Impacted Upper Canine

The Story:

This 13-year-old patient was referred by her orthodontist for evaluation of her impacted upper left canine. She had some crowding early on during her permanent teeth development. The canine was noted to be stuck (impacted) and positioned behind the incisors towards the roof of her mouth.

Treatment:

The orthodontist began the treatment by aligning the teeth and creating adequate space for eruption of the canine. She was referred to Dr. Kazemi for exposure of the canine and placement of a special bracket to allow the orthodontist to erupt the canine into the correct position. The procedure was performed with IV sedation and took only 30 minutes. Dr. Kazemi exposed the canine and bonded a special bracket with a gold chain attached to it. After healing for two weeks, the orthodontist placed elastics on the gold chain and gradually directed the canine into proper position. Within 7 months, the canine was aligned with the other teeth.

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