Why does my orthodontist want me to take my teeth out?
Trust me when I tell you that no orthodontist WANTS to take your teeth out. Our goal as your orthodontist, and as an oral healthcare provider first and foremost, is to protect your teeth and help you achieve a healthy, functional, and beautiful smile that will serve you the rest of your life.
In fact, none traction cases tend to be easier to treat so most orthodontists will prefer to treat your case without extracting teeth, but there are certain indications that warrant extractions which we will discuss here.
Overcrowding
The first and most common reason why your orthodontist would recommend extracting teeth is due to overcrowding. Crowding results when there isn’t enough room in the jaw to fit all the teeth. If your orthodontist tries to fit all the teeth anyway, then there is a good chance that some of the teeth will be pushed out of the bone causing significant gingival or gum recession, bone loss, or even tooth loss. In this situation your orthodontist will recommend that we sacrifice 1 or more teeth to protect the rest of your teeth.
Bite Correction
Another reason for extracting teeth is for bite correction. If a patient has a significant overbite or underbite and has refused jaw surgery as a treatment option, then sometimes taking teeth out is the best way to correct the bite.
Cosmetic Reasons
Your orthodontist may also recommend tooth extractions for cosmetic reasons. If a patient has too much lip support causing their lips to be apart from each other at rest, then taking teeth out and retracting the front teeth back into that space can help reduce lip protrusion and improve overall esthetics.
Severely Damaged Tooth
And finally, sometimes your orthodontist will recommend tooth extraction because you have a severely damaged tooth that has a poor prognosis and is unlikely to last you for the rest of your life. This is usually due to some type of trauma suffered by the tooth or significant localized bone loss. In this case, it might be beneficial to remove that tooth and close the space with braces to avoid a bigger problem in the future.
How Long Does it Take to Recover from Tooth Extraction?
Good question! Read the following article for more details and information on a timeline of your recovery from a tooth extraction.