Autotransplanted premolars for substituting traumatic maxillary central incisors in a Class II growing patient

Abstract

A 10-year-old young Hispanic male patient was referred to the Endodontics Department with the chief complaint of color change of maxillary central incisors. The parents reported trauma one year before and as a result root canal treatment; maxillary central incisors extractions were necessary due to poor prognosis, so he was referred to the Orthodontics Department to evaluate if the patient could be the candidate for orthodontic treatment, as he showed severe crowding. The patient had no medical conditions, and the pretreatment records showed a Class II skeletal relation and vertical pattern. Dental findings were mixed dentition, an Angle Class II molar relationship, moderate upper and lower anterior crowding, 4 mm of overbite, and 7 mm of overjet. The patient underwent autotransplantation of maxillary second premolars into the place of maxillary central incisors that needed to be extracted as stated by the endodontist (premolar extractions were needed to solve the orthodontic problems). The suggested position for the autotransplant teeth was not accomplished by the surgeon, so orthodontic forces were applied to the autotransplant teeth to the ideal position. At the end of orthodontic treatment, the autotransplanted teeth were restored by the prosthodontist. Therefore, the facial balance improved, and the final occlusal relationships were good. COVID-19 global lockdown was a challenging obstacle to overcome during treatment. This case report intends to highlight the potential benefits of tooth autotransplantation and to increase awareness of this treatment protocol.