ATTENTION VA BEACH PATIENTS:
Our new location is 837 First Colonial Road, VA Beach, VA 23451
A tooth that never breaks through the gum line does not go away on its own, and waiting rarely makes the path forward any simpler. When a permanent tooth, most often a canine, stays trapped beneath the gum or bone, it can crowd neighboring teeth, damage roots, or leave a visible gap in an otherwise straight smile.
At Goodove Oral Surgery, we specialize in exposing and bonding impacted teeth so they can be guided into their proper position with the help of a referring orthodontist. Our team performs this procedure as part of our full range of oral surgery procedures, and we work closely with the orthodontists in our community to give every patient a coordinated, predictable path to a healthy bite.
Exposure and bonding is a straightforward outpatient procedure that opens a small window through the gum tissue, and sometimes bone, to reach the impacted tooth. Once the crown of the tooth is visible, we clean and dry the surface, then bond a small metal bracket or button to it. A thin chain or wire attaches to that bracket, and the orthodontist uses it after surgery to apply gentle, steady pressure that draws the tooth into the dental arch over several months.
We choose between an open or closed technique depending on where the tooth sits and how much tissue needs to move out of the way. Either approach is done with the patient comfortably sedated, and most people return to normal activities within a day or two. Because timing and positioning both matter, we rely on advanced cone beam CT imaging to map the exact location of the tooth before we ever pick up an instrument.
Impacted teeth are not always painful, which is part of why they are so often missed until a dentist spots one on a routine X-ray. Parents and adult patients alike tend to notice a problem only once the surrounding teeth start to shift or a permanent tooth simply never arrives where it should.
A few signs tend to show up consistently, and any one of them is worth a conversation with a dental provider.
Any of these signs deserves a closer look, and the earlier an impacted tooth is identified, the more treatment options tend to be available. According to a 2020 clinical review published through the National Institutes of Health, coordinated communication between orthodontists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons is essential to planning the right surgical exposure technique and achieving a predictable outcome.
Impacted tooth cases move through two different offices, a surgeon and an orthodontist, and that handoff works best when both sides communicate clearly and often. As a hometown oral surgery practice, we have built those relationships across Virginia Beach and Chesapeake over many years, and referring dentists know they can count on us to keep every step of a shared treatment plan on track.
Dr. Scott Goodove, Dr. Peter Zagursky, and Dr. Sam Fowler have performed exposure and bonding procedures for patients of nearly every age, from early teens still finishing orthodontic treatment to adults addressing a tooth that was missed years earlier. We hold operating privileges at several area hospitals, which gives us the flexibility to accommodate patients with more complex medical needs when a case calls for it.
Because we are independently owned, our doctors make decisions based on what is right for each patient, and we take real pride in the strength of our referring dentist partnerships. That independence lets us stay flexible on scheduling, communicate directly with your orthodontist, and adjust the surgical approach as soon as new imaging or clinical findings call for it.
An impacted tooth is a solvable problem, and the sooner it is addressed, the smoother the path back to a complete, confident smile tends to be. Goodove Oral Surgery has helped Virginia Beach and Chesapeake families navigate exposure and bonding procedures for years, and we bring the same hands-on, community-focused care to every patient we see, whether the referral comes from a family dentist or an orthodontist already managing a case.
We accept a wide range of PPO and government insurance plans, along with financing options, to help make treatment more accessible for the families we serve. If you or your child has been told a tooth is impacted, we invite you to contact our Virginia Beach office to schedule a consultation and take the next step toward a healthy, complete smile.
Office Hours: Monday – Thursday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm, Friday: 8:00 am – 2:00 pm
