When teeth fail to erupt into the mouth, we say they’re “impacted.” Wisdom teeth are the most commonly impacted teeth follow by canine (eye teeth) and premolars. When canines become impacted, there are several surgical options for treatment. Our goal is to bring your impacted canines down into a proper position and alignment with the rest of your teeth. While canine impaction is best diagnosed at a younger age (typically around age seven), we can help any patient of any age get the relief and aesthetically-pleasing look of a natural smile.
Your canine or “eye teeth” are located between your incisors and pre-molars. Canine teeth are the second most common impacted teeth after wisdom teeth. Impacted canine teeth may be caused by crowding of the adjacent teeth and overall lack of space for them to erupt. In rare circumstances, the impacted tooth may be fused to the surrounding bone which can prevent the tooth from erupting in a normal pattern.
The benefits of surgical or orthodontic treatment of an impacted canine are numerous and include a better and more natural aesthetic appearance to your teeth, improved bite function, less discomfort due to impaction, and a perfected smile. We can evaluate the degree of impaction of your canines or other teeth and provide customized treatment options that will resolve the issue with as little discomfort as possible.
Depending on the development of your teeth and the level of impaction, there are various treatment options. If a younger patient has an impacted tooth, we can expedite its proper alignment by removing any baby teeth that may be blocking its eruption into the mouth. We can also treat impacted teeth with an expose and bond procedure. This is a procedure that is combined with orthodontic treatment to help bring a tooth into proper alignment. During the expose and bond procedure, the impacted tooth is exposed and a bracket and chain may be attached to the exposed tooth and secured to the patient's orthodontic wires to allow the tooth to be brought into proper position. We’re happy to provide you with a thorough dental evaluation and offer solutions that best fit your unique needs.