Prognosis and healing of a cyst | The jaw cyst

Prognosis and healing of a cyst

Since cysts are of benign origin, the prognosis for healing is very good. Depending on how the cyst is treated, a relapse may occur. The cyst could fill up again.

This is more likely to happen if the cyst has not been correctly “cystostomized”, i.e. cut open and kept open. In this case, the drainage is disturbed again and fluid continues to enter the cyst – i.e. it grows again. In a cystectomy (removal) the complete cyst with all structures is removed.

At this point there is no danger of this old cyst growing again. So if small cysts are treated early enough and correctly, they heal very well. Since they grow very slowly, they should be noticed during regular check-ups and detected early.

Even if they are larger, the damage is reversible, provided that the neighbouring structures are intact. The danger of a jaw cyst should not be underestimated. Although they are benign growths, depending on where they are located, they can displace other structures, crush them or similar.

As described above, they are cavities filled with fluid. However, these cavities are newly formed. So they form where other structures should be.

If such a cyst were located in the lower jaw, it could press on the large conduction nerve and possibly damage it. In addition, some cysts can lead to bone damage if they are not treated. The result could possibly be a broken jaw.

Another aspect is the inflammation that the cyst causes. This inflammation can spread and infect other areas of the jaw and teeth. In general, jaw cysts are benign.

However, patients who have already had a cyst in their jaws have a higher risk of developing malignant changes. Furthermore, there is a form of jaw cyst called keratocyst or KZOT (keratocystic odontogenic tumor), which is counted among the tumors due to its destructive and aggressive growth. The keratocyst is the most common odontogenic tumor and reaches patients between 10 and 30 and 50 and 70 years of age. It is characterized by the destruction of the surrounding bone and can also affect the surrounding soft tissue, but nevertheless it is also considered a benign tumor. It is important to treat and remove jaw cysts as quickly as possible so that the tissue cannot degenerate and a tumorous structure can develop from the cystic one.