Reasons Tooth Extraction Is Often Needed Before Getting Braces

Whether you are a teenager or adult, there is a chance you will need to have teeth extracted from your mouth before you get braces. Braces straighten and align teeth, but most orthodontists will not install them until a person has completed certain dental procedures that need to be done before getting braces. If you are preparing to visit an orthodontist for a consultation for braces, you might find out that you need tooth extraction, and here are some of the top reasons this is often required.

To Eliminate Overcrowding of the Teeth

One step an orthodontist takes when analyzing your teeth for braces is fully examining all your teeth and their alignment. The goal of this is to determine what needs to happen to straighten your teeth and what challenges the orthodontist might face. If the orthodontist determines that you have way too many teeth in your mouth for its size and shape, he or she may recommend having some removed.

The goal of this is to eliminate problems with overcrowding. While you might have the right number of teeth that you are supposed to have, your mouth size and shape might not be able to accommodate all these teeth. Removing several of your teeth might be the only way the dentist can straighten and align your teeth with braces.

To Remove Baby Teeth That Do Not Have Permanent Ones Behind Them

There are also times when people will need to have baby teeth removed from their mouth prior to getting braces, and this is primarily when people are born missing some of their permanent teeth. Your orthodontist will take x-rays of your entire mouth to see if there are teeth impacted in the gums, and this is how dentists and orthodontists find out if people are missing some of their permanent teeth.

If you are missing six or fewer of your permanent teeth, you will have the condition known as hypodontia. What this means is that your baby teeth might never fall out. If they do, there will be no permanent teeth to replace these ones. While you could leave a baby tooth in your mouth and get braces, many orthodontists prefer removing the baby teeth to avoid problems later on. By removing the baby teeth and using braces, a dentist is able to pull the teeth inwards to fill the gaps where there will never be any permanent teeth.

If you decided to leave the baby teeth and place braces on them, there is a chance these teeth may fall out when you are older. If this happens, you would be left with gaps in your mouth that you would have to fill with dental implants or bridges. If you remove the teeth now, you will never have to face this problem later on in your life.

To Remove a Decayed Tooth

The other reason you may need a tooth removed is if the tooth has too much decay on it or some other problem. An orthodontist will not apply braces to teeth if the teeth have any types of dental issues. This means that you will need to get any cavities filled prior to getting braces, and you might even have to get a tooth removed if the dentist cannot fix it with a filling.

If your orthodontist tells you that you need to have teeth removed before getting braces, you will need to schedule an appointment with a dentist that offers tooth extraction services. Getting a tooth extracted is a very common procedure, and it is often done as a requirement for braces.

To learn more, contact a dental clinic that offers tooth extraction services in your city.