Exposing Impacted Teeth

Teeth can sometimes be impacted (trapped below the bone or gums), ankylosed (fused to the bone) or just fail to erupt.

Often these conditions occur for no apparent reason and generally cannot be anticipated. Treatment of these conditions depends on the tooth and circumstances and may require extraction, surgical exposure, surgical transplantation or prosthetic replacement. Upper canine teeth are usually the most common teeth to be impacted.

Why Expose Impacted Teeth?

• If a tooth is not erupting due to its position in the mouth or lack of space, and it is unlikely to erupt on its own.
• The position of an unerupted tooth could damage the roots of adjacent teeth if it is not relocated to its proper position.
• Cysts can form around unerupted teeth and lead to other health issues.
• Even if the tooth does eventually erupt, it can push other teeth out of position.

What is “Expose and Bond”?

Impacted teeth can sometimes be brought into their correct position through an expose-and-bond procedure. This is a surgical procedure used to expose an unerupted, impacted tooth by an oral surgeon. An orthodontic assessment will determine whether an expose-and-bond is suitable to align the impacted teeth.

During the surgical procedure:

• The unerupted tooth is surgically uncovered/exposed.
• A small metal bracket and chain will be stuck onto the tooth.
• Your orthodontist, at a later visit, will then be able to apply gentle pressure to the metal chain via braces to guide the tooth into position.

Our specialist consultant oral surgeon, Dr Jashme Patel is highly skilled at complex oral surgery procedures and will ensure you are in safe hands.