Teeth
One of the most common issues of getting braces is possibly having teeth removed. We all are born with primary teeth also known as baby teeth, which eventually fall out making room for adult teeth. But what happens if we don’t lose one of our primary teeth?
Extraction
When you arrive for your consultation, we will take a panoramic X-ray of your teeth. This gives a better understanding as to what’s going on in your mouth. From an X-ray we are able to see everything from your roots to how many secondary teeth are hiding behind the gums. Past a certain age if you don’t lose the primary tooth you need to loose in order to make room for an adult tooth waiting to erupt, we recommend pulling it. Removing these teeth can be crucial to your orthodontic treatment .
It’s easier to understand why a baby tooth should be removed, but it gets tricky to understand why we would have to have an adult tooth removed;
Situations
- Crowding– If you notice that your teeth are overlapping you are crowded. Sometimes a Palatal Expander can help crowding as it works to create space. Although it can help, Palatal Expanders are geared toward a certain age group. If you are an adult seeking treatment we will typically recommend having a tooth removed to create space.
- Protrusion- How our lips look is based on the teeth underneath them. If your front teeth are slightly flared, bringing them in will change how your lips appear. By removing some teeth on the sides, you are giving the flared front teeth space to straighten up.
Orthodontist might want to remove teeth for other reasons such as impaction. Orthodontists love teeth and want to keep them all. With that being said, teeth will only be removed if we feel it is 100% necessary.
