Impacted canines

I am often asked to provide my surgical skills to orthodontist to enable exposure of impacted or buried canines or premolars, or indeed their removal.

Some buried teeth can simply be left alone. This may particularly be the case if they are not damaging neighbouring teeth and patients are not seeking to have active orthodontic treatment to “straighten” their teeth. In these instances, I will make sure you are aware of all the treatment options (including providing this in writing to you) and that we have excluded the possibility of damage to adjacent teeth and/or associated pathology with appropriate radiographs.

After you have seen an orthodontist, you may wish to have the buried teeth either removed or exposed. I can do either of these treatments under an agreed treatment plan from a specialist in orthodontics. “Exposing” the buried teeth enables your orthodontist to bring them into the line of the arch as part of an agreed treatment plan, often using a gold chain bonded to the buried tooth.

It is important to realise that in these cases the treatment plan is agreed between you and your orthodontist and I am providing a technical service in exposing or removing the impacted teeth.

What are the risks of this surgery?

The risks of surgery to expose or remove impacted teeth include pain, swelling, bleeding, infection, damage to adjacent teeth and/or sensory disturbances including numbness and/or neuropathic pain, depending on where these teeth are located. There is also the risk of a failure of eruption in the case of exposure, so that it is essential we have a cohesive treatment plan with a specialist orthodontist to guide this endeavour and a “plan B” should teeth fail to erupt. I am very proud to demonstrate extremely low rates of complications for this kind of work, with 0% rates of loss of vitality of adjacent teeth and/or permanent nerve injuries.

What happens after surgery?

If you have had exposure of a buried tooth, then I will communicate clearly with your orthodontist via written correspondence and ensure that you have an early appointment to start orthodontic appliance therapy to guide the eruption of the tooth or teeth affected. Communication is key between all parties to ensure your best outcome, something I pride myself in achieving for each and every patient.