Impacted Teeth

Impacted teeth that are blocked from coming in properly:

• May instead come in at an angle, pushing against the molars and causing overcrowding.
• May not erupt fully, remaining instead either partially or fully below the gum line.
• May cause bacteria to become trapped beneath the gum and lead to infection and gum disease.

An impacted cuspid (or canine) tooth can be fairly common. To correct impacted teeth, there are several treatment modalities are available.

Orthodontics (braces) may be utilized to provide an open space for proper tooth eruption. In this case, our doctors will consult with your orthodontist to ensure that treatment is performed at the appropriate time.

We may also be able to remove an over retained primary (baby) tooth to provide space for the impacted tooth to descend, or we can surgically expose the tooth and then place an orthodontic bracket to help bring it down into proper alignment with the other teeth.