IMPACTED CANINES CLUB

[cmatthews26]

I had the option to have my impacted canine pulled down with a chain but opted to have it removed instead to save myself an extra 6 or so months on my treatment.

My orthodontist plans to 'disguise' my premolar and through cosmetic dentistry, make it look like a canine! I'm okay with this, as long as in the end it looks like I've had that canine all along!

[FutureOrthodontist]

I was able to bring down my own canine when I was 12. My tooth was in the right position and there was enough space below for it to erupt, but I would come down. So I used my fingernail to cut the gum right below the tooth. Just place your fingernail right below where its supposed to erupt, and apply pressure. I did this twice a day for about a week until I was able to feel the tip of my canine through my gums. It isn't as painful as it sounds, but my gums did get sore. Just make sure your fingernail is clean, and wash out gums daily to prevent infection.

[farolhugo]

another one for the club, my ortho said it will be very hard to bring mine down ,my only option is the very expensive implant...

[UltraViolet]

@FutureOrthodontist

Wow! Sounds painful! Mine is exactly where you seem to be describing, right on the gum and it hs been like that for about 6 months now - No eruption and very little movement. I am really really frustrated....

I think I will try the fingernail thing, but it does sound painful and I am weak

[Whimsical]

God, you are braver people than me! I'm far too squeamish for the likes of that. I did try to push it along with my fingers when I had the button attached to it and was getting stressed by the lack of movement, but I definitely wasn't strong enough to have any impact.

So, I'm an official failure. Canine came out a week ago and now we're starting to work on closing the gap. I had my wires changed two days after the operation, crikey that was not fun. The pain of everything is finally starting to subside now at least.

I really hope you all have more luck! I wish I knew what causes impacted teeth that seem to be moving to suddenly get stuck, that's been the most frustrating thing about it all I think!

[UltraViolet]

My ortho keeps telling me to be patient but honestly I am SO FED UP

I would really love to go your route Whimsical because I am tired of the gap and it is so annoying, but mine is also so huge I wonder if closing it is even an option or l would need an implant.

We have decided to wait another six weeks and see if it moves, if not I honestly don't know what the next step is. I am putting a little pressure with my nail but I am so weak I stop when it gets painful.

Ugh.

I just want a normal smile, is it that hard to ask??

[bracesat41]

My ortho keeps telling me to be patient but honestly I am SO FED UP
I would really love to go your route Whimsical because I am tired of the gap and it is so annoying, but mine is also so huge I wonder if closing it is even an option or l would need an implant.
We have decided to wait another six weeks and see if it moves, if not I honestly don't know what the next step is. I am putting a little pressure with my nail but I am so weak I stop when it gets painful.
Ugh.
I just want a normal smile, is it that hard to ask??

How long have you been "pulling" with the chain? I'm 2 months in.. and I swear I feel it moving so I am hopeful .. but why stop trying If there is movement??? I mean you have gone this far..I don't understand why it would stop moving all of a sudden as well?

[Shelleyt]

It's been five months since my procedure and I still don't have any tooth showing. Links have been coming off slowly at my visits. Getting an X-ray update Monday.

I go in every 2 weeks to have the elastic replaced, but I wish I could go even more than that. I've noticed they always depress the wire with the force of the elastic each time. That tension lasts about 2-3 days and then it seems to be up as much as it will be for the next 11-12 days after that. Seems like if I could go in every 4-5 days for a few weeks it would be up!

Patience isn't my virtue for sure

[Shelleyt]

Oh shoot! So crazy. As I was typing that I realized I hadn't really looked at the canine area in awhile (I still find the gap+chain really gross) and I realized I think I do see the tooth embedded under the gum. It's not where I would have thought it would come out... kind of looks like it will erupt at the "lower" gum line (lower canine- not upper like most of you) and not right where the chain is coming out. I hope that's okay! I guess I'll see Monday.

[Amelia]

I got my canine exposure only yesterday, and I went through the phase like most people before a operation to search up videos and pictures. I was pretty discouraged and more nervous about it. Being only 14 I cried a couple hours before the operation. Thankfully, I took a medicine that you can find at any pharmacy, that helped to calm me down and stopped me from sobbing constantly. When I walked into the oral surgeon office, I was still scared. This is what I did for mine, and it turns out it wee actually really easy. I sat down and they put me on laughing gas, and numbed my mouth. After that I didn't know or see what was happening, until they exsplained me they were already done and were putting the bracket and attaching it to my braces. I definitely felt no pain until after the numbness wore off. It was mostly just like discomfort, and to help with that, Advil took care of that. The next day I feel much better and I don't even need pain meds because it dosent really hurt anymore. Funny how just before the procedure I was looking at these comments but now I decided to post so people know it's not as bad as it looks. If you have any questions, please ask i will definitely try to help!

[bracesat41]

It's been five months since my procedure and I still don't have any tooth showing. Links have been coming off slowly at my visits. Getting an X-ray update Monday.

I go in every 2 weeks to have the elastic replaced, but I wish I could go even more than that. I've noticed they always depress the wire with the force of the elastic each time. That tension lasts about 2-3 days and then it seems to be up as much as it will be for the next 11-12 days after that. Seems like if I could go in every 4-5 days for a few weeks it would be up!

Patience isn't my virtue for sure

How did the x-ray update go?

[Shelleyt]

Three links to go based on X-ray. We are at the very top right under the gums. It's breaking a little lower than expected, as I suspected. since my post last week you can actually see white and the indentation where it's starting to come through. The ortho assistant said that's actually a good thing because the sooner I have tooth surface, the sooner I can get a real bracket. Hoping at my next adjustment in 10 days that it will come up.

Not completely in the clear yet since I know some people have had issues once it gets to this point and of course there's still a lot of work to get it all the way up and rotated, but it's at least almost the home stretch.

[SinkFullOfDinner]

...the sooner I have tooth surface, the sooner I can get a real bracket.

Hey Shelley, great news that your canine nemesis is almost, finally up and out! I was curious, though. I can't remember if you went with Incognito or Harmony linguals, but I thought it was one of the two. If so, how does that work with making the custom brackets and wire sequence when you have an impacted tooth that can't be modeled with the initial impressions? Does your ortho have to redo impressions so the company can make the custom shaped bracket for that newly exposed tooth and then have them do a new computer model and create new wires? Similar to what Invisalign folks go through with getting refinement trays? Whatever the process is, it might be a really useful standalone post in the lingual forum for anyone with impacted teeth who's thinking of that option. You're probably one of the few people who can speak to it from experience. Good luck the rest of way!

[Shelleyt]

Good question that I didn't really factor into everything ahead of time! I think it was a huge challenge for my first ortho and largely why I had to switch orthos after 6-7 months. If I had to do it all over again I would have probably just gone with ceramic bottoms.

I have harmony linguals- they did a full scan top and bottom when I first started. However, I only got one preformed wire for the bottom versus five for the top when my lingual kit came in from the lab. I've been in the same wire the entire time so far on bottom and am on my last top wire. I started my bottoms with the custom bracket pads on all teeth except the two canines. When my one canine turned around enough, I had a second scan and they ordered the bracket and put it on. Once this guy is up, they will do the same. Then I can finally begin the wire sequence as intended. Phew! Luckily everything else is pretty much line up on bottom and itll just be a matter of fixing bite. Ortho predicts only two more wires once we send updated scan to lab.

[lish]

My appointment is on sat again i have a new link showing so once chain is put through that link i will also have 3 links to go. Just hoping it can come down faster