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Do I Need to Get My Impacted Canine Extracted?

Your canine teeth are the four pointy teeth in the front of your mouth, two on the top and two on the bottom. Animals use these four teeth to hold food in place and tear it apart. They also use them as a defense mechanism. In humans, these teeth are the ones responsible for speaking and biting. Unfortunately, they can become impacted, and you may need to search for a dental surgeon in Melbourne to discuss a dental extraction and the possibility of dental implants.

General Information About an Impacted Canine

Before considering dental implants and surgery in Melbourne, you should understand what an impacted canine is. This particular issue occurs when your canine teeth don’t completely erupt through your gums or don’t emerge at all. A completely impacted tooth is when a tooth doesn’t come to the surface at all while a partially impacted tooth is when the tooth only partially emerges.

Symptoms of an Impacted Canine

Sometimes, you won’t notice that you have an impacted canine, so it’s important to routinely seek the assistance of a dentist for routine examinations. You may require dental surgery and possibly dental implants. If you experience symptoms, you may notice any of the following:

  • Difficulty opening your mouth
  • Red, bleeding, or swollen gums
  • Foul taste in your mouth
  • Pain when biting or chewing
  • Bad breath

You may only have symptoms temporarily, they may go away, and possibly they can reappear.

Causes of an Impacted Canine

Your maxillary, or top canines, are the teeth most likely to become impacted. You may have too many teeth that limit the space in your mouth for these teeth to emerge. You may have overcrowding in your mouth that limits the room you have for all of your teeth. Sometimes, tooth impaction may occur from one of the following reasons:

  • Early removal or loss of baby teeth
  • Inherited traits
  • Issues with shape and size of your teeth
  • Issues with tooth alignment

General Information About an Extraction

During a canine extraction, an oral surgeon at Sedaros Oral Surgery removes the impacted tooth through dental surgery. Your dental surgeon in Melbourne may then schedule another procedure for dental implants. With dental implants, this procedure is done to replace the tooth, or teeth, that were removed with an artificial tooth. In this procedure, the surgeon implants an abutment, which is a screw-like device placed into your gums.

Part of receiving dental implants consists of the dental surgeon placing an artificial tooth on top of the abutment. This is a separate part of the process that begins after your gums have healed from the first procedure of removing the impacted tooth or teeth.

Determining if You Need an Extraction

There isn’t one answer that fits every patient in regards to whether dental implants in Melbourne are necessary in addition to a tooth extraction. Before considering you for dental implants and an extraction, a dentist thoroughly evaluates your teeth. You’ll receive an order for an x-ray, so your dentist can see the placement of the tooth underneath your gums. Your gums will also receive a thorough evaluation to further assess you for if you are a good candidate and need an extraction and teeth implants.

Generally, because of the location and importance of these teeth, a dentist will try to avoid removing and replacing these teeth, if at all possible. Typically in most cases, your dentist will use a treatment to encourage the canine tooth to break through the gums. This is a decision you and your dentist make together. You’ll receive information about both options and the benefits and risks. Your dentist will explain what to expect from a treatment that encourages the tooth to emerge and how long you can expect it to take.

If a tooth isn’t likely to surface from the treatment or the treatment doesn’t work, your dentist will recommend an extraction and replacement of your canine.

Every single one of your teeth serves a purpose, but for various reasons, not all your teeth may break through your gums completely. A dentist can identify whether the best course of action is a canine extraction along with a tooth replacement. At Sadoros Oral Surgery, serving Melbourne. FL and the surrounding region, you can receive a thorough evaluation and surgery to help with an impacted canine. Call us or contact us online and find out how you can be on your way to a better smile!