Impacted Teeth
Impacted teeth (i.e. teeth deeply embedded in the bone) are very common. Oral Surgeons are routinely asked to evaluate impacted third molars (wisdom teeth). Some of the other commonly impacted teeth are premolars and canines. Typically an impaction is diagnosed during the routine x-ray examination by a general dentist or an orthodontist (braces specialist). Some of those teeth may require extractions. In cases where there is an impacted canine tooth, a decision is often made to bring the tooth into dental arch with the aid of orthontics. In such a case a surgeon will be asked to expose a tooth and attach a gold chain to its crown in order to allow the orthodontist to slowly move the tooth into its proper position.