Canine exposure has nothing to do with leaving your dog outside exposed to the elements! In dentistry, canine exposure is a procedure used to expose impacted teeth. An impacted tooth is one that has not erupted in the mouth because it gets "caught" in the surrounding bone or tissue. Any tooth may become impacted, but wisdom teeth and canine teeth are the most common candidates.
Canine teeth are critical for function and aesthetics. The procedure to expose a tooth is quite simple. A simple surgical procedure allows the dentist to access the tooth and place a small bracket on it. A minor orthodontic procedure helps to guide the tooth into place.
An impacted tooth is sometimes obvious to the naked eye because it appears as a "bump" in the tissue. In most instances however, an x-ray is necessary to identify the the presence and position of the impacted tooth