Necessary to install brake dust shield?

I am working on replacing the front driver's side wheel bearing. I removed the old and was overly excited to install the new bearing and did so without the brake dust shield. I have not put the hub assy back on the car yet becasue I wanted to see what potential problems this might cause if I drive w/o the shield. I really don't want to go through the removal of another bearing and am afraid I, or someone else, would damage it in the process, thus needing another, which I don't want to spend the extra $$. It was a careless mistake but I don't want to cause more problems down the line if I absolutely need the shield. Any advice?