Why Is Exposing Adult Teeth Important?
Glendale, AZ
Impacted Teeth Treatments in Glendale provided by Dr. Michael Allard
at Arrowhead Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
 If you let a tooth stay impacted, it can lead to several negative possibilities. It is best to treat an impacted tooth relatively quickly to avoid facing problems such as:
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Infections
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Pain, stiffness and swelling
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Gum disease
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Cysts and tumors in the jaw |
Orthodontic Guided Tooth Eruption
Abnormal or delayed eruption is a common problem. When the tooth cannot erupt into its normal position, the tooth can get physically obstructed and stuck in its position in the dental arch. Not addressing this failure in normal eruption can lead to much larger developmental discrepancies.
Although wisdom teeth are the most common tooth to be impacted, the second most common is the maxillary cuspid (canine).
These teeth normally erupt around 11-12 years of age. They play a vital role in lip support and act as the cornerstone of the mouth. They play an important role in the way our bite comes together. The older the patient, the less likely that any impacted tooth will erupt on its own. Early in a child's development, a panoramic x-ray is performed at around the age of 7 to assess the number and position of the teeth. This allows for an appropriate assessment of the sequencing of things as development is occurring.
If an impacted tooth fails to erupt it may need Dr. Allard, working closely with the orthodontist and general dentist, to perform a simple procedure to assist the tooth in its guided eruption. First, orthodontics is initiated to allow the space around the tooth to be opened and allow guidance of the tooth into position. This is accomplished via an orthodontic bracket with a gold chain that is bonded to the impacted tooth. The chain is ligated to the orthodontic arch wire. The incision made to carry out this procedure may be re-approximated or sutured open—depending on the requirements of the site.
After surgery, the patient may return to the orthodontist anywhere from 1-14 days post procedure to have the orthodontist place forces on the tooth with elastics and begin guiding the tooth into its desired position. If baby teeth act as an obstruction, Dr. Allard will often instruct that they also be removed. If the impacted tooth must travel a long way before it is fully erupted, Dr. Allard may suggest a secondary soft tissue procedure to fine tune the soft tissue appearance.
In conjunction with the general dentist/orthodontist, Dr. Allard in Glendale, AZ can ideally locate the tooth pre-operatively with a 3D scan (CT) so as to appropriately visualize the tooth orientation in relation to the surrounding anatomy. This best allows Dr. Allard the appropriate information to least invasively approach the surgical exposure procedure. In conjunction with the appropriate anesthetic approach, an anxiety provoking procedure such as this can be carried out in a relaxed and comfortable setting. With this advanced technology and his advanced training and expertise in this type of surgery, optimal soft and hard tissue results are seen in these types of orthodontically challenging cases! |
