Can I have my teeth straightened even if I have my wisdom teeth

My last x-rays showed that I have 4 impacted wisdom teeth. My dentist suggested that I get it removed even though they aren’t painful or bothering me. Do I really need to have it removed before I can get braces or aligners? I am not that fond of the idea of getting surgery to have them all removed. Can I just get my teeth straightened without removing those 4 teeth?

If your wisdom teeth cause an obstruction for your aligners, the extraction of those teeth might be needed.

There is no definite rule on whether or not wisdom teeth have to be removed before your straigthening treatment. If the wisdom teeth interfere with the planned movements, your dentist will advise you to have them removed before you start your orthodontic treatment.

Wisdom teeth don’t necessarily need to be removed. You don’t need to have it removed if there are no current problems or no strong likelihood of issues occurring in the future.

I asked this question to y dentist when I was still deciding if I should have braces or aligners. My dentist said that it’s okay to not get your wisdom teeth removed as long as they are not on the way of your treatment. If they aren’t bothering you and it looks like it won’t be an issue, your dentist wouldn’t recommend you to remove them.

But of course if you would like to have it removed to avoid future problems in the future, it’s okay too.

Most dentists would recommend to have them removed because of this - to avoid future problems.

I had mine removed when I was a teenager because there was an inflammation on my erupting wisdom teeth.

Removing third molars before having braces or aligners is a common myth. It was usually practice years ago by most dentists, but I believe recent studies debunk this myth.

“More recent studies have shown the wisdom teeth don’t usually possess enough force to achieve this and when the teeth erupt, they won’t undo your results from braces or Invisalign. The fact that people often experience a change in the way their teeth fit together around the same age they get their wisdom teeth can be due to other factors, such as a natural deepening of the bite and some residual jaw growth. The best way to prevent your teeth from moving after orthodontic treatment, whether you’re keeping your wisdom teeth or not, is to wear your retainer as directed.”

Source from hawley orthodontics.

1 Like

Why do most teenagers have all of the 4 wisdom teeth removed? I’m an adult now, but my dentist suggested to have them removed already when I was still a teenager. I just didn’t have the procedure because I didn’t have an insurancebyet at that time and we didn’t have enough money.

Most dentists would explain to their patients that the erupting third molar would have the force to push all teeth in front of it, that’s why most people get through the extraction of the 4 wisdom teeth all at the same time. It also costs a fortune

That was a common myth before. But lately, more and more dentists say that it’s okay not to remove them. They need to check your x-ray to decide if you need some extraction or not.

Having them removed all at the same time seems to be too hard. You’ll have swelling for almost a week. I don’t want to experience that.

Definitely don’t want to go through that. Having one impacted tooth removed was so hard for me already. I can’t imagine having 4 of them removed in one appointment. The swelling can last for 2 weeks. No way

This article can also be of some help for some. This explains the common myths regarding wisdom teeth.

Yeah, it’s really hard. Just make sure to ask for professional help if you can leave your wisdom teeth untouched.