Impacted Canines

Impacted teeth are one of the most common reasons why patients need orthodontic treatment, and canines, also known as cuspids, are among the teeth most likely to be impacted. As an experienced orthodontist, Dr. Cynthia Wong works with dental surgeons to help guide canine teeth through the patients’ gum line and into place, ensuring a strong bite and arch shape.

In children, x-rays should reveal whether there will be room for the canines to erupt. If there is not, it is a good thing the problem was caught early, because impacted canines may never emerge in adults. There are a variety of strategies a dental surgeon may pursue depending on the situation, but most will involve making an incision in the gums in order to expose enough of the canine for a bracket to be attached to it.

Attaching the bracket of an impacted tooth to the arch wire may require some unusual looking hardware.  Chains are one common tool; ballista-shaped springs are another. These are both intended to pull on the impacted canine without putting pressure on the adjacent teeth. Moving an impacted canine into place is generally expected to take a year. Once completed, the canines are crucial to maintaining the straightened arch of all the other teeth.

Cynthia Wong, DMD, operates at 15614 S Harlem #B, Orland Park, Illinois, 60462. To contact her office, call 708-444-8341 or visit DrCynthiaWong.com and send a message.