Impacted Canines

When a tooth is stuck beneath the gums, it is considered to be impacted. Canine teeth play an important role in everyday life and in order to function properly, they must erupt into the dental arch. Dr. Liberty treats impacted canine teeth with expose and bond treatment, which helps these teeth erupt and achieve proper alignment in your smile.

If you or your child have an impacted canine tooth, we invite you to contact us today to schedule an appointment with our surgeons. We have offices located in El Dorado Hills, Auburn, and Folsom, CA, and use the latest dental technology to ensure better results and provide a comfortable, seamless experience for our patients.

What Is an Impacted Tooth?

An impacted tooth is a tooth that is stuck beneath the gum tissue and cannot erupt into the dental arch. Wisdom teeth are the most common teeth that become impacted because there is not enough room for them in the mouth, and canine teeth are the second most common.

These pointy teeth, located on either side of your four front teeth, are necessary for oral function. Canine teeth have the longest roots of any human teeth and are responsible for biting into food and helping your other teeth maintain proper alignment.

Canine teeth, or maxillary cuspids, are the last of the front teeth to erupt. They often develop around the age of 13, and if the tooth becomes impacted, treatment should also begin at this time. As a patient ages, the likelihood of an impacted canine tooth erupting by natural forces decreases significantly.

Expose and bond treatment is much easier when the tooth is not yet fully developed, making the early teenage years ideal for treatment. However, our team treats impacted canines for children, teens, and adults. If a canine tooth is unable to be treated using exposure and bonding, we can discuss your options for extracting the tooth and replacing it with a healthy, natural-looking dental implant.

What Happens if an Impacted Canine Is Not Treated

An impacted canine tooth that does not erupt into the dental arch will stay in its improper place within the jaw bone. This can cause the roots of adjacent teeth to resorb, which may lead to unrestorable tooth loss or tooth decay. If a canine tooth has partially erupted, meaning that a portion of it is poking through the gums or palate, it is more prone to infections and cavities.

Partially erupted canine teeth are difficult to properly clean and can easily trap food particles and bacteria. Abnormal growths, such as a cyst or tumor, may form around the impacted canine tooth. The growth can push other teeth out of alignment or damage the jaw bone and other teeth roots. Having an impacted canine tooth treated promptly will prevent these issues and help you maintain proper oral health and function.

Expose and Bond Treatment: What to Expect

The treatment for an impacted canine tooth is called expose and bond. This is a joint effort between your orthodontist, who uses braces to align your teeth, and your oral surgeon, who surgically attaches a bracket and chain to the tooth. During your first visit, we will take 3D scans of your mouth and face to determine the location and size of the canine tooth. Then, our surgeons will create a custom plan and work with your orthodontist to outline the timeline of your care.

Once your teeth have been aligned with braces and there is room for the canine tooth, you will come to our office for oral surgery. We often perform this procedure using laughing gas and a local anesthetic, but offer many anesthesia options for your comfort.

Your surgeon will numb the area and make an incision in the gums or palate to access the tooth. We will attach a bracket and chain to the tooth, connect the chain to a nearby tooth or archwire. Finally, we will close the incision with sutures.

Over time, your orthodontist will use your braces to gradually pull the canine tooth into the dental arch. At the end of treatment, your teeth will be in proper alignment and you will have a beautifully straight and fully functioning smile.

Impacted Canine Treatment in El Dorado Hills, Folsom, and Auburn, CA

Our board-certified oral surgeons are dedicated to saving your natural teeth and will create a custom treatment plan unique to your oral health needs. If you or your child have an impacted canine tooth, contact our practice today. We have offices in El Dorado Hills, Folsom, and Auburn, CA, and look forward to caring for you and your family.