During the natural eruption process for permanent teeth there are situations where there is insufficient space or the path of eruption is faulty and the tooth becomes impacted.  The upper canine teeth are the most common teeth that require guided eruption.  In the process, space is first “created” during active orthodontic treatment, then the impacted tooth is exposed and an attachment with a very small gold chain is attached to the crown of the tooth.  An extrusive orthodontic force is applied gold chain to “assist” the impacted tooth into its correct position in the arch.
 

This concept/procedure can also be applied to a tooth that is broken at or beneath the gum line.  The tooth can be moved orthodontically through “forced eruption” to expose more of the remaining natural tooth structure and be successfully restored. (See Gingival Height Leveling.)
 

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Click the PDF icon to download the Guided Eruption-Impacted Teeth Infographic to view the dental images.