An easy way to treat buccal canine malocclusion: A case report

Abstract

An ectopic tooth is one that is erupting in an aberrant route, whereas an impacted tooth is one that has failed to fully erupt into the oral cavity within its expected developmental time period and can no longer be expected to do so. The majority of canine eruption abnormalities occur in one of two directions: palatal or buccal displacement from the usual eruptive location 2. Permanent maxillary canine impaction or ectopic eruption affects about 1-2 percent of the general population. Canines that are palatally displaced are twice as common as those that are buccally placed. Buccally displaced canines, on the other hand, are very prevalent in practice and their etiology is related to a deficient dental arch perimeter 3,4. So, the purpose of this report is to show a case of a 15-year-old male with ectopic maxillary canines who was treated by extracting the four first premolars, using segmental T loops for retraction of ectopic canines. The goals were met at the end of treatment with optimal aesthetic balance and excellent occlusal connections, resulting in great long-term stability.