Comprehensive Management of Impacted Teeth in a Pediatric Patient: A Case Report

Abstract

Any disruption in the tooth eruption process can lead to various eruptive disturbances, including impaction, ectopic eruption, and delayed eruption. While these issues are more commonly observed in permanent teeth, the incidence of primary tooth impaction and eruption failure is exceptionally rare. Tooth impaction is defined as the failure of a tooth to erupt into its normal functional position, remaining unerupted in the jaw beyond its expected eruption time. In primary dentition, the most commonly impacted teeth are the second primary molars, followed by the central incisors. Impaction of the primary tooth results in displacement of the succedaneous permanent tooth and in turn disturbs the growth of the permanent dental arch, root resorption of permanent teeth, cyst formation and malocclusion. In addition to these, other clinical consequences seen with impacted primary molars are impaction of permanent successors, loss of arch length, alveolar bone defects, and occlusal disturbances. Therefore, it is highly essential for the detection and treatment of impacted primary teeth as early as possible. This report presents a clinical case of a young patient with impacted teeth (Primary second molar 75 and Permanent premolar 35), outlining their management and follow-up.