What Are the Treatments for an Impacted Canine Tooth?

Impacted teeth are ones that don't "grow in" the way teeth are supposed to. They cannot come in at the correct time, and can thus create other orthodontic problems, such as misplaced teeth. Unlike wisdom teeth, which can be easily removed when this occurs, canine teeth are an important part of your bite. Therefore, "just take them out" doesn't apply. Your dental health provider will have to take other measures to ensure the tooth can come in properly, benefiting the dental health of the patient.

Early Detection

• For the future placement of all teeth, your dental health provider strives to identify impacted canines so he can treat them as early as possible. If canine do not come in properly, they will push other teeth into incorrect positions. Children should go to their dentist when they're about seven years old to get an x-ray, to ensure that they actually have all their adult teeth. It will also help catch any problems that may hinder the canine from coming in. This early detection will help facilitate early treatment. When there are problems with the canines coming in, the first treatment is often to remove the "baby" tooth. After this removal, it could take up to a year and a half for the adult tooth to come in.

Making Room

• If the cause of the impacted tooth is overcrowding (uneven spacing between teeth), orthodontic procedures can help. Either braces or separators will move the surrounding teeth to make way for the adult teeth to come in. Obviously this will not help if the tooth is impacted for other causes, or simply doesn't exist.

Surgery

• Your oral surgeon may decide to put in an orthodontic bracket. This decision will take into account the patient's mental and physical ability to sustain this procedure. You should also consider cost, in any cases where your dental insurance will not cover the procedure. If you decide to go ahead with the surgery, an oral surgeon will surgically raise the gum until the impacted tooth is visible. The surgeon will then place an orthodontic bracket, with a small chain, onto the tooth. After replacing the gums to their former position, only the chain is visible. A couple of weeks later, the patient's orthodontist will connect the chain to a rubber band. The chain will then, ever so slightly, tug at the impacted tooth. This process should b completed in about a year.