An upper canine that is palatally displaced (or ectoipic) is a tooth that does not erupt normally during growth and development. It usually sits behind (palatal) to the front teeth, and left alone it can cause very significant problems. It occurs in 1-2% of the population, and is approximately 3-5% of our adolescent orthodontic population. We’ve treated well over a hundred of these cases, and each one is unique and needs to be treated individually.
Palatally displaced canines often run in families and are commonly associated with other minor dental anomalies such as missing teeth, small teeth or transposed teeth.
