Orthodontic treatment of ankylosed permanent teeth after surgical luxation

Tooth ankylosis is the process of the fusing of a tooth root to the surrounding alveolarbone whereby the periodontal ligament is lost, and in later stages, a tooth root isreplaced by the bone, which eventually results in the tooth loss. The etiology of thiscondition includes trauma, genetic factors, metabolic anomalies, local anomalies,endocrine anomalies, iatrogenic causes as well as idiopathic factors. Theconsequences are evident and involve prevented ankylosed tooth growth causing non-occlusion,adjacent teeth inclination, opponent teeth eruption and cause malocclusion.Therapy can be surgical, conservative, orthodontic or combined. The case presentedin this paper illustrates the efficacy of the surgical luxation of ankylosed teethfollowed by the immediate application of orthodontic elastic force. The outcome maybe debatable, but considering a poor prognosis for ankylosed teeth, the suggested treatment represents a better therapeutic choice than facing potential consequences ofadministering or not administering the usual treatment of ankylosed permanent teeth. Acta Medica Medianae 2019;58(2):62-69.