• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.41-47
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• 2013

Maxillary canines are the most commonly impacted or ectopically erupted teeth. If we find the abnormality of maxillary canines early, we can manage it reasonably and systematically. If we cannot see the spontaneous normalization at the periodic recall, primary canine extraction will be the next treatment choice. However, if the primary canine is extracted too early, the extraction socket will be filled with hard bone and then the eruption pathway can be locked. So it is more beneficial to extract the primary canine at the period about 6 months before the normal canine eruption time. The next treatment plan can be surgical and orthodontic approaches before the root apical closure of the impacted canine. Sometimes, surgical extraction and further prosthetic procedure can be needed for a severely malposed impacted canine or badly resorpted incisor. This is the case of the idiopathic mesial movement of impacted maxillary canines.