Extracting Baby Canines: When to Do It

Extractions are sometimes necessary when it comes to orthodontic cases, and understanding when you might need to extract baby canines is hugely important. Indeed, extracting baby canine teeth is potentially an exception to typical baby tooth extraction rules, and provided that you take both out simultaneously, the midlines shouldn’t shift in your patients.
When Should You Take Out Baby Canine Teeth for Orthodontic Cases?
Whether you will need to remove baby canine teeth will often depend on the angle of the canines. If there is a slight tilt, you may need to do expansion first prior to extracting the baby Cs; however, if there is a significant tilt, you may need to approach these orthodontic cases differently and remove the canines first.
In high risk applications, studies have shown that creating space and removing the baby canines can help with reducing the likelihood of impactions occurring.
Taking Out Baby Teeth Can Cause Complications
While baby teeth are usually risky to remove, baby canines may be a safer extraction option when removed in tandem – however, removing baby canines when it is not needed could cause more impactions, and it’s crucial to make the space first (usually through expansion).
If you’re not sure about impactions in a patient, be sure to visit our document store at Straight Smile Solutions to download a copy of our My Phase 1 Smile file, which provides a whole section on evaluating impactions for canines based on overlap and angulation. Alternatively, for our members, feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions about one of your orthodontic cases to see whether extracting baby canines might help.