Cysts on the gums in children are not simple tumors. This is an inflammatory process that requires a dental examination. Many try to eliminate them with folk remedies, since it is quite difficult to persuade a child to go to the dentist. The essence of the pathology, the features of treating patients and the effectiveness of therapy at home will be considered in the article.
Reasons for the appearance of a cyst
Externally, a cyst is a lump that is located in the oral cavity on the gum. Experts identify a number of reasons for its occurrence.
The first is the inflammatory process in the tooth root. A bump can appear on both the milk and the molar. This exudate bag is a response of the child's body to an infection that develops due to:
- lack of timely treatment of carious teeth, periodontitis, pulpitis (children of those parents who treat dishonesty in bad faith usually suffer from such manifestations);
- tooth injuries go gums when struck or dropped;
- the dentist’s dishonest attitude to treatment, for example, when the doctor didn’t clean and close the dental canals when filling.
A second reason is problems caused by teething. A similar type of cyst in a child can be seen a few weeks before the appearance of a permanent or milk tooth. This phenomenon of intervention on the part of specialists does not require, since the lump will disappear after eruption. What does a cyst look like on a gum?
The appearance of the cyst
A cyst in dentistry is called a pouch. Education in appearance really looks like a bag of exudate. An oval or round shaped inflammatory formation is filled with pus. The pouch attaches to the tooth root. The structure is a dense connective tissue. What a cyst looks like on a gum is interesting to many.
An inflamed cyst is formed due to infection in the root of the tooth. The body, seeking to eliminate inflammation, responds with the appearance of a cyst, thereby preventing the penetration of harmful microflora.
Types of entities
Cysts in medicine are divided into several varieties:
- pearl - the process of inflammation in the gum, which is accompanied by the formation of a white capsule;
- congenital - a similar cyst in a baby on the gum appears due to difficult teething;
- periodontal - this formation is formed during teething or due to improper tooth growth;
- teething cysts - occur in children when primary teeth are changed by molars;
- residual - appear after unsuccessful deletion;
- follicular - are fraught with complications; the formation of cysts is facilitated by the ingress of a dental fragment with a bruise, which is accompanied by defects in the integrity of the teeth;
- radicular cysts - occur with pulpitis in an advanced state, after poor-quality therapy and with caries.
A photo of the cyst on the gum in a child is presented below.
Clinical picture
It is rather difficult to catch the moment of occurrence of cystic inflammation. In the early stages of the patient, nothing bothers, no changes are observed in the oral cavity. The dentist usually finds a neoplasm during an examination of the oral cavity. Treatment with cysts is quite difficult. If the cyst has formed completely, a special channel appears, connecting the inflammatory focus with the external environment. A fistula can find a way out on the cheek, neck or gum.
Signs
Signs of cysts on the gums in children:
- increase in body temperature;
- throbbing pains on the alleged site of localization of the cyst;
- swelling of the lips or cheeks;
- facial symmetry defects;
- refusal of food;
- headache;
- weakness and malaise.
Often parents, having seen a swelling on their faces, think that the child received a bruise on their face tissues when they fell. It is necessary to be attentive to the child and examine the oral cavity for the presence of ulcers, cones and gums. How to get rid of a cyst in the mouth of a child on the gum?
Cyst treatment
Therapeutic methods are those involving an easy and accurate treatment. You can choose three ways to get rid of the cyst, but they are carried out exclusively in the case when the cyst did not have time to transform into a fistula. The most convenient methods of treatment are those that are carried out through the root canal. The main cause of cysts in children’s gums is deep caries. By treating a cyst through the root canal, you can get rid of both the main pathology and its cause.
Depophoresis
One of the intracanal techniques was called depophoresis, which consists in the fact that after cleansing the channel pus is pumped out of the cavity, and then nitric oxide is poured there. This substance is exposed to a weak electric current, and then begins to randomly move and kill at the same time all pathogenic bacteria. The procedure is best repeated three times.
Transcanal Laser Dialysis
Another technique for treating cysts on the gums in a child is quite expensive and at the same time more advanced. It is called transcanal laser dialysis. Most often used in pediatric dentistry due to the simplicity and convenience of this technique. The advantages of using a laser in the treatment of cysts in a child on the gum of a milk tooth are that it copes well with bacteria and promotes the accelerated healing of tissue damage. The cystic cavity is visible through a clean root canal.
Cystotomy
Finally, the latter type of therapeutic technique does not directly affect the tooth. The method is called cystotomy. In particular, it is often used when a cyst occurs in infants, as well as in the case when a fistula appears in place of a fallen tooth.
Therapy is based on the removal of the gingival anterior wall. After that, accumulated pus is pumped out from there. Then it is processed and sutured, however, such treatment is effective only when the formation is small. If the case is more neglected, then instead of the anterior cystic wall, a small device is delayed that delays its healing. Such a trick makes it possible to heal first the internal tissues, and then the front ones. The external part of the gum usually heals much faster, while there is still a cavity inside and new inflammation processes can develop in it.
Any therapeutic procedure for a child’s gum cyst (pictured below) requires a lot of time and effort. You will have to come to a specialist at least three to four times. In the absence of such an amount of time or the baby refuses frequent visits to a specialist, it is necessary to use surgical methods of treatment.
Surgical cyst removal
Surgical methods in pediatric dentistry in the treatment of cysts are used in rare cases. But sometimes this cannot be avoided, especially if the cyst begins to give the baby uncomfortable sensations. Surgical techniques for removing cysts on the gums in some cases are carried out even under local anesthesia. And the point here is not even tangible soreness. Local anesthesia copes well with pain. The thing is that such an operative intervention can drag on for an hour and a half. It’s extremely difficult for a baby to sit motionless in an armchair all this time.
Surgical methods are two methods:
- A cystectomy is somewhat similar to a cystotomy, and their names are not in vain consonant. During cystectomy, the surgeon removes the patient’s front gingival wall and with it the damaged cavity and part of the tooth root. A small loss will in no way affect the chewing or aesthetic functions, however, tissues damaged by infection will not remain at all, which means that it will not be able to develop again. Immediately after surgery, the damaged area is sutured. Everything will heal in about two to three weeks, and then the sutures will be removed, and the baby, maybe, will not even remember such an unpleasant pathology.
- Hemisection is more rarely performed in pediatric dentistry. It consists in dividing the tooth into two parts and the further removal of one. In this way, the dentist opens access to the cyst, after which it can easily pump out pus from it and process it.
Such treatment is used only in the most neglected situations, often after unsuccessful attempts to remove cysts on the gums in children using therapeutic methods. Adult patients undergo hemisection much more often, and the child is trying to save a tooth. One half of the tooth will not be able to function as before. It needs to be restored or a crown installed. The child’s teeth are too weak for such a load. As a result, a damaged tooth will have to be completely removed.
Home Therapy
Experts recommend using traditional medicine methods as an additional treatment that will reduce the process of inflammation in the oral cavity. Before self-treatment, it is necessary to consult with a specialist regarding the appropriateness of the methods that will be used.
To reduce the inflammatory process, you can take the following actions:
- apply a leaf of Kalanchoe to the gum;
- wipe the inflamed gum with alcohol infusions;
- rinse your mouth with saline solutions;
- wipe the area with sesame oil inflammation;
- disinfect the oral cavity with decoctions of horsetail, chamomile, thyme, calendula and sage.
All infusions and solutions should be warm, not hot. When exposed to high temperatures on the inflamed area, the process of decay in the tissues will intensify. What is the danger of a gum cyst in a child?
Complications
If there is no competent and timely treatment, various complications can occur. When pus comes out, nearby tissues become infected. The contents of the cyst enter the gums and can cause flux. The constant process of rotting affects the bones. Pus with blood flow can enter the bone marrow. Damage to the jaw will cause tooth loss. When pus enters the digestive tract, it will cause inflammation of the gastric mucous membranes. If exudate enters the bloodstream, diseases of the cardiovascular system may develop.
If you do not remove the purulent cone in a timely manner, the following complications may occur:
- the process of inflammation extends to the rudiments of molars, and because of this, adentia develops;
- inflammatory process in adenoids and tonsils;
- weakening of the immune system;
- if there is no fistula, pus penetrates into the tissues, and because of this, periostitis, phlegmon and inflammation of the internal organs develop.
Since there is a likelihood of complications, you need to remove the cyst. To prevent the development of inflammation, it is necessary to resort to preventive measures and regularly monitor the condition of the oral cavity at the dentist.
Dentistry Prevention and Advice
Preventive measures will not harm any person. Moreover, one who cares about the state of the oral cavity protects himself from the development of various diseases. If it is too early to detect a lump on the gum, this will help to quickly eliminate the pathology. Since the diagnosis is made by a specialist, you need not to scare the baby, but in all possible ways make it clear that dental treatment is not so scary.
The child must know about the following recommendations:
- regularly and correctly brush your teeth;
- after each meal it is necessary to rinse your mouth, showing the child on his own example how to do it (infusions and decoctions of medicinal plants, antiseptics are used as a solution);
- a toothbrush should be selected soft, best with natural bristles; as an object of personal protection, it must be stored in a closed case, after each cleaning treated with boiling water or an antiseptic;
- if the child is still young, and his teeth are just beginning to erupt, you need to use gels that differ in antibacterial properties and eliminate pain;
- the baby must be treated carefully, remove all objects that can injure the jaw or gums, make sure the toys are clean;
- constantly inspect the baby's mouth for suspicious formations and inflammations; if pathogenic processes are detected, you can not postpone a visit to the dentist.
Self-medication is not worth it. Naturally, the long-term use of traditional medicine is a good help, but you still can not do without the help of a specialist. Only a dentist will select the necessary treatment technique and prevent complications.
We examined what to do with a cyst on the gum in a child.