Interceptive approach to treatment of impacted maxillary canines.

Impaction of maxillary canines can be prevented by early intervention in the mixed dentition phase after the correct diagnosis of malocclusion, reducing the complexity of the treatment. This article reports the case of a 10-year-old patient who possessed impacted maxillary canines and, after early extraction of primary canines, had reestablished favorable permanent successors' eruption axis. This 5-year radiographic follow-up study with panoramic radiography shows that this can be used in practice and that an effective control strategy ensures the accuracy in the inclination of the impacted canines. Treatment success is related to early diagnosis and strategic interceptive treatment choice.