Sometimes, as part of treatment, teeth need to be repositioned and moved towards the opposing teeth to improve their aesthetics, function, or both using a procedure called orthodontic extrusion, also called forced eruption. Your doctor can strategically place brackets on your teeth and gradually reposition them towards the opposing teeth and into preferred alignment. Your treatment needs will dictate the amount of force exerted on the teeth to produce movement. Lower levels of force will change the position of the teeth, gums, and underlying bone together in concert. Higher levels of force may be used in situations where treatment requires only the teeth themselves to be moved, leaving the gum and bone levels relatively unaffected. This may be done to address a horizontal fracture or excessive decay by bringing out enough tooth structure for a restoration to properly adhere to. In either case, treatment time will vary depending on the patient and extent of tooth movement required. When treatment is completed, your teeth will be more ideally positioned, and depending on your unique situation, may also allow for additional restorative care.