Exposure and Bonding of Impacted Teeth
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An impacted tooth simply means that it is “stuck” and can’t erupt into function. Patients frequently develop problems with impacted third molars (wisdom teeth). These teeth get “stuck” in the back of the jaw and can develop painful infections among a host of other problems. Since there is rarely a functional need for wisdom teeth, they are usually extracted. Expose and bracketing can be applied to aid in eruption of any impacted tooth in the upper and lower jaw, but most commonly they are applied to the maxillary cuspid (upper eye or canine tooth). The cuspid tooth is a critical tooth in the dental arch and plays an important role in your “bite”.
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The objective of exposing and bonding a bracket on to an unerupted tooth is to move the tooth into a good functional and aesthetic position. When your orthodontist is ready and braces are applied, the surgeon will expose the tooth and glue a gold chain to the tooth. The gum tissue will then be stitched back together. The gold chain will be connected to the braces with a rubber band. The rubber band will put a light eruptive pulling force on the impact tooth. This will begin the process of moving the tooth into its proper place in the dental arch. Shortly after the surgery, the patient will return to the orthodontist. The orthodontist will slowly and carefully continue to move the tooth into the mouth. This is a slow process and may take a year to complete. Your orthodontist will have a better understanding of the time it will take to move the tooth into the arch. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us at 701-255-4000 or toll free at 1-800-452-FACE.
Our services are provided in fully equipped operating suites meeting the standards of a licensed ambulatory surgery center; certified by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, Inc. (AAAHC). Our nursing staff is trained in Basic Life Support (BLS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS). In addition, Dr. Stanley is licensed to provide anesthesia.