Surgical removal of canine teeth
The canines are the teeth with the longest and thickest root on the entire jaw. The eruption of these teeth is crucial to the final alignment of the anterior teeth. For this reason, the canines are crucial, not just from an aesthetic stand point, but from a functional stand point as well. The trajectory of the canine tooth is long, especially in the upper jaw, and it’s not exactly a smooth process because it has to overcome a series of bone obstacles in order to arrive where it is suppose to erupt. That is why it’s not unusual to find full or partial inclusion of these teeth (when the tooth remains in the jaw covered by bony tissue, unable to erupt). When this happens there are three distinct strategies that we can choose from:
- Controlled and watchful waiting
- Fenestration: Involving a small incision to expose the crown of the canine, and through orthodontic therapy, leading the tooth to its natural position.
- Surgical Removal: When an orthodontic treatment will not give the desired results, or when a patient does not want this treatment option, the tooth can be surgical removed. This should be done before symptoms associated with the inclusion of a tooth arise, such as damaging the roots of adjacent teeth, or the cystic formation processes. Afterwards implants can be placed in the jaw…