A dental cyst is a cavity that forms at the tip of a tooth root, usually following an old infection or an incomplete root canal treatment. Painless for a long time, it develops silently and can cause complications elsewhere in the body.
How does a cyst form?
- It starts with deep decay reaching the nerve: the tooth then needs root treatment.
- If the tooth could be treated all the way to the tip, the risk of a cyst is very low.
- If part of the canal remains incompletely disinfected or filled, a chronic inflammatory reaction sets in: this is the granuloma or cyst.
Dental cysts can cause infectious or inflammatory problems elsewhere: tendinitis, joint pain, ear, nose and throat conditions.
The possible treatments
The treatments are painless, but often lengthy: they are “attempts” at retreatment, spread out over time.
1. Root canal retreatment
The first and simplest treatment is to redo the tooth’s root treatment. Modern techniques sometimes make it possible to reach places the old instruments could not. A follow-up X-ray 2 months later checks that bone is forming again where the cyst was.
2. Apicectomy
If retreatment fails, an apicectomy is carried out: the dentist cleans out the entire visible part of the cyst and seals the tooth from below. Another X-ray at 2 months confirms healing, or shows that the cyst is still there — in which case the tooth will have to be extracted and replaced.
3. Extraction and replacement
If the cyst persists despite treatment, the tooth will have to be extracted and replaced. The best long-term solution is a 100% ceramic crown on an implant: 95% of implants are still intact 25 years on. A bridge or a removable denture are also possible in the shorter term.
Do not live with a gap, even a single one: keeping the mouth in balance remains the priority.
