Tooth cyst

A dental cyst is a forced reaction of the body to an attack of a microbial infection in the gum tissue and jaw bone tissue, when the infected area becomes necrotic and is surrounded by a blocking membrane. A cystic formation is a cavity with contents, often purulent. The size of the formation can be both small - no more than 3-5 millimeters, and quite large - up to 4-5 centimeters. Granuloma is a small cyst that can develop into a large neoplasm. In fact, a granulomatous formation is the first stage of stopping inflammation of the jaw bone.

A dental cyst can be differentiated by type depending on where it is located and why it developed. Most often, a dental cyst affects the front teeth, less often wisdom teeth, and it also develops in the maxillary sinuses.

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Causes tooth cysts

• A tooth cyst on the root is radicular. If a person is diagnosed with caries, and then periodontitis - chronic inflammation of tissues, as well as bone tissue, the tooth loses stability, a granuloma develops, which develops into a cyst.
• A follicular formation that develops due to infection of the dental epithelial cluster - the rudiment from which the tooth is formed. A dental cyst is formed in such a way that the tooth is located inside it.
• If a tooth develops and grows incorrectly, such a disorder can provoke a keratocyst or primary cyst, which spreads through the interdental spaces, displacing the dental row.
• Retromolar formation is a cyst that is usually localized in the lower jaw, behind the wisdom teeth. Retromolar cysts are provoked by chronic inflammatory processes in the tissues surrounding the teeth. The dental cyst seems to cover the erupting molar.
• A residual cyst that is caused by tooth extraction.
• A cyst caused by a natural process – eruption, or more precisely – the appearance of a tooth. Most often occurs in early childhood.

Among the main reasons for the appearance of cysts, dentists name the following:

1. Caries.
2. Infection of the pulp – connective tissue, tissues surrounding the tooth and the bone tissue itself.
3. Injuries caused by mechanical causes.
4. Infection of dental canals during dental treatment.
5. Congenital malformations.
6. Inflammatory, infectious pathologies of the nasopharynx.
7. Prosthetics of untreated teeth, poorly selected crowns.

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Symptoms tooth cysts

The main danger of cysts is that the initial stage of their development, as a rule, is asymptomatic. Often, a dental cyst does not manifest itself for years with pain, swelling, or inflammation of the gums, but the destructive process occurs daily.

The tooth may darken slightly, it begins to shift. Granulomas, which are small in size, gradually increase and turn into full-fledged cysts, which become noticeable when they reach 2-3 centimeters in size. A dental cyst begins to cause discomfort when eating at first, then the inflammatory process provokes pain, often an increase in body temperature, and the lymph nodes increase. If the dental cyst is not treated, the process develops rapidly, the cystic fluid increases, a gumboil appears (often with pus), and the gums swell greatly.

Complications and consequences

• Acute, purulent inflammation in the root area is a purulent abscess.
• Periodontal purulent abscess is an abscess of the gums.
• Loss of teeth – they begin to fall out of the cavity of the cystic formation.
• Periostitis (flux) is an inflammatory process in the periosteum.
• Purulent inflammatory process in the tissues of the neck or face – phlegmon.
• An inflammatory process in the jaw tissues – osteomyelitis.
• Benign tumors in the gum tissue.
• Sepsis.

If a dental cyst develops, becomes inflamed and increases in size, it is necessary to seek medical help as soon as possible. It is not recommended to self-medicate or perform the following actions, which can only aggravate the inflammatory process:

• You cannot heat a cyst or inflamed gum; even a bandage can have a warming effect and provoke the spread of infection throughout the oral cavity.
• Self-administration of antibiotics is not recommended. Uncontrolled use of drugs distorts the clinical picture, in addition, the choice of drug should depend on the cause, which can only be determined by a doctor.
• Painkillers should be taken only in case of acute pain; it is not advisable to take them two hours before a visit to the doctor, so as not to distort the clinical picture of the inflammatory process.
• You cannot experiment with your health on the advice of friends and relatives, or use so-called folk remedies, which can lead to serious complications, including general blood poisoning - sepsis.

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Treatment tooth cysts

If a cystic formation is detected at an early stage of development, then the treatment is usually conservative. The dental canals are subject to treatment - they are cleaned, washed with special medicinal solutions, and closed. The therapeutic method of treatment is suitable for neutralizing small cysts, the size of which does not exceed 7-8 millimeters. If the dental cyst is large, it is removed surgically. Modern dental techniques are aimed at maximum preservation of teeth, so the doctor chooses the most gentle method that allows you to remove the cyst and, if possible, leave the tooth. Most often, a gum resection is performed in the area of the upper part of the root to remove damaged tissue. The cyst is completely neutralized. If the cyst forms around a wisdom tooth, they are most often removed together. After surgery, swelling of the gum may remain, which resolves after two or three days, and the acute pain caused by the cyst disappears almost immediately. There may be some pain caused by the resection, but it is not comparable in intensity to that caused by the inflammation.

Prevention

If you have any alarming symptoms, gum irritation, or aching pain that you can tolerate, you should see a dentist. Timely diagnosis of cysts is the key to fast and effective treatment of formations without the use of surgical instruments. The rest of the recommendations are quite standard - regular brushing of teeth, use of high-quality toothpastes and solutions, rinses, and mandatory scheduled visits to the dental clinic.

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