Medical expert of the article
New publications
Dental granuloma
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Granuloma of the tooth is a dental disease that can appear in both adults and children. As a rule, it appears due to the inflammatory process and is a complication of periodontitis. Let's look at what granuloma is and how to treat it correctly.
A tooth granuloma is a cyst or, in other words, a tumor; a complication that appears due to periodontitis or other dental diseases. That is why prevention and treatment are similar with the treatment of periodontitis. The granuloma looks like a small pouch of granulation around the tip of the tooth. The formation is a capsule, and the granulation tissue grows very quickly and replaces the damaged tissue on the inflamed and affected areas.
The granuloma begins to form after the tissue has fully tightened the wound. An inflammatory fluid accumulates in the tissue sac. That is, the granuloma turns into a kind of chamber that is filled with inflammatory fluid and consists of exudate and cyst shell. The liquid contains toxins and microbes. A cyst is a tumor that can develop for a long time without symptoms and gradually destroy the tissues of the jaw.
Granulomas have different locations relative to the tooth, but most often occur apical, that is, those that grow at the apex. But a limited periodontal inflammation can occur anywhere: on the upper jaw or on the lower, both on the front teeth, and chewing. Very often it appears with the growth of wisdom teeth or after removal. Granuloma can occur both in adult patients and in children on infant teeth.
Causes
The causes of the granuloma of the tooth are not fully understood. So, in some patients it appears without symptoms and for no apparent reason, and in others after tooth extraction or neglected disease. But dentists distinguish two main causes of tooth granuloma, let's consider them:
- Untreated diseases of the oral cavity (caries, pulpitis, periodontitis).
- Running pulpitis or its wrong treatment.
Like the first, and the second cause of tooth granuloma is associated with dental diseases or their complications. The appearance of it can provoke a run out of caries. In this case, due to lesions on the teeth, the microbes easily penetrate the pulp and begin to multiply actively. Because of this, inflammatory processes begin. Through time, microbes begin to affect the bone tissue and cause inflammation in the entire oral cavity. Because of this, the bone tissue retreats slightly and a connecting one appears instead of it, which protects the teeth from final destruction, accumulating microbes inside themselves. This is the granuloma of the tooth.
Limited periodontal inflammation can also appear due to an improperly sealed tooth, due to pulpitis or caries. In many respects the appearance of this pathology depends on the quality and professionalism of dental treatment.
Granuloma after tooth extraction
Granuloma after tooth extraction appears due to inflammatory processes in the body and due to lack of prevention. After the extraction of the tooth, the wound begins to be tightened with a new tissue, into which microbes penetrate, causing a limited periodontal inflammation. If at this stage there is no prophylaxis, then very soon the granuloma will expand and become obese.
Note that if the patient refuses treatment for this pathology, the pus can travel across the entire gum or cause the development of infective endocarditis, which can lead to death. Granuloma after tooth extraction can also appear due to neglected periodontitis. A purulent sac is formed in the gum area near the removed tooth or in the cavity of the root of the removed tooth. Granuloma appears in children after removal of milk teeth. To prevent this from happening, special attention should be given to the prevention of oral cavity after tooth extraction.
Symptoms
Symptoms of tooth granuloma are very difficult to recognize, since in most cases the appearance of limited periodontal inflammation passes asymptomatically. A tooth granuloma is an inflammatory formation with thin walls. In the cyst itself purulent fluid is formed. That is, the first symptom of a tooth granuloma is the body's reaction to inflammatory processes and neglected diseases of the oral cavity, which again made themselves felt.
The granuloma of the tooth gradually begins to expand, affecting the healthy areas of the tissue. Therefore, the second symptom of the appearance of a granuloma is the sensation of a foreign body in the mouth, which is easily probed by the tongue. Most of the limited periodontal inflammations pass asymptomatically, therefore, it is recommended to perform a radiography or orthopantomogram for their determination.
There are following symptoms of tooth granuloma:
- Swelling of the gums.
- Pain in the gum.
- Inflammation in the oral cavity and increased body temperature.
- When suppuration appears acute toothache.
- Redness of the gums.
- Darkening of the enamel.
- Isolation of a purulent fluid between the gum and the tooth.
- The appearance of flux.
- Headache, malaise.
If you ignore the symptoms of the disease, the granuloma can take a chronic form and grow into a jaw cyst. In this case, a dense capsule is formed in the mouth in which are dead tissues, dead bacteria and actively multiplying microbes.
Granulate of the root of the tooth
The root canal granuloma is an inflammatory disease that affects the roots of the teeth. With this disease, a purulent capsule forms in the root of the tooth, which contains purulent fluid from the dead cells and bacteria. The main danger of this pathology is that there is no significant symptomatology. This makes it difficult to determine the disease in the early stages and leads to severe consequences in the future.
The granuloma of the root of the tooth is a protective reaction of the body to irritants, that is, inflammatory diseases, bacteria or viruses. When the granuloma first appears, it must be treated, since it can take a very complicated form very quickly. Many dentists agree that the root tooth granuloma is the last degree of inflammatory disease, so it is very difficult to treat. Granuloma can cause tooth loss and deformation of the jaw bone. Treat the granuloma only with a qualified dentist.
Diagnostics
Diagnosis of tooth granuloma is a complex process, which is best performed with specialized dental offices. Most often, with a preventive examination, it is not possible to identify the granuloma. Therefore, dentists are based on the symptoms of the patient, which would indicate the growth and suppuration of the tumor.
Precisely diagnose the granuloma of the tooth allows an X-ray photograph. The picture will show a rounded limited darkened area. In addition to radiographing, the patient is given a radiovisiography, which also makes it possible to recognize the granuloma.
Treatment
Treatment of the granuloma of the tooth is carried out by surgical and therapeutic methods. The therapeutic method of treatment involves the use of antibiotics and sulfonamide drugs that affect the infection. Such treatment prevents the progression of the granuloma and allows to keep the teeth in integrity. If the tooth began to deteriorate, then the therapeutic treatment will restore it with modern methods of prosthetics.
Surgical treatment of tooth granuloma involves the installation of special drainage, which facilitates the outflow of pus. Drainage will help to remove pus and leave a healthy tissue intact. If the cause of the granuloma is periodontitis, there are cracks on the tooth, and on the gums of the pocket, the treatment is performed by dissecting the cysts and removing the contents. And for a tooth with such treatment, the forecast is extremely unfavorable.
The technology of treatment of a granuloma of a tooth is chosen by the stomatologist, after survey of the patient and carrying out of necessary methods of diagnostics. It is difficult to treat granuloma, so there can be no question of independent treatment of this disease. Self-medication can lead to many irreversible consequences and complications. So, it is strictly forbidden to make hot compresses and rinses, as they can provoke a rupture of granuloma and pus distribution outside the capsule.
Is it possible to cure a tooth granuloma?
Whether it is possible to cure granulomas of a tooth - a question which interests all who has collided or faced with the given disease. Answer immediately - it can be cured, but treatment depends on the degree of development or neglect of the disease. As a result, the treatment may consist in the removal of the tooth or operation on the gum.
When the pathology starts, the patient develops a purulent flux. Purulent flux is a purulent edema that causes painful sensations. If to speak the medical language, then the flux is an odontogenic periostitis. If you do not start to treat the flux, then very soon the pus will go to the maxillofacial bone. As soon as a patient with similar problems presses on the tooth or eats solid food, often there is severe pain, which is often accompanied by swelling and fever.
With a tooth granuloma, dentists recommend that you immediately seek medical help. The doctor will cut the gum with the cyst and put the drainage for the outflow of pus. From 3-4 days it is necessary to walk with drainage and take antibiotics. If you do not treat the tooth granuloma, it will grow into a cyst. In the worst case, pus can spread to the muscles of the neck and face, cause infectious endocarditis, which often has a lethal outcome. If you have a limited periodontal inflammation, seek medical help immediately, and remember that hot compresses and rinses will only exacerbate the disease.
Therapeutic treatment
Therapeutic treatment of tooth granuloma involves the use of antibacterial, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory and sulfonamide drugs. High efficiency shows the intake of antibiotics. Therapeutic treatment is necessary only if the cyst is at an early stage of development. In this case, the treatment will save the tooth or completely reconstruct it without significant problems.
After the end of the therapeutic treatment of the tooth granuloma, surgical treatment can be prescribed, which will restore the shape of the destroyed tooth. Do not forget about the preventive methods of treatment of tooth granuloma, which can prevent the occurrence of the disease in the future.
Treatment of root tooth granuloma
Treatment of the root canal granuloma begins with therapeutic methods. But this kind of treatment is effective in case the disease is at an early stage of development. Very often, the treatment of the root tooth granuloma ends with the removal of the tooth. This is due to the fact that the cyst completely destroys the root system and nerve channels. But do not get upset, because in modern dentistry there are many methods that will quickly restore the lost tooth.
With the granuloma of the root of the tooth, treatment can also be performed surgically. In this case, the dentist cuts the gum and cleanses the cyst cavity from purulent lesions. After this, the patient is put in drainage and prescribes a course of antibiotics. Antibiotics will kill germs and remove inflammatory processes, and drainage will remove all pus before wound healing. Patients with granuloma of the root of the tooth feel severe pain, as pus irritates the nerve endings, which can give a sharp headache or a sharp tingling in the temples.
Treatment with antibiotics
Antibiotic treatment of tooth granulomas is a therapeutic treatment. Antibiotics are prescribed by the dentist after the examination of the patient and the main diagnostic methods. Antibiotics are prescribed to relieve inflammation, accelerate the healing process and remove pus.
So, to prevent the inflammatory process, "Lincomycin" is perfect. This is not an expensive, but quite effective drug, which has several forms of release, which allows you to choose the optimal and convenient treatment option. If a limited periodontal inflammation causes severe pain, it is recommended to take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These drugs include "Ketonol", "Naiz", "Nemisil" and others. For fast and most importantly effective antibiotic treatment, tooth granulomas are prescribed with baths and rinses with dental antiseptics. For example, soda baths or with "Chlorhexidine". But do not forget that taking antibiotics on your own is very risky, so trust this matter to a professional dentist.
Treatment with alternative means
Treatment of a granuloma of a tooth by alternative means are recipes of alternative medicine which developed throughout many centuries. To date, there are many methods for treating tooth granuloma, but treatment with alternative drugs allows you to safely, using natural medicinal plants cure the disease. Let's look at a couple of recipes for the treatment of granulomas by alternative means.
- To prepare this medicine, you need to prepare an alcoholic tincture. For the tincture, take 30 grams of dry propolis and the same number of dried roots of ayr. Fill plants with vodka and insist for two weeks. After the plants are infused, the solution must be filtered. To a spoonful of propolis tincture, add a spoon of tincture from the roots of the aura and use it as a rinse aid. It is not recommended to rinse your mouth for more than 3-5 minutes.
- The second method of treatment by alternative means is rather extreme, but those who encountered the cyst assert that it is very effective. Take a rusty nail and properly nourish it on fire. The nail must be lowered into a glass with lime honey. A couple of minutes on the nail formed a very specific touch. Remove the nail from the nail using a knife. The resulting mass is applied to the inflamed gum with limited periodontal inflammation. This recipe effectively removes the puffiness that occurs with a tooth granuloma.
Feedback on treatment
Numerous positive reviews about the treatment of tooth granuloma indicate that the disease is susceptible to complete treatment. The easiest way to treat a cyst in the early stages of development, when it has not yet taken a pathological character and has not developed into a cyst. Patients who have experienced granuloma on the root of the tooth, say that after treatment, one has to turn to aesthetic dentistry for restoration of teeth. But everyone agrees in a single opinion that it is easier to cure a cyst than cure it. Regular check-ups at the dentist and observance of elementary rules of hygiene of an oral cavity will save you from a granuloma of a tooth.
Prevention
Prevention of tooth granuloma is a complex of measures that are aimed at preventing the disease and maintaining oral health. The first rule of effective prevention of tooth granuloma is maintaining the purity of the oral cavity. Regular cleaning, rinsing and examination at the dentist will help to prevent the appearance of granuloma.
With the first pain in the teeth, you need to contact the dentist. Since, even not delivered in a timely manner, the filling can cause the development of inflammation, which eventually leads to a granuloma of the tooth. Do not forget about the treatment of such dental problems as: caries, periodontitis and pulpitis, because they are the most likely cause of the development of granuloma.
Forecast
The prognosis of a tooth granuloma depends on the complexity of the disease, the stage of its development and the treatment that is used. If the cyst just appeared, the prognosis is positive. Since it can be cured by therapeutic methods and by taking antibiotics. This refers to the appearance of granuloma in young children, in whom the milk teeth are replaced by permanent teeth.
If the granuloma is started and had time to fester, the prognosis depends on where the limited periodontal inflammation is. If the granuloma originated on the root of the tooth, the prognosis is unfavorable, since the tooth will have to be removed. In some cases, with a strong suppuration cut the gum, scrub the contents, put the drainage and prescribe a course of antibiotics. If the granuloma is not treated, then the prognosis is extremely unfavorable and a fatal outcome is possible. The purulent masses that are contained in the cyst penetrate the muscles of the neck and head, and can reach the heart, because of this the patient will begin sepsis and death occurs.
Granuloma of the tooth is a very unpleasant disease that can occur in both adults and children. It is treatable, and, as a rule, has a positive prognosis. Absence of necessary treatment and chronic dental diseases can lead to various pathologies and even death.