‘The punch technique’ for the soft tissue exposure of superficial, buccally impacted teeth

The management of impacted teeth can be complex, time-consuming and expensive for the patient and healthcare system. These cases often require referral to a different specialty which increases the overall treatment time and number of appointments. This article introduces a simple, efficient technique using a cylindrical punch biopsy instrument to expose superficial, buccally impacted upper permanent canines and incisor teeth in carefully selected cases. This patient- and operator-friendly technique avoids the need for a referral to a different specialty, gives the orthodontist autonomy of the position of the bond, allows immediate traction, thereby reducing the number of appointments and overall treatment time for the patient.