Autotransplantation of a premolar tooth in an orthodontic patient with 2 year follow-up: a case report

Abstract

Auto-transplantation of developing premolars is a treatment modality that has received increasing attention in recent years. This report describes a case of auto-transplantation of upper left second premolar tooth of an orthodontic patient to the space of congenitally missing lower left second premolar space. A young boy, 10.5 years of age, referred to our clinic having a C II div 1 malocclusion and tooth number 35 was missing. According to the treatment plan, tooth number 25 and 75 was extracted, and in the same operation, upper left first premolar tooth was auto-transplanted into the socket of lower left second deciduous molar. Semi-rigid fixation procedure was performed. Four months were the latency period before applying orthodontic forces. In determining the vitality of tooth, cold test method when brackets were on and electrical pulp vitality tester (Parkell Electronics, Farmingdale, USA) after debonding were used. After stabilizing the tooth in its space and making sure that the tooth was vital, normal orthodontic forces were applied and the treatment continued. C I molar relationship at the right side, and C II relationship at the left side was obtained. Auto transplanted tooth was in normal position, lamina dura was clearly seen and apex-fixation of the tooth was finished properly. Auto-transplantation should be given consideration as a reasonable option for the treatment of missing teeth in young patients. It is understood that by means of this technique, a complicated treatment problem can be transferred to easier treatment alternatives to be done instead of very heavy clinical procedures and time