Chew Dental Group
Rodney J. Chew, DDS & Associates
Creating Beautiful Smiles

Impacted Canines

Treatment for Impacted Canine Teeth in Fremont, CA

Any tooth can become impacted, but wisdom teeth are the most commonly impacted, followed by canine teeth. Impacted canines can cause health problems, damage other teeth, and push several teeth out of their proper positions. The longer you wait, the more damage they will cause. Fortunately, there are several treatment options.

Keep reading to learn more about impacted canines and how they are treated.

What Are Canines?

First of all, you need to know what canine teeth are. Professionally called cuspids, canine teeth are pointy teeth that are three over from the middle of your front teeth. 

Unless they haven’t come through your gum or yours have fallen out, you should have four canine teeth: two on the top and two on the bottom. 

What Are Impacted Canine Teeth?

When your cuspids, or canine teeth, can't make it through your gum and/or bone tissue, this is known as impaction. This is a problem because it can cause other teeth to shift and grow abnormally. 

If left untreated for too long, cysts and infections may occur. Resolving these issues requires procedures like an apicoectomy, where infected tissue or cyst is removed from your tooth's root.

What Causes Canine Teeth to Become Impacted?

Canine teeth are supposed to fully come in by age 14 after all of the other adult teeth are established. Since they're some of the last teeth to arrive, there isn’t always enough space left. 

There are many reasons why it's recommended to see a dentist around age 7 — one of them is to make sure canine teeth have the space to grow properly.

There are multiple ways canine teeth can become impacted, including: 

  • Lack of space - The most common reason for impacted canines is lack of space. They may not have enough space due to misaligned teeth or an underdeveloped mouth. Oftentimes, dentists can recognize when there isn’t enough room for canines to come in and fix the issue before they become problematic.

  • Extra teeth - Sometimes, extra teeth develop and block the space where canines grow in. In these cases, it's important to make space for the canine teeth before they become impacted. 

  • Mouth trauma - Canine teeth may also become impacted if a child experienced mouth trauma before the teeth erupt. This could affect the direction in which the cuspids grow and migrate. While less common, it can still happen. 

Signs That Canine Teeth Are Impacted

With regular dental visits, your dentist should be able to diagnose impacted canines before they become a problem. However, if they are somehow overlooked, or it’s been a while since your last visit to the dentist, he is how to tell that you might have impacted canines.

  • Sore or tender gums

  • Redness or swelling of gums

  • Achy jaw

  • Bad breath

  • Not all canines have erupted by age 14

  • Still have baby canines at the age of 13

How Are Impacted Canines Treated?

Impacted canines are treated according to their severity. Not all solutions are viable and are determined on a case-to-case basis.

Orthodontics

Since impacted canines are almost always a result of crowded teeth, orthodontics are typically used in treatment. If caught early, invasive treatment may not be necessary.

Exposure and Bonding

Oftentimes, orthodontists collaborate with oral surgeons to get the canine teeth to come into place. They will utilize a technique known as exposure and bonding. This method involves an orthodontist applying braces. 

An oral surgeon will expose the impacted canine. From here, a small chain is attached to the impacted canine on one end and the bracket of your braces on the other.

With regular appointments to shorten the chain, the impacted canine will slowly be pulled into place.

Extraction

In rare cases, tooth extraction is necessary to protect other teeth and your overall health. 

Here are some reasons your canine teeth may need to be extracted:

  • The tooth won’t move because it is fused to the bone

  • The tooth is damaged and being absorbed by the body

  • Surrounding teeth are in jeopardy of severe damage

  • Tumors or large cysts

Impacted Canine Treatment in Fremont, CA

Do you think you or your child might have impacted canines? Call our office or schedule an appointment online to get checked out and see if you need impacted canine treatment. 

Testimonials

I have never reviewed a dentist before, but Dr. Rodney Chew is worth reviewing.
This is a list of why you should go to this dentist:
1. His name is Dr. "CHEW". As in chewing and he is a dentist. That one's easy.
2. He takes care of his patients. I recently had two incredibly stubborn wisdom teeth pulled. He walked me through the process, made sure I knew what was going to happen and has been in touch with me to make sure my healing process is going well. He really took the effort to make sure I was doing well as a patient.
3. He is an awesome dentist. He's competent, he gets things done quickly and smoothly and makes sure his staff are operating on the same basis he is.

And that is the end of the list. Go to this guy. He is rad.

Julian Jacobson

I havent seen to a dentist in a long time but they were very helpful and patient answering my questions. The whole experience was quick and easy. Thanks Chew Dental Group!

Aaron Yao

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