And I’m not talking about your family pooch!

Canine teeth, also known as the ‘eye-teeth’ or ‘fangs’ are very important teeth located in the ‘corners’ of the dental arch. Unfortunately, adult permanent canines often go off track (i.e. become ectopic or impacted) and may not loosen the baby canine teeth or emerge into the mouth as expected. Baby teeth are not designed to last well beyond
the teenage years and ectopic permanent canine teeth can cause significant problems.

Impacted Canine Teeth: The Facts

The permanent canines in the upper jaw begin their formation directly below the eyes (hence their common nickname!). This means that they have the longest path of eruption of any permanent tooth and this gives them a relatively high chance of going off track.
Permanent canine impaction is:

• the second most common tooth impaction (wisdom teeth take first place!)
• twice as likely to occur in the upper jaw (compared to the lower jaw)
• twice as likely to occur in females
• known to be affected by both genetic and environmental factors

Canine Watch!

Your dental practitioner can track the development of the permanent canine teeth clinically and with a screening ‘panoramic’ x-ray. It is strongly recommended that children between the ages of 8 and 11 years are assessed to evaluate the position of the permanent canine teeth. If there is any suspicion that the permanent canine tooth is going off track, a referral to a specialist Orthodontist is generally recommended. Monitoring is often all that is required. However, for more severe cases, there are many easy options to intercept the developing problem and prevent future impaction!

Interceptive Treatment

Removal of baby canine teeth has been shown in many good clinical studies to greatly improve the chance of self-correction for ectopic permanent canine teeth. This is because teeth have a natural tendency to drift towards a new space! Occasionally opening additional space with braces may be recommended to further boost the success rate. Both these options work well for patients between the ages of 10–14 years. Your Orthodontist will determine which treatment option is appropriate for your individual case.

Problems with Impacted Caine Teeth

Unfortunately, impacted canine teeth can be associated with the following possible problems (especially if left untreated):

• pressure damage to adjacent teeth
• cosmetic issues (as the baby canine tooth is smaller and also wears down with time)
• future need for surgery to help retrieve the canine
• false tooth requirement (if the impacted canine cannot be saved or badly damages the adjacent teeth)

Early diagnosis of permanent canine impaction leads to much lower risks and higher success rates of both self-correction and/or orthodontic treatment. Therefore regular check-ups for children with your family dentist are very important. A referral to an Orthodontist is recommended if there is any suspicion that the canine is going off track.

A specialist Orthodontist has the training, experience and expert knowledge to accurately determine what is normal, what is not, and everything in-between. We can keep an eye on the behaviour of your ‘eye teeth’, however, for all other ‘misbehaving canines’, perhaps some dog-training could help!

Geoff Stanton, Orthodontist
Townsville Orthodontic Specialists