Impacted Canines

A common dental problem is overcrowding of teeth in a patient's mouth. The downside of crowding is that there may be insufficient room for some teeth to erupt naturally, causing them to be impacted or not to come in properly aligned. This then leads to a malocclusion, or bad bite, causing a domino effect of problems for the patient. Impacted teeth can damage the roots of surrounding teeth; they can develop abscesses, or become cystic over time. We think of wisdom teeth being impacted and therefore removed, but when a patient's canine teeth are impacted, this can have both functional and aesthetic problems, at Reno-Tahoe Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center, we want to salvage your canine teeth.

Your canine teeth are known as the cornerstone of your dental arch, sometimes referred to as your eye teeth because they are located under your eyes, it is visible when they are missing due to being impacted. Our oral surgeon, Reno-Tahoe Oral Surgery & Dental Implant Center, can perform a minor oral surgery to expose your impacted canines, and then with the assistance of orthodontics, they can be moved into proper position.

Working in correlation with your orthodontist, an evaluation will be completed to examine your whole bite, including the current positioning and stage of growth of your canine teeth. This will be done with digital x-rays, and we will then further assess if there is adequate space to expose your canine teeth and pull them into position. Our scanners produce highly detailed 3D images allowing us to determine the potential success of continuing with surgery.

If we determine that we be unable to bring them into place, then we will need to discuss their removal before they cause further problems. Impacted teeth that are left in place are subject to future infection or causing issues with neighboring teeth.

If the canine teeth are positioned in such a way that surgery is reasonable, we will assist in uncovering them surgically allowing your orthodontist to attach braces to them and pull them into position. To expose the tooth, we will numb the area, using a local anesthetic, and then surgically cut into the tissue. We do this to gain access to the tooth buried below the soft tissue. If the crown is hidden due to the bone, we will remove the small amount of bone to uncover the tooth. Sutures will be made to expose the tooth and to allow the tissue to heal correctly. With the crown of the tooth exposed, our oral surgeon, based on the guidance of your orthodontist will bond a small bracket to it.

Surgically exposing impacted canine teeth is a predictable and routine dental procedure, that will help improve the health and function of your teeth. Our front office is here to assist you in scheduling appointments and in finding answers to your questions concerning impacted teeth and improving their function and aesthetics. Schedule an appointment today us for more information.