Will You Need Teeth Extracted to Get Braces?

In general, tooth extraction is not necessary before orthodontic treatment. The braces simply move the teeth into their new positions, and the patient wears a retainer afterwards to keep them from shifting back. But, in unique cases, an orthodontist might not be able to achieve optimal results unless they remove one or more teeth.

If you have any of the following dental conditions, then your orthodontist might need to remove one or more teeth to achieve your desired results.

Severe crowding in a small jaw

Sometimes, there simply isn't enough space in a jaw to move teeth into a better alignment. When your upper or lower jaw is too small to accommodate all your teeth, crowding occurs. In other words, your teeth crowd together at the front of the mouth. Sometimes, crowded teeth overlap, making it difficult for you to eat and smile comfortably.

If your orthodontist recognizes that you don't have enough space in your jawbone, then they will recommend that you extract one or more teeth to make room. The additional room will provide space for your braces to reposition your remaining teeth.

Badly misshapen tooth/teeth

In some cases, one or more teeth are shaped differently to the rest of the teeth. For instance, a canine tooth might be much larger than the other canine teeth in your mouth. Before treatment, your orthodontist might recommend that you remove the tooth to make room for your other more evenly shaped teeth.

Severe protrusion of front teeth

When teeth are severely crowded, the front teeth can overlap and begin to protrude outwards. This protrusion changes the shape of a person's face and removes the support for their lips. Oftentimes, the best approach for this issue is to remove one or more back teeth. Removing back teeth will provide room for the braces to push those protruded front teeth backwards.

As a result, your facial profile will change.

Major jaw misalignment

Sometimes, the two jaws, the upper and lowers jaws are misaligned. In order to correct this issue and disguise the misalignment, it is sometimes necessary to remove one or more teeth. The removal of one or more teeth allows the orthodontist to reposition the teeth so that the misalignment issue isn't so obvious. This is a useful step when one jaw has grown larger than the other jaw.

For more information on tooth extraction and braces, reach out to an orthodontist that offers braces in your area.

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