Impacted Teeth in the Adult Patient

Adults presenting an impacted tooth as an integral part of both minor and major malocclusions need to be evaluated and treated like any younger patient. Prosthodontists are aware of the occasional patient complaining of the eruption of a tooth under a removable maxillary prosthesis; often many years after the patient had become otherwise edentulous. The patient must be brought into the decision-making process from the outset and should be informed of the potential advantages of each of the stages of treatment. In the adult patient, the scope of orthodontic correction that is planned tends to be more localized and less comprehensive, particularly when a single and grossly displaced tooth is present. Aside from third molars, and in common with the younger patient, the tooth most frequently found to be impacted in the adult is the maxillary canine.