Article
Impacted teeth are a common clinical scenario in orthodontics. Applying orthodontic traction to these teeth to aid mechanical eruption can be clinically complex and time consuming. This trick highlights an effective way to apply traction to an impacted canine using an elastomeric powerchain and a long stainless-steel ligature while reducing chairside time.
Commonly, impacted teeth are maxillary permanent canines, except for the third molars, with an incidence of 1.7% reported in the literature.1 These teeth often lie palatally,2 and mechanical eruption can be challenging, often prolonging the overall treatment duration.3
There are various clinical techniques and mechanics used to facilitate the successful and safe eruption of impacted palatal canines, such as transpalatal arches with auxiliary, piggyback NiTi wire, temporary anchorage devices, stainless-steel archwire auxiliaries (for example, ballista springs) and lastly, elastomeric traction to fixed appliances using either elastomeric powerchain or thread. It is important to use a range of techniques to manage impacted canines to achieve the best possible outcome efficiently.4,5
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