Wisdom Teeth and Braces: Common Myths, Debunked

Braces are a common type of orthodontics used to straighten teeth. Despite the fact that braces are so commonplace across various ages, there are still a lot of myths surrounding braces, especially braces and wisdom teeth. Wisdom teeth are large molars that come in later in the teen years. Many people have their wisdom teeth removed, but it’s not necessary for everyone. Let’s look at the truth about some of these myths.

Wisdom Teeth Must Come Out Before Braces

This is a long-standing myth since many people believe that wisdom teeth will change the shape of your current teeth. The fact is that orthodontists evaluate wisdom teeth before treatment. They can see via X-rays, which teeth will be coming in during treatment, and they can predict with relative accuracy when that will happen. The only reason you should have your wisdom teeth removed would be due to repeated gum infections, decay, cysts, or pain caused by the wisdom teeth.

It’s Bad When Wisdom Teeth Erupt After Braces

This fear is based mostly on the fact that by the time your orthodontics treatment is done, you’ve invested a lot of money. You don’t want the eruption of wisdom teeth to ruin all of that. If your wisdom teeth erupt after braces, don’t panic. Your orthodontist will likely recommend that you modify your retainer or increase the amount of time you wear the retainer. In a lot of cases, though, simply wearing the retainer as recommended is sufficient to apply pressure to all of the teeth in your mouth and keep them in the desired location.

Braces Can’t Work with Impacted Wisdom Teeth

This is simply not true. Orthodontics can treat almost any type of teeth including wisdom teeth. If wisdom teeth are severely impacted, the orthodontist will recommend having some teeth removed. This is a very common step to take in orthodontic treatment though.

Although you don’t need to panic about your wisdom teeth, you do need to monitor any changes that take place in your mouth once your braces come off. If your wisdom teeth start to erupt after orthodontic treatment, contact your doctor. If you would like to learn more about orthodontic treatment, please contact us today. We are here for your dental needs.