What is An Impacted Canine Tooth?

If you have impacted canine teeth, you might be interested to learn more about the teeth, how your tooth got impacted, and how you can fix it. You might have questions like what is a canine tooth and since we are people why is it called a canine tooth?  Why do humans have sharp canine teeth? When do they come in during childhood?  What causes an impacted canine tooth? What are the signs of impacted canine teeth?  And possibly most importantly, how can you treat impacted canine teeth?

We’ll learn more about impacted canine teeth in just a moment, but first let’s hear from the experts of orthodontic medicine about canine teeth human.

Canine impaction is a dental problem very often encountered in an orthodontic practice (Katiyar, R et al., 2013).

After the third molar, the canine is the most frequently impacted tooth (Katiyar, R et al., 2013).

Bringing the impacted canine into a normal position is important for functional bite and the final aesthetics of the orthodontic treatment (Katiyar, R et al., 2013).

What Is a Canine Tooth and Why Is It Called a Canine Tooth?

Many people know that they have some teeth that are referred to as canines, but may not know exactly what a canine tooth is and what it is used for, and they might have other questions.

These teeth are called canines because of the unique fang like appearance that look like those of a canine animal. Canine animals are known to show their fang-like teeth when they feel threatened and so have become known as canine teeth. In humans, these teeth can be found outside the incisors in the mouth.

The human canine teeth are less distinctive and pointy than the canine teeth of some other animals. However, their form and function are similar. If you’re interested, you can identify your four canine teeth by their relatively long and sharp appearance in comparison to your other teeth. There are two top canine teeth and two bottom canine teeth.

When Do Canine Teeth Appear in the Mouth?

Canine teeth erupt, or appear in the mouth once with the baby teeth and once with the eruption of the permanent or adult teeth. According to the American Dental Association, these are generally the third type of teeth to surface after the incisors and the first molars.

Here are an average range of times that the canine teeth can be expected to surface or erupt in a person’s mouth.

Baby canine teeth (upper): Usually erupt between 16-22 months old and are shed between 10-12 years old.

Baby canine teeth (lower): Usually erupt between 17-23 months old and are shed between 9-12 years old.

Adult canine teeth (upper): Typically erupt between 11-12 years old.

Canine teeth in adults (lower): Typically erupt between 9-10 years old.

Why do humans have sharp canine teeth?

To answer this question, it is vital to know why we have canine teeth, and what they’re used for. The unique canine teeth are important for eating, speaking, and supporting the mouth structure. If the canine teeth are absent or weakened, it can change or lead to poor alignment of one’s bite.

As one would expect, canines are necessary for eating to tear and rip apart food when chewing. Hence the need for their sharpness.  Additionally, their location, position, and long shape help guide one’s bite into the proper position. Some people also find sharp canine teeth attractive.

What causes impacted canine tooth and what are the signs of impacted canine teeth?

Teeth are impacted if they do not pass through the gums and fail to surface. Additionally, when teeth only erupt partially, they are also considered impacted teeth. The most common teeth to be impacted are the wisdom teeth or the third molars.

After the wisdom teeth, the upper canine teeth are the second most common to be impacted. It is crucial that if you have impacted teeth, you speak to your dental professional.  Your dentist or orthodontist will give you more information regarding the best course of action for your impacted tooth.

There are many reasons that teeth can become impacted and fail to erupt fully. One of the most common causes of impacted teeth is insufficient space in the jaw and overcrowding. Another reason is misalignment, or conflicting positions of the teeth in the mouth. When teeth are misaligned, it can lead to tilting, or the displacement of emerging teeth, and this contributes to teeth impaction.

How to Treat Impacted Canine Teeth?

It is necessary to take care of all your teeth to ensure a good appearance, and your mouth’s overall hygiene. Due to their permanent placement in your mouth, canine teeth human may be especially deserving of attention. It is important that you speak to your orthodontist if you think you may be experiencing any pain or discomfort from impacted canine teeth in adults, or even if you think you have impacted teeth without discomfort or pain.

You might’ve heard that those with impacted wisdom teeth might see a dentist or oral surgeon for extraction. However, this is not the case when a person has impacted canine teeth. With impacted canine teeth, the goal of treatment is eruption, not removal. In general, the most common cause of impacted teeth is overcrowding in the jaw, and so it is important that your dentist or orthodontist create space for them to grow in your mouth.

Your orthodontist might start to do this with braces on the upper teeth to cause open spaces for the eruption of impacted canines. Additionally, if the problem is caused by too many adult teeth, or too many baby teeth still remaining in your mouth, your orthodontist or dentist might recommend extracting the baby teeth or adult teeth that are preventing the eruption of the canine teeth. The extraction of your teeth might be performed by an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

In general, it is important to receive necessary orthodontic or dental care timely, and not delay. If you have not yet visited an orthodontist, or you don’t have a regular orthodontist, feel free to visit Ivanovortho.com to book an appointment for an orthodontist today.

Reference:

Katiyar, R., Tandon, P., Singh, G. P., Agrawal, A., & Chaturvedi, T. P. (2013). Management of impacted all canines with surgical exposure and alignment by orthodontic treatment. Contemporary clinical dentistry, 4(3), 371–373. https://doi.org/10.4103/0976-237X.118350