Which symptoms indicate a dental cyst?

If a sudden pain appears in a very healthy-looking tooth, it becomes difficult to chew, small sores appear on gums – this may be not the usual stomatitis.

Rinsing and application of all kinds of homemade recipes begin, but this does not help, as the cause may be more serious – the appearance of dental cysts.

What kinds exist?

A dental cyst is a neoplasm of a tumor type, which under certain conditions appears within the jaw, localizing in the basal area of the tooth. It looks like a cavity of a teardrop or an oval shape, which is covered with a dense shell and from the inside is filled with yellowish purulent fluid.

Its outer layer consists of connective tissue cells, and its inner side is a flat stratified epithelium. Dimensions are quite different: ranging from approximately 0.04 inch to 1.5 inches.

There are six main types of cyst, which vary for reasons of formation, complexity and treatments:

• The root (radicular). It is kind, occurring most frequently due to periodontal inflammation (special connective tissue that helps to hold the tooth in the jawbone) of a chronic type.
• Follicular. Also called tooth containing. It may be formed due to the fact that the tooth germ that could not erupt, is infected. Another case – the presence of supernumerary tooth germ in the jaw.
• Keratocyst (or primary). If the tooth is not developed properly, the part of a tooth-forming tissue from which the new formation develops.
• Retromolar (or paradental). This formation occurs as a result of a long process of complex eruption of third molars, accompanied by inflammation. Most often it occurs in the lower jaw.
• Residual (or root cyst). A formation, which remains in the bone after removal of a tooth root.
• Eruption cyst. Can occur in children usually at the age of a teething process. Usually, it is from 7 to 10 years.

It is worth to mention another form of the disease, which is extremely similar to a cyst – a granuloma. This formation, which is small in size and of a rounded form; like a cyst, localized in the root.

Factors that exacerbate cyst and granulomas are practically identical.

However, there is a big difference in the nature of these two entities. Unlike the cyst which has a dense outer layer delineating its boundary and separating the affected tissue, the granuloma is a type of focal inflammation, wherein the connective tissue grows without clear borders.

Causes

Here are the causes and sources of origin, occurring most frequently:

• The appearance of infection in a tooth channel due to poor dental care.
• Chronic diseases – sinusitis, rhinitis, tonsillitis and similar localized in the nasopharynx.
• The weakening of the immune system, for various reasons, which sharply reduces the ability to resist the slightest infection.
• Parodontitis. This is inflammation of the periodontal tissues (periodontal inflammation).
• Periodontitis is a periodontal disease of an inflammatory type.
• The beginning of inflammation under the crown, and escalating it into a chronic form.
• Caries as the tooth decay process, allowing an infection to enter inside of it and affect the internal tissues.
• The trauma of the tooth or a jaw.
• The difficult eruption of third molars (“eights”) or of other teeth in childhood.

Sometimes a cyst can be detected in newborns – the so-called Bon’s nods (or milk teeth of a purulent cyst type). They are formed in the area where the milk teeth are formed, and then the molars. Sometimes they are mistaken for the beginning of the eruption.

Such formation is very dangerous because of its consequences can be of different types and degrees of tumor diseases.

Disease symptoms

This disease has a very unpleasant feature – up to dangerous sizes of formation its development is almost asymptomatic, does not show itself.

In the early stages, you can detect a cyst, only by making an X-ray picture of teeth. Only after studying the resulting photo, the dentist will confirm the symptoms.

Regular inspection of the surface is not likely to reveal anything.

However, the efficiency and simplicity of the treatment are directly dependent on the stage of the disease, that is, the size of the cyst. Therefore, you must care for the gums and teeth, their condition so that after the detection of the slightest deviation immediately turn to the dentist.

Since a cyst is being formed for a long time (several weeks), a person attentive to the state of the health usually has time to notice some of the most characteristic symptoms:

• An unpleasant feeling in the teeth and gums when biting and chewing hard food hard.
• Feeling extra heaviness in the area of the patient’s tooth.
• A change from unpleasant feeling to the painful discomfort during eating.
• The difficulties of the normal movement of the jaw while opening the mouth.
• Changes in the nature of pain with a mild aching to a constant and sharp.
• Formations on the gums (where is the root of the projection) of small tubercles, which can be gradually increased in size.
• General malaise and weakness for no apparent reason, a possible increase in temperature.
• The emergence of flux. Sometimes a bubble may appear on the outside of the gum, from which the liquid flows. This means that the bone is broken with a cyst and fistula is formed.

Consequences

The most serious consequence may even be a broken jaw, triggered by the destruction of the bone due to greatly increase in the size of the cyst. However, these spontaneous fractures are rare.

After the contact with pyogenic bacteria in the cyst cavity sometimes an acute inflammation may occur, threaten with the development of osteomyelitis, which means a necrotic process that develops in the bone marrow and the bone itself. It can form a fistula on the gums, possibly on cheeks, through which purulent mass will flow out.

Tooth roots may be destroyed, which leads to their removal. Recurrent acute inflammations affect an overall health, provoking severe pain – not only dental but also headaches.

Exacerbation occurs in the background of practically any strong shake-up of the body – a viral disease, hypothermia, cold or just stress. A consequence of the long-term, permanent presence of inflammation in the body can become sepsis due to blood poisoning.

Dental cyst itself is a benign form, and cannot cause harm to the body over and above what has already been described. However, due to improper and untimely treatment, the occurrence of cancer is possible – a malignant tumor that can threaten not only the health but also the patient’s life.

Treatment

Treatment may vary depending on the severity of the disease and its stage. There are four main methods of professional treatment.

The therapeutic method

If a formation is small – no more than 0.28 – 0.3 inches, the treatment is carried by a dental therapist: tooth channel is washed using a special method, followed by taking drugs that have a destructive effect on the cyst.

After its complete destruction, the emptied cavity is filled with cement solution. This is the best method of treatment, not entailing serious consequences, and simple enough.

Cystectomy

This method is surgical. It’s a surgery for a removal of a part of the root (its damaged part) together with a cyst.

Such operation is carried out at a relatively small size tumor – when maximum two teeth are affected.

It is conducted through an incision in the gum. The advantage of this method is that the tooth itself remains.

Hemisection

This operation is less gentle in comparison with the previous method. In this case the complete removal of all the damaged root together with the damaged part of the crown, which is adjacent to it.

Complete removal

One of the most advanced methods at this time is to use a laser to remove the cyst. When the laser is introduced into the pre-expanded channels – a non-contact operation, it practically eliminates the possibility of infection entering the cavity.

Moreover, this method is popular for not causing pain and simultaneous disinfection and decontamination of affected areas is held.

Selection of one of the methods does not depend on the wish of the patient or the doctor. It is influenced by the size and look of the cyst only. If you need surgery, after it the meeting antibiotics are prescribed to prevent new inflammation.

Proper and timely treatment almost always results in a full recovery without serious consequences.

Prevention

• A visit to the dentist once in a quarter (or half). If the doctor insists, you should not, in any case, refuse to make an X-ray. After all the cyst can be seen only in this way in the early stages.
• It is necessary to strictly follow the hygiene of the mouth, teeth cleaned regularly and change toothbrushes because the formation of a cyst can be caused by a caries process, which leads to the emergence of inflammation as well as poorly supplied seals and not properly cured tooth decay.
• It is advisable to avoid situations that can lead to injury of the teeth and jaw.
• Taking care of health in general, it is one of the methods of prevention, as reduced immunity weakens the body’s defense system. Then even the smallest factors can cause the formation of a dental cyst.

At the earliest stages when timely detection of cysts is provided, the treatment can be carried out solely with medication that poses no danger to the teeth.