Impacted Canines in the Maxilla
Impacted maxillary canines, often in ectopic positions, can damage adjacent roots. Early diagnosis and treatment, such as extraction of primary canines, can lead to spontaneous correction in 60-70% of cases. Surgical exposure with orthodontic appliances is used for delayed interventions.
Table of contents
This article is based on an original article in Swedish which can be found here
BACKGROUND
The canine is the tooth in the dentition that has the longest path to erupt and is most commonly impacted next to the third molars; in about 50-60% of cases, they are located palatinally to the dental arch, and 40% have a buccally displaced or apical position (1).
Early diagnosis of impacted maxillary canines is important because there is a significant risk that they cause resorption of the roots of adjacent incisors (2-4). Approximately half of all impacted maxillary canines cause damage to adjacent lateral or central incisors, and in some cases, to both the lateral and central incisors (1).
Prevalence
Impacted maxillary canines occur in 2-3% of Scandinavian children. They are slightly more common in girls than in boys (5-6).
Etiological factors
There are no definitive causes for why some maxillary canines become impacted. Some attempts at explanations have been presented in the literature, such as that maxillary canines are the teeth that take the longest time and have the longest distance on their way to eruption. The bud starts high up in the maxilla at about 3 years of age and erupts into the mouth 8-10 years later. It has also been suggested that buccally impacted canines are impacted due to lack of space in the dental arch (4).
