If your tooth is badly broken down, chipped, decayed, or cracked, and in need of a crown, and decide not to have it fixed, the tooth can break apart further, to the point where it may not be possible to save it.

 

A crack may spread through the tooth into the pulp, the hollow inside of the tooth where the blood vessels and nerve are located.  Bacteria can get into the pulp, causing an infection that may require root canal (endodontic) treatment.  In rare cases, the tooth may not be savable.  If the tooth is lost, problems associated with missing teeth may occur.

 

These include shifting of the adjacent teeth, a change in the way your teeth fit together, increased forces on the remaining teeth, a reduction in lower face height, shortening of the chewing muscles (which can result in greater muscle forces), increased stress on the jaw joints (TMJs), and the potential for jaw joint problems (temporomandibular joint dysfunction, or TMD).