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Ectopia

Glossary E Ectopia

An ectopia is a tooth or teeth that are located or attempt to erupt in a position different from its appropriate place. The most common ectopic teeth in children are the upper canines and this condition is easily diagnosed by taking a panoramic x-ray on children between the ages of 9 and 12. Early diagnosis is critical, since impacted canines may be retrieved with braces, using a surgical approach via a gold chain or straight wire. Tissue covering the tooth is uncovered. A chain or wire is attached to the tooth crown. Tissue is placed back over the tooth leaving the chain or wire coming out of the gum. For the purpose of this illustration a gold chain is used to retrieve the canines. The chain is attached to the tooth crown and the link is attached to a flexible archwire so that the wire is bent. Once a month, the wire is reactivated by using the next link up on the chain until the impacted canine erupts enough to attach a regular bracket on the canine. With the regular bracket in place, a more flexible wire is added directly to the bracketed canine. This process will bring the canine into position within the arch by forcing the canine to conform to the straight archwire form. This is a long process taking anywhere from 8-12 months.