One of the most common problems oral surgeons treat is the impaction of wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth often appear in the late teens or early twenties and often lack proper space to erupt fully or at all, thus causing impaction. This can cause numerous problems including the crowding of adjacent teeth or inflammation under the gums. Canine teeth, incisor teeth and premolar teeth can also become impacted.
Because canine teeth are crucial to your bite and overall appearance of your mouth, orthodontists often work with oral surgeons in order to aid eruption of the impacted teeth by surgically exposing them.
The exposure of a tooth involves a surgical procedure where gum tissue and bone that is covering the tooth is removed. Based on your individual situation, your oral surgeon might dress the tooth with stitches, so that the orthodontist can begin repositioning the tooth into proper alignment, or your oral surgeon can bond an orthodontic bracket and chain onto the exposed tooth, so that the orthodontist can move the tooth into alignment over time.