Interceptive orthodontic traction of impacted maxillary incisors: Clinical cases

Abstract

Impaction is a tooth’s partial or total lack of eruption once the normal age for eruption has passed. It has a multifactorial etiology, and the most common factors are trauma, supernumerary teeth, and odontomas. In particular, the absence of a maxillary central incisor (MCI) due to impaction can pose several consequences for a person’s facial aesthetics, chewing ability, and phonetics, thereby making the diagnosis and early treatment of MCI impaction are imperative. A primary approach to such treatment involves surgical exposure, orthodontic space opening, and the posterior traction of the incisor to its normal position, all of which benefits tooth maintenance and possibly even alveolar bone maintenance. As a contribution to clarifying those benefits, this article analyzes three clinical cases of individuals with impacted MCIs due to different causes—supernumerary teeth, root dilaceration, and eruption deviation—all of whom were submitted to treatment emphasizing orthodontic traction.