CASE STUDY: Surgical removal of an ectopic tooth.

Patient history

A 39 year old female patient presented following a referral from her dentist. She wanted to close the gap by having a dental implant placed and a crown inserted. Her dentist had referred her because of the impaction of tooth 23.
On examination it was found that:
• tooth 63 was missing and the patient reported that it had fallen out (exfoliated) 2 weeks prior
• tooth 23 was in an ectopic position with sufficient space in the mesial-distal dimension
A CBCT was performed to assess the location of tooth 23.

Diagnosis

The diagnosis made was an ectopic tooth 23 in an almost horizontal position with the crown pointing towards the labial plate. If left untreated, the main associated risk was the possibility of cyst development.

Treatment

The agreed treatment plan was the removal of tooth 23, followed by implant insertion with the referring dentist.
Tooth 23 was surgically removed under general anaesthesia.

Results

The removal of tooth 23 was performed successfully and the area healed well.

The patient was happy with the outcome and was referred back to her dentist for the implant placement and crown insertion.