Exposure of Impacted Teeth

During adolescence, children’s temporary teeth fall out and their permanent teeth emerge in their natural positions. Sometimes, the permanent teeth do not erupt in proper alignment or do not fully grow in at all. A tooth that is trapped beneath the gum tissue and only partially erupts is called an impacted tooth.

At Balaci Oral and Facial Surgery, our surgeons treat impacted teeth so that they can properly erupt into the dental arch. If you or your child has an impacted canine tooth, contact our office in Lebanon, PA, today to schedule an appointment with Dr. Balaci, Dr. Forbes, or Dr. Murphy.

What Are Impacted Teeth?

The most common impacted teeth are the wisdom teeth located at the back of the mouth, just behind the second molars. Since wisdom teeth are not essential for oral health and function, they are simply extracted, regardless of impaction.

Canine teeth play a very important role in the function and aesthetics of the mouth. Your canine teeth are located on either side of the four upper and four lower teeth. Unlike other teeth, the canines have pointy crowns that assist in the biting, chewing, and tearing of tough foods, and they have the longest roots of any other teeth to maintain stability. Canine teeth play a vital role in maintaining alignment of the rest of the teeth, particularly the front teeth. They also aid in the ability to speak.

Canine teeth often face obstacles during their growth that other teeth do not encounter, which play a role in their impaction. Common reasons why a canine tooth becomes impacted include:

• Extra teeth or absence of normal adult teeth
• Overcrowding of the teeth
• Resistance from the normal growth track of adjacent teeth
• Unusual growths blocking the tooth’s proper maturation

If not properly treated in a timely fashion, patients may need to undergo extensive dental and orthodontic procedures to expose the impacted tooth and fix the misalignment its absence has created. These teeth are easier to treat in younger patients before the tooth and its root fully develop and become more securely embedded into the jaw bone.

Exposure and Bonding: Treatment for an Impacted Canine Tooth

During your first visit, one of our oral surgeons will check for symptoms indicative of an impacted tooth, such as redness, tenderness, puffiness, or swollen gum tissue, and take 3D scans of the area. If the tooth is impacted, you will be presented with the most efficient method for treating the impaction that will provide optimal, long-term results. To ensure our patients’ comfort, we offer many anesthesia and sedation options to choose from.

One of the most common treatments for impacted teeth is exposure and bonding. This procedure involves your oral surgeon and your orthodontist working hand in hand to expose and realign the impacted tooth or teeth. Your orthodontist will begin the treatment by properly aligning the healthy teeth to create ample room for the impacted tooth to grow into the mouth. Next, your oral surgeon will perform a short surgical procedure to expose the impacted tooth via incisions in the gum tissue. He will then connect an orthodontic bracket to the impacted tooth and attach a very small chain to the bracket that is used to pull the tooth into proper alignment over time.

The staff at Balaci Oral and Facial Surgery are highly qualified to expose impacted teeth and work with orthodontists in your area to complete the procedure. If you or your child may have an impacted tooth that needs to be removed or exposed, we encourage you to contact our office in Lebanon, PA, for a consultation and to learn more about your treatment options.