Interceptive management of potential maxillary cuspid impaction: a case report

Maxillary canine impaction is a dental anomaly often encountered in orthodontic practice. The etiology includes hard tissue obstructions, soft tissue lesions, and anomalies of neighboring teeth. Orthodontic treatment along with surgical intervention may be very complicated and lead to various amounts of damage to the supporting structures of the tooth, which justifies diagnosis and intervention as early as a dental age of 8 years. In the present report, we describe a clinical case of a young patient to whom we were able to close a midline diastema, straighten canines' roots and level distally versed lateral incisors in order to prevent permanent cuspids' impaction. Furthermore, alternative interceptive treatment modalities are discussed.