Steven Katz, former president of the American Association of Endodontists, warns that minor dental symptoms can indicate serious issues if ignored. One such symptom is any kind of tooth pain, which often signals tooth decay. In Australia, about one in three adults has at least one tooth with untreated dental decay. If left unaddressed, this decay can lead to more severe infections requiring root canal treatment or even tooth extraction. Katz emphasizes that even when pain subsides, the underlying infection may worsen and spread, potentially impacting overall health by increasing risks for conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and dementia.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-14,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Plenty of dental issues can feel like no big deal, at least at first.
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Plenty → feel → deal
The symptoms don’t always hurt and may not even catch your attention.
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symptoms → hurt → attention
“A lot of times patients don’t realise they have a problem in their mouth because they don’t look so closely,” says Steven Katz, immediate past president of the American Association of Endodontists.
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Katz → realise → Endodontists
Even a toothache might come and go, Katz says, leading some people to put off dealing with it.
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Katz → come → it
And making a dentist appointment for a painless problem – for instance, gums that bleed when you floss – can feel like more of a hassle than it’s worth.
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it → make → hassle
But seemingly minor dental symptoms often signal infections that, if left untreated, can progress into more complex problems, says Richard M. Lipari, a cosmetic dentist in New York.
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Lipari → signal → York
These issues can also require more costly treatment and additional visits to repair.
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issues → require → treatment
Some changes in your mouth can even be early warning signs of disease elsewhere in the body, Lipari adds.
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Lipari → add → body
Below are five tooth and gum symptoms that you may be tempted to ignore but shouldn’t, for the sake of your oral and overall health.
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“There’s no amount of pain in your teeth that should be considered normal,” Katz says.
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Katz → ’ → teeth
It starts when bacteria combine with saliva and food particles to form a sticky film of plaque on a tooth’s surface.
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bacteria → start → surface
The bacteria feed on sugars and starches and produce acids that erode enamel.
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that → feed → enamel
This decay can eventually lead to a cavity – a hole that can cause pain or irritation if it reaches the sensitive inner layers of the tooth.
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it → lead → tooth
About one in three Australian adults aged 15 and over with their own teeth have at least one tooth with untreated dental decay.
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adults → age → decay
The concern is what can happen next: as bacteria move deeper into the tooth, an infection can develop at the root, causing sharp or throbbing pain.
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infection → happen → pain
Over time, it may even spread to the face, neck and underlying bone.
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it → spread → face
Katz cautions that even if your tooth stops hurting, you shouldn’t ignore it.
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you → caution → it
“A lot of patients think, ‘OK, well, I aggravated something, and it’s gone now,’” he says.
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he → think → something
But usually, pain that suddenly lets up is a sign that decay has killed the tooth’s nerve.
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decay → let → nerve
So, the pain can disappear even as the infection gets worse.
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infection → disappear → ?
“That’s when [bacteria] can start to eat away at the bone,” he says.
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he → ’ → bone
While a cavity can be fixed with a simple filling, a dental infection typically requires a root canal.
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infection → fix → canal
During the procedure, a dentist drills into the tooth to clear out the infected pulp and then reseals it and stabilises it with a crown.
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dentist → drill → crown
But if an infection destroys enough bone, the tooth will ultimately have to be removed.
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tooth → destroy → bone
There’s also evidence that untreated dental infections are associated with a higher risk of several conditions beyond the mouth, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and dementia.
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infections → ’ → diabetes
Bacteria and inflammation around the root of an infected tooth may spill into the bloodstream and reach other parts of the body.
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Bacteria → spill → body
Swollen or bleeding gums
Puffy gums that bleed easily are often a sign of gingivitis, a mild form of gum disease, Lipari says, even if they’re not painful.
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they → bleed → disease
Like cavities, gingivitis is generally caused by plaque buildup.
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gingivitis → cause → buildup
The immune system triggers inflammation in the gums in an attempt to ward off an infection.
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system → trigger → infection
While regular brushing and flossing can remove plaque and reverse gingivitis, if the swelling persists for longer than a couple of weeks, it’s important to see a dentist.
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it → remove → dentist
They can use special tools to remove plaque and its hardened form, called tartar, at and below the gumline.
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They → use → gumline
This helps keep gingivitis from progressing to periodontitis, a more severe form of gum disease.
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This → help → disease
At that stage, inflamed gums can pull away from a tooth, creating a pocket where bacteria can accumulate.
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bacteria → pull → pocket
The gums may become even more swollen or tender, and tooth pain and sensitivity can develop.
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pain → become → ?
Like dental infections, untreated gum disease has also been associated with other serious health issues.
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disease → associate → issues
“The same systemic inflammatory mediators involved in gum disease are linked to conditions like cardiovascular disease and neurodegenerative disorders,” Lipari says.
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Lipari → involve → disease
Although gingivitis is the usual culprit, persistently swollen or bleeding gums can sometimes have other causes, which a dentist can help rule out.
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dentist → bleed → which
For example, bleeding gums are also “strongly associated with diabetes”, Lipari says.
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Lipari → bleed → diabetes
Having high blood sugar can increase the amount of glucose in your saliva, which feeds bacteria in the mouth and increases the risk of plaque buildup.
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which → have → buildup
In very rare cases, gums that frequently bleed could also point to a blood disorder or cancer such as leukemia that interferes with blood clotting, Katz says.
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Katz → bleed → clotting
…and 33 more, not listed.
