Impacted Teeth

A tooth is considered impacted when it does not come into the mouth on its own naturally.

The upper canine tooth is the most common impacted tooth (other than wisdom teeth). Braces need to be placed first and space created for the impacted tooth. At the appropriate time, a referral is made to an Oral Surgeon in order for a chain attachment to be placed on the impacted canine. The retained primary (baby) canine is removed at the same time as the exposure of the impacted canine by the Oral Surgeon. Orthodontic treatment continues until the impacted canine is erupted into the proper position and the remaining orthodontic concerns are corrected. There are risks and limitations associated with erupting an impacted tooth.