A periapical soft-tissue lesion from a maxillary bicuspid root tip was studied histologically. The initial impression was plexiform ameloblastoma. Subsequent review of the radiographic appearance of the lesion and tissue sections from deeper within the paraffin block revealed a cystic structure. The cyst was lined by squamous epithelium, and a marked chronic inflammatory infiltrate was found in the wall. There were foci of hyperplastic squamous epithelium originating from the cyst lining and proliferating into the wall. A descriptive diagnosis for this variant of a radicular cyst is presented.