Condition
Buried canine teeth
Buried canine teeth are canine teeth that have failed to grow correctly.
Adults have four canine teeth (eye teeth) – two in each corner of the upper and lower jaw. Permanent canine teeth usually appear between the ages of 11 -13. Sometimes canine teeth fail to grow correctly. They may appear in the wrong place or at the wrong angle. If they fail to appear they are called buried (or impacted) canines.
In some cases buried teeth do not cause any symptoms. However if they continue to grow beneath the surface of the skin their position could damage adjacent teeth, leave a gap in your teeth or cause a cyst to form around buried tooth.
Your consultant will discuss your options for treatment with you. These may include:
- Removal of the buried tooth
- Exposing the tooth to be followed by orthodontic treatment to bring it into correct alignment
- Transplanting the tooth into the correct position