Clinical Application of a Protocol for Early Diagnosis of Impacted Upper Canines

The upper canine is the second most common impacted tooth after lower wisdom teeth. Its disturbed eruption can be diagnosed in early mixed dentition and necessary preventive measures can be taken then. The objective of the present paper is to describe the application of a protocol for early diagnosis of the impaction likelihood of the upper canine and the effects of its application. Compliance with the right sequence of the methodology reported in the proposed protocol will allow dentists to determine whether a patient's canine tooth deviates from its normal path of development and to assess the impaction likelihood of that canine. Given the developmental stage of the dentition at the time of diagnosis and the severity of deviation from the norm, the protocol will guide dentists as to what prevention or treatment steps to undertake.