Tooth cyst: photo, symptoms, treatment, removal and consequences

2024 Author: Curtis Blomfield | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 20:44

Patients come to dentists with a variety of problems. Some of them are easy to treat, and there are those with which you need to make a lot of effort to save a person from suffering. These include dental cysts. Next, consider the causes of the development of the disease and methods of therapy.

What is pathology

Tooth cyst is a isolated periodontal formation with its own walls in the root area. Bacterial cells settle inside the formation, there are remnants of necrotic tissues. On the surface of the cyst, there are cells that secrete fluid, so it has the ability to increase.

The immune system is trying to cope with the neoplasm, so the inflammatory process begins. The diameter of the cyst on the root of the tooth can be several millimeters in size, and sometimes reaches several centimeters.

What a cyst looks like

If the formation is small, then it is almost impossible to see it with the naked eye. When a tooth cyst becomes noticeable, the photo clearly demonstrates this, which means that the process has gone too far and requires urgent medical intervention.

There are no formations on the gum, but it becomesred, swollen and sore. The doctor clarifies the diagnosis on an x-ray, on which the formation is visible in the form of a dark spot with clear contours in the region of the tooth root.

Causes of cyst formation

A neoplasm on the root of a tooth can appear for many reasons, but most often this is due to the penetration of an infection into the periodontal tissues. This is possible in the following cases:

• There was an injury to the tooth.
• As a result of poor-quality caries treatment, the infection has penetrated to the root of the tooth.
• Against the background of an infectious pathology in the oral cavity or in any system of internal organs, bacteria with the blood flow entered the periodontium.
• Pathogenic microorganisms introduced by endodontic instruments during caries treatment or prosthetics.
• There is an inflammatory process under the crown.
• Chronic periodontitis.
• There was a complication of chronic sinusitis.
• For severe dental problems.
• After unsuccessful implantation or caries treatment.
• Difficulties arising from teething wisdom.
• Infectious diseases of the nasopharynx.

The long list of reasons still comes down to the penetration of the infection, which provokes the development of a tooth cyst.

Development of pathology

A cyst quite often develops in the presence of periodontitis, which is either not treated at all, or the therapy is carried out illiterately.

Further development processcysts looks like this:

• Periodontal infection, progressing, gives rise to the formation of a cyst.
• Gradually increasing in size, the neoplasm is covered from above by a sheath of connective tissue, and a lining of epithelium is formed inside.
• Inside, semi-liquid contents are gradually collected from dead cells and dead leukocytes, which tried to cope with the pathology.
• If left untreated, the cyst grows further and invades adjacent teeth.

It is very important to see a doctor when the first symptoms appear, then you can get rid of the cyst, saving the tooth.

Symptoms of pathology

At the first stages of development, a tooth cyst shows practically no signs, so it is quite difficult to diagnose it. The first discomfort usually begins to appear when the formation reaches a decent size. But you can highlight the symptoms of a tooth cyst, which will allow you to suspect a problem in a timely manner and consult a doctor:

• Near the root of the tooth, the swelling gradually increases. The process is long, but noticeable.
• Headaches appear, especially if a cyst forms in the area of the maxillary sinuses. Even taking analgesics does not help relieve it.
• A fistula appears on the gum, signaling a pathological process at the root.
• With the aggravation of the process, the temperature rises.
• In the process of cyst growth, general weakness appears.
• Deteriorating overall he alth.
• Lymph nodes enlarge and become painful.
• A flux appears on the gum.
• Pus begins to seep from the fistula.

Do not delay the visit to the dentist, the treatment of a tooth cyst is much easier in the early stages of its development.

How to clarify the diagnosis

At your first visit to the dentist, the doctor will conduct a survey to find out what dental problems were observed, what kind of therapy was performed. Often it turns out that there was a treatment of pulpitis or periodontitis, and then there was a complication after the dissection of the gums.

The X-ray allows the most accurate diagnosis. You can get it in several ways:

1. Contact intraoral radiograph. It allows you to see the degree of destruction of bone tissue, the condition of the dental canals and roots, to detect perforations and fragments of endodontic instruments. It is also clearly visible in the picture how the cyst contacts with neighboring teeth.
2. Orthopantomogram. This is an overview of both jaws at once.
3. Overview radiograph, which covers the bones of the skull from the nose to the chin. The picture clearly shows the condition of the maxillary sinuses and can be detected if the cyst has grown into their cavity.

In addition to x-rays, the method of electroodontodiagnostics is also used, which allows assessing the electrical excitability of the teeth located next to the cyst. In some cases, a histological examination of the contents of the cyst is recommended to determine whether it is malignant or benign.

Modern diagnostic methods allow 100% accuracy to recognize a cyst onroot of the tooth. Treatment will be selected depending on the results of the examination. The doctor necessarily discusses the tactics with the patient.

Cyst treatment

The question arises when a tooth cyst is detected, treatment or removal? The choice is up to the patient, but the dentist must explain everything in detail so that the right decision is made.

Therapy is possible in two ways:

1. Surgical removal.
2. Conservative treatment.

Operation

Surgery is indicated in the following cases:

• Severe swelling has appeared.
• The patient is in intense pain.
• The cyst has increased in size by more than 1 centimeter.
• The neoplasm is located under the tooth on which the crown is placed.

In dental practice, several types of surgical intervention are used, which are selected depending on the type of cyst and its size:

Cystotomy. Indications for surgery:

• Tooth cyst is large.
• The neoplasm has captured several teeth.
• If the cysts are located in the lower jaw and thinning of the bone tissue is observed.
• There is destruction of the bony floor of the nasal cavity.

The procedure is not difficult for the patient and the doctor, but a long recovery phase is required. The dental surgeon removes the anterior wall, cleans out the contents of the cyst, and uses antiseptics for treatment. After the operation, a course of antibiotics is prescribed.

Cystectomy. During the procedure, the doctor removestooth cysts along with the top of the root. The wound is sutured and a course of antibiotics is prescribed. They resort to such an operation if:

• The cyst is small.
• The neoplasm is located in the area where the teeth are missing.
• The development of a cyst is associated with abnormal formation of the epithelium.

Hemisection. Removal of a tooth cyst along with the root, as well as part of the affected tooth. After the operation, a crown is placed to restore the functioning of the tooth.

Conservative Therapy

Not in all cases it is necessary to immediately resort to surgical intervention. Dentistry has in its arsenal tools that are capable of removing a cyst without removing a tooth. The treatment procedure involves the following steps:

1. Root canal treatment using antiseptics.
2. The introduction of drugs for the top of the root.
3. Temporary filling.
4. After a certain period of time, the effectiveness of therapy is evaluated using an x-ray. If necessary, the procedure is repeated.
5. After the disappearance of the cyst, the doctor installs a permanent filling.

In practice, another method is used - depophoresis. Calcium copper hydroxide is used, it is injected into the canal and spread with the help of an electric current to neighboring tissues, including the cyst. Usually it is enough to carry out 3-4 procedures to rid the patient of the cyst. The remaining drug suspension in the canal of the tooth prevents its repeatededucation.

Given that the pathology is most often of an infectious nature, antibiotics are used in conservative therapy. They eliminate the inflammatory process in soft tissues, thereby facilitating the course of the disease.

Only a doctor should prescribe antibacterial drugs, most often fall into this category:

• "Tetracycline", but in recent years it is used less and less, given the large number of side effects.
• Cifroploxacin.
• Amoxicillin.

In some cases, topical antibiotics are recommended as an adjunct.

Laser removal

Tooth cyst treatment with a laser is currently considered an effective method in dentistry. Doctors cite several benefits of this therapy:

• Patient does not experience pain during treatment.
• The laser perfectly fights pathogenic microflora.
• The laser beam is not capable of infecting.
• The wound heals quickly, which reduces the length of the recovery period.
• The tooth stays in place, no need to extract it.
• No risk of bleeding.

The whole procedure is as follows:

1. The doctor removes the filling or prepares the tooth to open the canal.
2. With the help of special tools, channels are expanded.
3. The tool is inserted into the enlarged hole and the laser is applied.

This method of treating a tooth cyst ismore expensive, but it more than pays off with a quick recovery, no complications. During the procedure, the patient practically does not feel pain, which is also important.

Is it possible to treat at home?

To cope with a cyst on the root of the tooth will not work with the help of improvised folk remedies. You can relieve the pain with rinses, relieve the inflammatory process a little, but the neoplasm will not go anywhere. If you decide to use folk remedies, then you need to remember:

• You can not heat the gum at the site of cyst formation. This will only increase the rate of reproduction of pathogenic microorganisms and increase inflammation. Overheating of the cyst can provoke its rupture, then the pus will enter the bloodstream and go throughout the body. Complications are definitely inevitable.
• Applying ice or a cold heating pad is not recommended, there is a high probability of increased pain and you can chill the nerve.

Do not self-medicate, it is better to contact a competent specialist who will help get rid of the neoplasm without serious he alth consequences.

If the cyst is under the crown, what should I do?

The appearance of a neoplasm under the crown is often the result of violations during its installation. As a result, microorganisms settle between the teeth and gums and begin to multiply actively. What to do in this case:

1. If the cyst is small, then the crown can not be removed, but therapy can be carried out without surgery, using conservative methods.
2. If there is a cyst larger than 8 mm, the risk of tooth loss increases, butdoctors and in such a situation can save him. The tooth is opened, the canals are treated with special preparations to remove the cyst. After some time, after the neoplasm disappears, the crown can be put in place.
3. If the measures taken do not help, you will have to resort to prompt removal of the cyst.
4. In severe cases, the tooth has to be extracted.

If unpleasant symptoms appear, then you should not make your own diagnoses. It is better to see a doctor, then complications can be avoided.

Consequences of cysts

If the neoplasm is not treated, growth continues, then there is a high probability of destruction of the jaw bone tissue. This will lead to even more serious complications:

• Purulent inflammation.
• The growth of the cyst will cause the jaw bones to dissolve.
• Inflamed lymph nodes.
• Periostitis or osteomyelitis develops.
• An abscess forms.
• Chronic sinusitis develops due to the germination of a cyst in the maxillary sinuses.
• With extensive growth of the cyst, the probability of a pathological fracture of the jaw is high.
• Blood infection due to the penetration of purulent contents into the blood.

Don't delay the treatment of the cyst, given the rather serious complications. In some situations, there is a danger of the transformation of a cystic formation into a malignant tumor.

Cyst Prevention

It is impossible to protect yourself from the formation of neoplasms on the roots of teeth for 100%, but you can take preventive measures,which will significantly reduce the likelihood of their occurrence. These include:

1. Visit the dentist periodically, even if there are no visible problems.
2. Carefully follow all recommendations for caring for your teeth.
3. Treat any inflammation in the mouth.
4. Prevent injury to the maxillofacial zone.
5. Don't ignore any pain syndrome in the mouth.

A cyst on the root is not a sentence. Pathology is quite amenable to therapy, especially successfully with early detection. Using painkillers, you only smooth out the symptoms, making it difficult to diagnose. The pathology continues to develop and serious consequences cannot be avoided without treatment.