Long-term results of orthodontic treatment of impacted maxillary canines

A total of 61 children who had 83 maxillary canines impacted were followed up for a mean of 3.5 years (range 1.1-10.9 years) after treatment to evaluate the long-term results of the treatments. In most of the children, the impacted maxillary canines had been surgically exposed and treated with fixed orthodontic appliances. In 11 cases, lateral incisors had been extracted because of extensive root resorption. The esthetic results as well as functional and periodontal conditions were evaluated. Only four of the 61 children were not satisfied with the esthetic result, whereas orthodontists judged only 56% of the results as esthetically acceptable on clinical evaluation and 57% as esthetically acceptable on color slides. The periodontal conditions and the occlusal function on sides with previously impacted canines and on sides with normally erupted canines, on the whole, were similar. Exceptions were pocket depths of the left lateral incisors and left canines, but these variables were significantly different mainly because of one patient. In lateral movements of the mandible, however, significant differences in contact pattern were found between sides with normally erupted canines and sides with impacted canines. Canine rise occurred more often on working sides with normally erupted canines than with impacted canines.