Maxillary canine impactions related to impacted central incisors: two case reports

The purpose of this case report is to describe the combined surgical and orthodontic treatment of two cases with an impacted maxillary central incisor and canine in the same quadrant and to discuss the causal relationship between them.

The most common causes of canine impactions are usually the result of one or more factors such as a long path of eruption, tooth size-arch length discrepancies, abnormal position of the tooth bud, prolonged retention or early loss of the deciduous canine, trauma, the presence of an alveolar cleft, ankylosis, cystic or neoplastic formation, dilaceration of the root, supernumerary teeth, and odontomas. Although impaction of the maxillary central incisor is almost as prevalent as impacted canines its etiology is different. The principal factors involved in causing the anomaly are supernumerary teeth, odontomas, and trauma.

Case #1: A 10.5-year-old girl in the early mixed dentition stage presented with a chief complaint of the appearance of her anterior teeth. She had a Class I skeletal pattern and a history of trauma to the maxillary central incisors at age five with premature exfoliation. Radiographs revealed an impacted upper right central incisor in the region of the nasal floor, delayed eruption of the maxillary permanent central incisor, and the adjacent lateral incisor was inclined toward the edentulous space. Treatment was done in two stages consisting of surgical exposure and traction of the impacted central incisor and fixed orthodontic treatment. Case #2: An 11.5-year-old girl presented for orthodontic treatment with the chief complaint of an unerupted tooth and the appearance of her upper anterior teeth. She was in the late mixed dentition period with a Class III skeletal pattern along with an anterior cross-bite with some maxillary transverse deficiency. The maxillary right canine and central incisor were absent, but the maxillary right deciduous canine was still present. Treatment included arch expansion followed by surgical exposure and traction of the impacted teeth and fixed orthodontic treatment.

This case report provides some evidence of a significant environmental influence of an impacted maxillary central incisor on the path of eruption of the ipsilateral maxillary canine. When an impacted maxillary central incisor exists, the maxillary lateral incisor's root might be positioned distally into the path of eruption of the maxillary canine preventing its normal eruption. Ongoing assessment and early intervention might help to prevent such adverse situations from occurring.