The Upper Canine

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Q. Where is the Upper Canine?

A. This tooth forms high up in the mouth to the side of the nose.

Q. What can happen?

A. As the upper canine grows down it can go off-course, sometimes lying above and in front of the incisors and sometimes lying in the palate behind the incisors.  The position in the palate causes the most trouble.

Q. How can this be rectified?

A. There are several ways of dealing with it:-

1. If possible the best plan usually is to expose the canine (this entails a visit to hospital) and bring it into line with a fixed (traintrack) brace.  This is complicated and takes nearly two years.
2. If this is too difficult the canine may be removed in hospital.  The baby canine can often be kept in the mouth for years but it is a very small tooth and eventually it often falls out.
3. If the mouth is overcrowded it may be possible to remove both the baby tooth and the permanent canine and go for space closure.  A fixed brace again is used to bring together the teeth either side of the gap.
4. If neither the baby tooth nor the second tooth are worth saving it may be best to remove both and make a false tooth for the gap.  This means wearing a plate, making a bridge fixed to the teeth either side of the gap, or placing an implant.  This is often the best plan in an adult who has kept the baby tooth for a long time but now needs a replacement.
5. Another option is to transplant the permanent canine if there is enough room.  This can be very successful for a few years but eventually the tooth loosens and falls out.
6. If the baby tooth looks good and the permanent canine is not causing any harm the best line may be to accept the situation and do nothing at all.  The canine sometimes damages the teeth next door although this is rare after 16 years.

Your dentist can advise you what is best for you.