Extrusion and alignment of an impacted tooth using removable appliances.

an impacted tooth can be performed with either fixed or removable appliances. Fixed appliances do not require special patient cooperation and can produce precise coronal and root movements.1,2 On the other hand, the wire attached to the impacted tooth may be more easily deflected than with removable appliances, causing undesirable movements of adjacent teeth.3 Such movements are minimized with removable appliances because the force is dissipated through the acrylic, which is anchored not only by the teeth, but also by the mucosa and palate.2,3 Removable appliances require less chairtime, promote better oral hygiene, and are more esthetic, and the forced eruption can start as soon as the appliance is installed.1 In the case shown here, forced eruption and tooth alignment were performed with removable appliances alone.