The Orthodontic Treatment of Bilateral Impacted Maxillary Canines – A Case Report

The Orthodontic Treatment of Bilateral Impacted Maxillary Canines – A Case Report

The maxillary canine impaction is a specific topic in orthodontic treatment. Because of its important role in esthetics and occlusal function, preservation and alignment of the impacted canine would always be the priority in teenage orthodontics. In addition to the routine analysis of the space distribution for the impacted canines, orthodontists should also consider the growth potential to achieve proper treatment outcome. This case report presents the orthodontic treatment of a 14-year-old boy with bilateral maxillary canine impaction. With fixed orthodontic appliance, the bilaterally impacted canines were successfully aligned into maxillary dentition with good interdigitation. The prevalence, etiology and the occlusal characteristics of maxillary canine impactions, the thinking process of treatment plan setting about growth potential, extraction pattern and design of force delivery system are also discussed in this report.