There are only a few teeth that are known by nicknames. The big, late-blooming third molars (“wisdom teeth”) are one set; another set is the sharply-pointed canines, also called the “eyeteeth”. These two sets of teeth have something else in common: They can both suffer from the failure to develop in the proper place. Impacted wisdom teeth are a well known problem; impacted canines, however, are an issue that’s seen less frequently — but can often be effectively treated without extraction (removal). What does the term “impacted” mean? In dental terminology, it indicates a tooth that is growing in a position where it can’t erupt (grow in to the bite) properly. This sometimes happens in cases where the bite is “crowded” — that is, where there isn’t enough space in the jaw for all of the teeth to develop properly. An impacted tooth remains “buried” to some extent in the tissues of the gums and jaw. It may eventually cause various problems with the roots of neighboring teeth, or even...