Eruption of palatal canines following surgical exposure: a review of outcomes in a series of consecutively treated cases.

The records of a consecutive series of 72 patients who had undergone excisional exposure of one or both palatally displaced canines were reviewed. The purpose was to ascertain whether the canine(s) erupted spontaneously following surgery, whether orthodontically-assisted eruption was required or whether the procedure failed completely indicating the need for re-exposure. The results of the study suggest that the majority of canines will erupt once exposed and of those that fail to erupt completely most will still remain exposed to a sufficient extent to allow attachments to be bonded to the palatal surface.