What Is an Impacted Canine:
It is not uncommon for teeth other than wisdom teeth to be impacted, or “blocked” from entering the mouth. Fortunately, your Orthodontist and an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon can bring the impacted tooth through the gum and into the correct position in the mouth – giving you a beautiful healthy smile.
The canine tooth is a critical tooth in the dental arch and plays an important role in your bite. The canine teeth are very strong biting teeth and have the longest roots of any human tooth. They are designed to be the first teeth that touch when your jaws close together, so they guide the rest of the teeth into the proper bite.
The maxillary canine teeth are the last of the front teeth to erupt. They usually come into the mouth around 13 years of age. If a canine tooth gets impacted, every effort is made to get it to erupt into its proper alignment within the dental arch.
Early Recognition of Impacted Canines:
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that panoramic dental x-ray, along with a dental examination, be performed on all patients at the age of seven, to determine if there are problems with eruption of the adult teeth. An orthodontist will place braces to align teeth, and to allow for proper eruption of the impacted canine tooth. Treatment may also require as extraction of baby canine tooth that is blocking the eruption of the permanent canine. In older patients, there is a much higher chance that the permanent canine will be fused inside the jawbone. In these cases, the canine tooth will need to be removed.
Treatment of Impacted Canine:
In cases where the permanent canines will not erupt spontaneously, the orthodontist will place braces on the teeth and will refer the patient to an oral surgeon to have the impacted canine exposed and bracketed. In a simple surgical procedure, the gum over the impacted canine tooth will be lifted to expose the hidden canine tooth and an orthodontic bracket will be bonded. Shortly after surgery (1-14 days) the patient will return to the orthodontist and a light eruptive pulling force will be applied to the impacted canine tooth. This will begin the process of moving the tooth into its proper alignment in the dental arch. This is a carefully controlled, slow process that may take up to a full year to complete.
