Surgical exposure and orthodontic extrusion of an impacted canine tooth in a cat: a case report.

A 7 month-old, male domestic shorthaired cat was referred because of facial swelling, an operculated cystic oral mass, and impaction of the associated maxillary left canine tooth. Surgical exposure and realignment failed to result in eruption. Surgical reexposure and orthodontic extrusion resulted in a functional alignment of the tooth within the dental arch. Follow up evaluations over the 5 ensuing years indicated persistence of the facial deformation, no evidence of ameloblastic biotransformation, and a healthy tooth.