delaying an emergency root canal can lead to increased pain, infection, and potential tooth loss. Acting quickly helps preserve your natural tooth and prevents further complications.

Jul 8, 2025 - 16:24
 4
What Happens If You Delay an Emergency Root Canal?

If you've ever had tooth pain, you know how uncomfortable it can be. It can make eating and speaking difficult, which makes the situation worse. Although tooth pain is common and can happen for many reasons, emergency treatment is necessary when it becomes unbearable. An emergency root canal is one such treatment used when tooth pain becomes too much to handle, often caused by deep decay. If you're dealing with severe tooth decay or infection, this article is for you. We'll explain what an emergency root canal is, why its needed, and what can happen if you delay treatment. Keep reading to learn more.

Understanding Emergency Root Canals: Why Theyre Needed

Emergency root canal, as the name suggests, is an emergency dental treatment that is done to urgently disinfect an infected tooth. The main reasons behind getting an emergency root canal are severe nerve damage, tooth trauma, an injury, deep decay, or simply an infection. It is usually done when the symptoms become hard to cope with, such as a throbbing pain, bleeding gums, swelling of the jaw/face, and extreme sensitivity to hot/cold stimuli.

Warning Signs You Might Be Ignoring

As mentioned earlier, an emergency root canal is an urgently required treatment that should not be delayed. If you are wondering what some key signs are that indicate you need an emergency root canal, then we are here to guide you.

If you are experiencing a persistent pain that is not going away despite trying all the home remedies and over-the-counter painkillers, then it is a major red flag that you shouldnt ignore. Moreover, a bad taste in the mouth, foul-smelling breath, discoloration of the gums, and abscess formation are additional signs that hint at getting an emergency root canal right away. There are many reputable dental clinics providing dental root canals in McKinney, TX, which you can rely on for emergency treatment.

What Happens Inside Your Tooth When You Wait

If you do not get an emergency root canal on time, the infection starts getting deeper. It can also spread and cause excessive nerve damage, which can later not be solved merely by a root canal. This means it would require more invasive and expensive treatments later on. Apart from this, the bacteria in the affected tooth, if not treated on time, can spread to your bloodstream, leading to overall health complications. The following are the top issues that can happen if you delay an emergency root canal.

1. Increased Pain and Discomfort Over Time

This is one of the key issues that patients report if they delay getting an emergency root canal. Over time, an infected and untreated tooth leads to worsening pain. Not only can it be extremely uncomfortable to experience, but it can also greatly impede your ability to eat, speak, and properly concentrate on your routine tasks.

2. Risk of Tooth Loss

Another major issue that can happen by delaying emergency treatment is tooth loss. As mentioned earlier, an untreated tooth infection causes the nerves to be excessively damaged, which breaks down the tissues, ultimately leading to permanent tooth loss. Not only does tooth loss impact the functionality of your teeth, but it can also greatly affect the aesthetics.

3. Spread of Infection to Surrounding Areas

Spread of infection to the surrounding areas is inevitable if emergency treatment is not sought on time. This can badly affect the jawbone, sinuses, and surrounding teeth, posing immense pain and discomfort. Moreover, the spread of infection due to not getting emergency root canal treatment on time can also lead to other severe health issues, such as cellulitis and sepsis, which can be life-threatening.

4. Increased Treatment Costs and Complexity

Another big issue you can face if you do not seek emergency treatment on time is increased treatment costs and complexity. It is quite understandable that not getting the required care on time can make the infection worsen and ultimately spread. This results in requiring more invasive and expensive treatments later on. Often, if you do not get an emergency root canal on time, you may later need to get a root canal, a crown, and gum treatment all at once.

When to See a Dentist Immediately

If you are facing a persistent pain in your teeth, or have swelling, accompanied by a bad taste in your mouth or a foul breath, then it's time that you immediately get an emergency root canal. Since root canal is a surgical process, make sure you only opt for a credible dentist. There are many credible dental care providers providing dental root canals in McKinney, such as LiT Dental, which you can rely on for expert emergency care.

CONCLUSION

An emergency root canal is an emergency dental treatment that is done to urgently disinfect an infected tooth. The main reasons behind getting it are severe nerve damage, tooth trauma, an injury, deep decay, or simply an infection. An emergency root canal is an urgently required treatment that should not be delayed. If not sought on time, it can lead to worsened and unbearable pain, permanent tooth loss, spread of infection, and the need for more invasive and costly treatments. Remember to always seek expert dental care on time for any kind of dental issue you may experience, or else it can worsen and lead to other health complications that can be life-threatening. For any kind of dental treatment, only opt for a credible dentist, such as LiT Dental, to ensure promising results.