When a tooth only partially erupts, this is known as an impaction. Without treatment, this could impact the stability of your smile and even cause issues with orthodontic treatment. But your Santa Rosa, CA, oral surgeons offer a solution by bracketing these teeth back into their proper position, so you can enjoy proper alignment and better bite balance and chewing function!
The Causes and Risks of an Impacted Tooth
How does a tooth become impacted? If you lose primary teeth too soon in childhood, this could cause teeth to shift, so when the permanent teeth attempt to erupt, there isn’t enough room for them. This causes a partial eruption, known as an impaction, which can lead to issues with alignment.
Planning the Procedure
Our team will work alongside your general dentist and orthodontist as needed during this process, so we can plan it in detail and ensure your orthodontic treatment continues once the surgical portion is complete. We will take detailed digital x-rays of the smile so pinpoint the position of the impaction and plan the bracketing procedure in detail. We can then begin the treatment process.
Bracketing Teeth into Place
We will attach a bracket to the impacted tooth, and then another to a nearby tooth. We then connect these with a small chain. We will then adjust tension in the chain to begin pulling the tooth into its optimal position. This brings it into proper alignment, so your orthodontics can then continue your treatment unabated, correcting the rest of your smile.
Now, in some cases bracketing may not be the best solution, particularly if the impacted tooth is a wisdom tooth that has erupted. Instead, we could actually remove the tooth entirely with tooth extraction. We plan the procedure in detail, so we can avoid contact with nerve tissues, sinus cavities, or blood vessels. To ensure you are comfortable, we will administer both local anesthetic and sedation before we remove the tooth entirely with a pair of forceps. For others, there may not be enough room to shift the teeth with orthodontics, so again we need to remove the tooth to make room for the new position of your teeth.
If you have any questions about how we bracket teeth into place, or about how we treat them completely, then contact our team today. We look forward to using oral surgery to offer optimal oral health and smile beauty for our patients.
Obtain Your Best Smile in Santa Rosa, CA
Our team wants to help you smile with confidence by addressing teeth that only partially erupt. To learn more about the bracketing process, then give us a call at Santa Rosa Oral Surgery at (707)545-4625 today!
