Surgical Exposure of Delayed Eruption of Permanent Teeth in Pediatric Patients: A Case Series

Abstract

Delayed tooth eruption (DTE) is the emergence of a tooth into the oral cavity at a time that deviates significantly from norms established for different races, ethnicities, and genders. DTE is a major concern for patients and parents, due to its impact on aesthetics, phonetics, and function, and they frequently demand treatment due to low self-esteem rather than pain or discomfort. These reports present three cases of delayed eruption of permanent teeth in pediatric patients age ranging from 8 to 13 years, in various dentition stages. In this case series, we performed surgical intervention of a labial flap over the permanent impacted teeth under local anesthesia to facilitate the eruption of the tooth. In the follow-up visit, it was noted that the tooth had erupted successfully and caught up with the contralateral tooth. Satisfaction was observed by the result of the procedure by both patients and parents in follow-up visits. In these cases, early detection and conservative surgical procedures were beneficial when compared to late detection and complex surgical orthodontic treatments.