Management Of Impacted Teeth

The term impaction is of Latin origin coming from the term "impactus" which means "wedged or packed in together". Management of impacted teeth in the orthodontic practice is of paramount importance, as the existence of one (or more) impacted teeth may complicate orthodontic treatment and present dilemmas especially when inaccessibility or ankylosis are factors. The management of impacted teeth in orthodontic practice widely varies from extraction of the impacted tooth to forced orthodontic eruption. Failure of tooth eruption or impaction of tooth is a common problem affecting almost 20 % of the population. However, specific indication for the treatment of impacted teeth and particularly the question of prophylactic removal, remain a much debated issue. Hence, treatment of impacted teeth has posed to be a challenge to the general practitioners and a number of other dental specialists, including Pedodontist, Periodontist, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, and most of all, Orthodontists.