Tag Archives: bone spicule

What is a Bone Spicule?

retained root @ oral-radiology.org

Definition

A bone spicule could derive different meanings in different medical fields. This term is being used in dentistry, osteology and ophthalmology.

In dentistry, it is characterized by bony fragments or protrusions either loose or still attaching to jaw bone after a tooth extraction. This happens because loose fractured bony fragments may retain in the socket of an extraction and in time it would emerge from the gum covering the socket. These bone fragments are derived from the bone covering the roots of a tooth. When they are being left behind, your body treats them as foreign matters, so there would be an inflammatory response towards the bony fragments. Hence it would cause swelling and pain that depict an infection. Continue reading