Delayed tooth reimplantation with 4-year follow-up: the management of ankylosis during facial growth.

This case report describes the consequences of delayed (24 hours) reimplantation of an avulsed maxillary central incisor, findings over a 4-year follow-up period, and the management of ankylosis during facial growth. After a traumatic event, a 10-year-old boy was taken to a hospital emergency department due to injuries to his face, including avulsion of the maxillary left central incisor. Despite the short amount of time before arriving at the hospital (10 minutes) and use of the correct storage medium (milk), the tooth was not reimplanted, and the parents did not receive instructions to seek dental treatment. The next day, the child was brought to a dental school because he objected to the loss of his tooth. The treatment chosen was delayed tooth reimplantation. At the 1-year follow-up, the reimplanted tooth was infraoccluded, and periapical radiography revealed signs of ankylosis and initial replacement root resorption. At the 2- and 3-year follow-up examinations, resorption and infraocclusion of the central incisor had progressed. In this case, the delayed reimplantation resulted in ankylosis that had a significant clinical impact due to the patient's facial growth. Direct resin restoration of the reimplanted tooth was therefore performed 3 years after trauma. Despite continued resorption and infraocclusion of the tooth observed 4 years posttrauma, the esthetic, low-cost treatment was well accepted, and the patient's quality of life was improved until definitive treatment can be performed.