Different Management Approaches in Impacted Maxillary Canines: An Overview on Current Trends and Literature

This study aimed to overview and collect the current trends and techniques in managing maxillary impacted canines by retrieving recent literature, in a chronological manner from the prevention to the very late stages of treatment in adults.

We performed a review on the recent literature regarding the current trends on the management of impacted canines. We have researched various types of available articles such as clinical trials and case presentations, meta- and systematic analyses, and literature reviews focusing on clinical management of impacted canines and their outcome evaluations. We adhered to those articles published within the last decade with a focus on treatment planning for impacted and displaced canines.

Depending on the diagnosis and its timing of it, a maxillary impacted canine can be managed by either prevention or interception, surgical opening followed by autonomous eruption or orthodontically traction, autotransplantation, and at last by removal and space closure. These techniques are elaborated one by one according to the age and severity of the diagnosis.

Impaction of the canines is a manageable abnormality which is highly dependent on the timing and localization of the displaced tooth. Early detection will give the upper hand to orthodontists to engage by either prevention through extraction of deciduous canines or intercepting via assistant devices to create more space. According to the clinical situation, open or closed surgical uncovering might be required to bond an attachment. However, generally, those techniques did not show any significant clinical distinction in the outcome assessments.

These approaches are highly technique sensitive and require collaborations with other specialties. Proper diagnosis and prognosis assessment are necessary before making any decision to bring an impacted canine in alignment.