A 9-year-old patient's radiograph shows a retained primary canine (#C/tooth C in the maxilla) and an impacted permanent canine. What is the most appropriate initial finding to document?

When a permanent canine fails to erupt and the overlying primary canine remains retained at age 9, the most appropriate documentation is impacted permanent canine with retained primary predecessor. The maxillary permanent canine has the longest path of eruption and is the most commonly impacted tooth after the third molar. Early identification (by age 8–9) and extraction of the retained primary canine may allow spontaneous eruption of the permanent canine if root formation is less than half complete.