Introduction: During the period of growth and development of the orofacial region, significant changes occur in the jawbones and dentition. Differentiating between the periods of deciduous, early and late mixed, permanent, and adult dentition, each phase presents a distinct sequence of tooth eruption. When a tooth fails to erupt within its anticipated timeframe, it may signify a developmental anomaly and an eruption disorder, potentially leading to impaction. Impacted teeth are those that have fully developed within the bone but have not erupted in their intended position or anywhere else within or outside the dental arch. Any tooth unable to erupt due to crowding, the presence of an obstacle during eruption (e.g. persistent deciduous tooth), developmental issues such as malformation, or genetic factors is considered impacted. Third molars are the most commonly impacted teeth, followed by upper permanent canines, second lower premolars, and upper central incisors. Purpose: The aim of this thesis is to elucidate the concept of impaction, describe impacted canines, their positions, treatment options, and create a sample orthodontic appliance. We chose the transpalatal arch for this purpose. Methods: For the introductory part of the thesis, we conducted a review of domestic and foreign scholarly literature, articles from professional journals, books, and compilations. In the practical section, we fabricated an orthodontic appliance designed for patients with the aforementioned anomaly. Results: In this thesis, we developed a maxillary orthodontic appliance – the transpalatal arch with a hook – using both conventional and computer-assisted methods, which we compared in terms of time. The computer-assisted method required approximately 2 hours for design, involving the use of an intraoral optical scanner and software (3Shape), followed by printing and a one-week waiting period. The conventional method took 3 hours and 7 minutes, utilizing various tools such as plaster, wires, and pliers. The computer-assisted approach was spatially and temporally efficient, albeit incurring higher costs related to software. The conventional method was more cost-effective but took longer and necessitated more instruments. Discussion and conclusion: The thesis addressed the treatment of impacted upper canines and the fabrication of a transpalatal arch with a hook. Despite the precision of the computer-assisted approach, its higher cost needs to be considered, making the conventional method a suitable and economical choice.
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