A cyst is a tissue cavity covered by a small flap of skin (epithelium), which can consist of several smaller chambers, usually containing a liquid or pulp.

Cysts develop relatively quickly, and usually cause pressure but are not aggressive. Not aggressive means that surrounding structures (such as blood vessels) are squeezed but not damaged.

A radicular cyst consists of tissue remains (or epithelium remains) left over from tooth growth. Various tissues in the human body contain cell remains stemming from the development of the embryo. These remains can increase as a result of inflammation caused by a dead tooth nerve or badly performed root treament – and a cyst appears.

You will now see a film showing the removal of a cyst. The patient experienced a fall years before and damaged his left from incisor. He did not go to a dentist – but over the years he noticed that the tooth was wandering away from the midline and a dark discoloration was developing.

X-rays revelaed the cause of these phenomena. The tooth nerve was damaged by the fall and died. The „rotting“ tissue caused an inflammation. This inflammation stimulated growth in the epithelium remains of the embryo – this led to the formation of a radicular cyst – the dark spot in the x-ray. The cyst pushed the tooth away from the midline.

Therapy consists of the removal of this cyst.
The mucuous membrane has been flipped open, and the bone over cyst is carefully removed – thus exposing the entire cyst, which is them scooped out. It is important to remove every last bit – if there are any remains, these can lead to the formation of a new cyst – even years later (a recrudescence).

Since the defect is comparatively large, material is inserted to replace the bone which was removed, but this should only be performed if there is no sign of inflammation and the defective area canbe cleaned easily.
The mucuous membrane is then sewn up. Bi-annual x-ray check-ups show whether the therapy was successful or not.