Impacted Canines

All of your teeth play an important role in your oral health and function. Some teeth, such as the canine teeth, can become stuck beneath the gums and require surgical intervention to help them erupt. At OC Oral Surgery, Dr. Ahn treats an impacted canine tooth with exposure and bonding, which is a joint effort between your oral surgeon and your orthodontist. If you or your child have an impacted canine tooth, contact our office in Aliso Viejo, CA, to see how oral surgery can help. Dr. Ahn will evaluate your oral health and design a custom care plan for your unique needs.

What Is an Impacted Canine Tooth?

Canine teeth are located on either side of the four front teeth in line with the eyes. They have the longest roots of any teeth and are designed to be the first teeth that touch when you close your mouth. Because of their long roots, canine teeth guide other teeth into proper alignment.

When a canine tooth cannot erupt into the dental arch, it is considered to be impacted. A canine tooth may become impacted because of overcrowding, genetic factors, or if baby teeth have not fallen out in time.

Other teeth can become impacted, like wisdom teeth, but these molars are unnecessary for oral function and are simply extracted. Canine teeth, however, are important for biting, chewing, and speaking, and every effort is made to help them erupt.

Why Treat an Impacted Canine?

Leaving an impacted canine tooth untreated may lead to significant oral health concerns, such as:

• Tooth root resorption
• The formation of cysts or tumors
• Excessive wear on other teeth
• Tooth decay

Treatment for an impacted canine tooth should begin around age 12 or when the permanent canine tooth develops. Detecting and treating an impacted tooth early will produce optimum results, as teeth are more easily guided into their proper positions when they are not fully developed. Treating an impacted tooth will also improve smile aesthetics, which can significantly improve self-confidence.

Although we recommend treating an impacted tooth during adolescence, adults can also undergo treatment. As the tooth develops, it becomes more difficult to help it erupt as it fuses with the jaw bone. If the impacted tooth cannot be saved, we can extract the tooth and replace it with a long-lasting, natural-looking dental implant.

Expose and Bond Procedure

Expose and bond is an orthodontic-related surgical procedure that involves exposing an impacted tooth and attaching a bracket to it. Your orthodontist will then use braces to pull the tooth into the dental arch. Treatment will begin by wearing braces to create enough space for the tooth to erupt. Once there is enough room, you will be ready for the exposure and bonding procedure.

We will take 3D scans of your mouth and Dr. Ahn will create a custom surgical plan. There are many types of anesthesia options available and we will help you select the right option for your comfort.

In a simple surgical procedure, Dr. Ahn will make an incision in the gum tissue to access the impacted tooth and bond an orthodontic bracket to it. This bracket has a gold chain attached to it, which Dr. Ahn will temporarily connect to the arch wire. Your orthodontist will adjust the chain and use braces to gradually pull the tooth into the dental arch, as well as correct any other orthodontic concerns.

Temporary Anchorage Device (TAD)

Another type of orthodontic-related surgery that we provide at OC Oral Surgery is the placement of TADs. A temporary anchorage device, or TAD, serves as a fixed point to direct and shift teeth and is sometimes used in orthodontics to facilitate tooth movement.

This procedure involves inserting a screw-like implant into the gums and jaw bone. Once in place, the TAD serves as an anchor that can be used to provide force to shift teeth. Some patients wear a TAD for a few months, while others wear them for the duration of their orthodontic treatment. After the desired tooth movement has been achieved, we will remove the TAD in a quick procedure.

Impacted Canine Treatment in Aliso Viejo, CA

At OC Oral Surgery, we proudly serve patients of all ages in Orange County and invite you to contact us to see how expose and bond treatment can improve your or your child’s oral health. Dr. Ahn is a board-certified oral surgeon and will closely evaluate your oral health and create a custom care plan for your needs.