Surgical Exposure of Teeth

When a tooth fails to emerge through the gums and remains in the bone, it is considered impacted. After wisdom teeth, the most commonly impacted tooth is the canine.

The canine is a critical tooth: a strong biting tooth with the longest root of any human tooth, and an important player in your bite. The maxillary canines are normally the last front teeth to erupt, usually around age 13. If a canine becomes impacted without space available between the adjacent teeth, it is unlikely to erupt on its own.

Treating an impacted tooth matters: it prevents improper eruption of nearby teeth, cyst formation, possible infection and other negative changes in the jaw.

Radiographs determine the position of the tooth in the bone. If space is limited, orthodontic treatment usually comes first; the orthodontist and the periodontist then decide together on the right moment to surgically expose the tooth and gradually guide it into the mouth with an orthodontic bracket and chain. Surgical exposure by the periodontist and alignment by the orthodontist protect the rest of your teeth from further damage.