Impacted mandibular 2nd molars are a rather common eruption complication and can present a series of challenges. Impacted 2nd molars, if left unaddressed, can result in damage to adjacent teeth, periodontal compromises, peri-coronal and peri-apical pathology, as well as further ectopic eruption resulting in a more complicated impaction.

This 14 years old male patient presented to our office with a concern of impacted mandibular 2nd molars. His initial radiographic evaluation reveals a significantly impacted  mandibular 2nd molars; while the mandibular left 2nd molar is approximately 60 degrees impacted, the mandibular right 2nd molar is virtually horizontal and far below the height of contour. The options included extraction of the impacted 2nd molars, however, due to his young age and his occlusion, we decided to surgically expose and upright the impacted molars.

The following pictures show the progress during his orthodontic treatment. The 2nd molars were quite successfully uprighted and erupted in functional occlusion. The thirds molars were subsequently extracted.

Orthodontic Treatment by: Dr. Yossi Bar-Zion, DDS, MS

Surgical Treatment by: Dr. Brijesh Patel, DDS, MD