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At your orthodontic consultation, you learn that you need to have teeth pulled before you can straighten your smile. But why? We answer this question and discuss more about pre-orthodontic treatment procedures here.
When you visit the orthodontist for the first time to correct crooked teeth and a bad bite (malocclusion), your provider reviews your oral health history, your goals for restored tooth function and appearance, and your treatment options.
Part of this process includes a thorough exam of your teeth and jaws, which can consist of a manual exam and taking X-rays. This exam provides information on the status of your oral health and what the treatment process needs to look like to be effective.
At the end, you find out your results, which may come with a recommendation to undergo other treatments before the orthodontic variety. Pre-orthodontic treatments may include methods for addressing tooth decay or gum disease, but they can also include tooth extraction.
Hearing that you need one or more teeth extracted before you can undergo orthodontic treatment can be frustrating, especially if you’re not sure why it’s necessary.
So, Farid Hanachi, DDS, PA, and the rest of our team at Hanachi Orthodontics in Mooresville, North Carolina, want to explain why tooth extraction might be necessary (and beneficial) before you can officially start your journey to a straighter smile.
Tooth extraction before orthodontic treatment
During your orthodontic consultation, Dr. Hanachi looks inside your mouth and uses X-rays to assess the health, structure, and function of your teeth and jaws. He can then discover if you need dental work done or teeth extracted before you can get braces or clear aligners.
Dr. Hanachi may recommend tooth extraction for multiple reasons.
If your teeth are severely overcrowded and your overcrowded teeth are already too big for your mouth, undergoing orthodontic treatment will be ineffective since there’s not enough room for your teeth to be evenly spaced out. Extracting one or more of your teeth is typically the best solution for this issue.
Another reason tooth extraction is sometimes needed before you can undergo orthodontic treatment is to address impacted teeth. An impacted tooth is one that never erupted through and is trapped in your gum line, and it usually occurs due to improper tooth development.
How does tooth extraction affect your treatment timeline?
Needing a tooth extraction before beginning orthodontic treatment can feel frustrating, especially because it delays your timeline.
Thankfully, recovering from tooth extraction isn’t a lengthy process, and once your mouth has healed completely from the extraction procedure, you can get started with your orthodontic treatment, whether you choose braces or clear aligners.
Though tooth extraction is one extra step, the process is worth it since it makes orthodontic treatment more effective and will ultimately provide you with much better and long-lasting results.
To learn more about any procedures you may need before you can move forward with braces or clear aligners, contact our team by calling your nearest office location or by scheduling an appointment through our online booking feature today.