Need a brace but don't want my wisdom teeth out

[Leah Marie]

Hello, i have recently been to an NHS dentist after years of having no treatment due to a dental phobia. The dentist said I had bad overcrowding which had pushed two of my top incisors to push forward (one completely covering another tooth) and my centre bottom incisors to overlap. I visited a private dentist but didn't really get very far as I needed some work doing to get my mouth healthy before a brace could be fitted, but they did state I may need my wisdom teeth removing in order to fit a brace. I have since had a molar removed on both sides of my bottom teeth so would that mean I could possibly get away with not having my wisdom teeth removed on the lower set? I have also looked into an Inman aligner or some kind of clear removable brace as I believe these could be used without removing teeth but I'm unsure if it would work on my top teeth that need pulling in. Could anyone give me some advice on this please as I wools like to get things moving but don't want to spend a fortune on consultations just to get an answer. Thankyou

 

[Lyle MacLeod]

I had to get molar teeth taken out of both sides of my top teeth when getting my brace so I'd imagine this would be the same for you, however I'm not a dentist so I would make sure you talk to one to confirm this. My gums did take a while to heal so it was worth it but I understand that the recovery period for wisdom tooth removal is much more severe. So I would avoid it if you can.

Also, my brother got one of those removable braces to realign his teeth before he got train tracks (although he didn't need any teeth removed) so I would look into that as well. Maybe they can assist your overcrowding initially so much so that you can get train tracks without needing to remove your wisdom teeth.

 

[ferberdental]

Everyone is different. In normal circumstances both upper and lower wisdom teeth are removed at the same time because they are a set. If your bottom ones are removed, the top ones may eventually come in and not have anything to bite against. Don’t worry about them moving your upper teeth as long as you are wearing your retainer.

 

[MattKW]

The wisdom teeth will not upset any orthodontic treatment, so are not removed for that reason (either before or after ortho). They are often removed due to the difficulty in cleaning them, and this can lead to gum infections or decay.