Unfavourably impacted canines

- Sometimes when the surgeon surgically exposes the canines they detect unfavourably impacted canines
- Unfavourable impactions are when the canine is ankylosed (fused to the bone), or touching the roots of the upper incisors
- Bringing down canines which are touching the incisor roots has a high risk of damaging the incisor roots by root resorption
- It is better to remove unfavourably impacted canines rather than risk damaging the incisor roots
- Ankylosed canines should be removed
- It is not possible to accurately predict whether or not a canine is ankylosed
- Sometimes when tapping the tooth with a mirror handle it has a ringing sound different to a tooth which is not ankylosed
- If the canine doesn't move we know it is ankylosed and needs to be surgically removed at a 2nd operation