Teeth naturally grow into your mouth by breaking through the gums and moving into position. Occasionally, a tooth gets stuck beneath the gum and is unable to grow into the mouth properly. Once this occurs, the tooth is impacted. The most common type of impacted teeth are the wisdom teeth, but the canines, which are in the front of the mouth, also have a tendency to become impacted and often require surgery to expose.
A tooth may become impacted due to several reasons:
- Overcrowding of the teeth
- The presence of extra teeth or lack of adult teeth
- Unusual growths blocking the tooth’s proper eruption
- Inability of the tooth to follow the normal growth track
To receive proper treatment, it is important to be aware of your symptoms so you can receive an early diagnosis of any impacted teeth. Sometimes, impaction can cause misalignment and other costly orthodontic treatments. Your dentist or oral surgeon can determine if a tooth is impacted by performing a thorough oral and X-ray exam.
One of the most common and effective treatments for impacted canine teeth is exposure and bonding. The treatment utilizes the expertise of both your orthodontist and your oral surgeon, who will work together to align your teeth and allow the impacted tooth to grow into its proper place.
The orthodontist will prepare the mouth by moving your healthy teeth to leave room for the impacted tooth to grow into place. Then the oral surgeon will carefully expose the impacted tooth, moving the gums. Then, an orthodontic bracket and elastic thread will be attached to the exposed tooth. The orthodontist will use the bracket and thread to move the impacted tooth gently into its proper placement.
If you suspect you might have an impacted tooth, we encourage you to contact our office in Granger, IN, to schedule an initial evaluation. Dr. Taite Anderson is trained and qualified to expose your impacted tooth, and he looks forward to caring for you.