Cyst in Jaw-removed the root of tooth

[Maxmama77]

Dear Medhelp,
Recently, I had an xray at the dentist, in which it showed a cyst-like mass around the jaw bone. Then, to make matters worse, the root was missing. I am really scared. I get a biopsy in another month, but I was just wondering what other things this could be, besides the negatives... I am terrified. Also, what does a jaw/tooth biopsy generally consist of? I can't seem to get answers. Thanks.

[Maxmama77]

Thank you for your help. The Oral Surgeon was very friendly, but briefly said he would just do a biopsy of the jaw in his office. He gave me my paperwork to get the appointment scheduled, but the sheet was not informative. I contacted his assistant and she was helpful. She did say, feel free to contact the dr anytime, as he would be happy to go over things. I am so scared of the worst. The xray shows a strange bone density along with a white circular lesion/lesions around a missing molar root. The OS did say, when reviewing the xray, he would put anything really bad at the bottom of his list, but who knows? Is there anything besides negative issues, that this x-ray could reveal? I am so nervous and sick over this. I did put the biopsy back a few weeks, as the scheduler said I could do, as we have plans this week, but maybe I should move it forward, or would the OS normally ask to move it up if necessary? Thanks a lot.

[Michael H Kirsch, DDS]

If you are this concerned you should ask the surgeon for an earlier appointment or to be placed on a standby/cancel list for the next available.

The biopsy consists of being given a local anesthetic (sometimes IV anes.) and the doctor will remove a very small portion of the lesion to send to a pathologist.  The pathologist will determine what the lesion is and send a report to the surgeon (usually takes about 10 days).

Once the surgeon knows exactly what you have they will be able to determine the best course of treatment.

If your surgeon cannot or is unwilling to spend the time to explain everything to you in advance I suggest you look for another doctor.

Information contained within this reply is intended solely for general educational purposes and is not intended nor implied to be a medical diagnosis or treatment recommendation.  This is not a substitute for professional medical advice relative to your specific medical condition or question. Always seek the advice of your own doctor for medical condition. Only your doctor can provide specific diagnoses and therapies.