Third molars, or more commonly known as wisdom teeth, are usually the last teeth to come in and the ones least needed for good oral health. It is estimated that 90% of the population does not have enough room for wisdom teeth to grow in properly. They may not erupt until late teens or early twenties, if they erupt at all. Most often, they’re impacted because of a lack of space. Our jaws are smaller than those of our prehistoric ancestors who needed larger jaws and more teeth for their tougher diets. Today, we do not need that extra chewing power due to our amazing evolutionary process. In fact, wisdom teeth are the most commonly missing permanent teeth in our mouths today. Hundreds of years from now, wisdom teeth may be totally extinct from the human gene pool.
Orthodontic Evaluation of Wisdom Teeth From an orthodontic perspective, we will evaluate the development, positions and erupting paths of all wisdom teeth that are present on the panoramic radiograph. Contrary to popular belief, it is absolutely not necessary to have your wisdom teeth extracted before starting your orthodontic treatment. In many cases, the wisdom teeth are not even developed enough to have extracted. While you are in braces, progress X-rays will be taken which gives us the opportunity to monitor the development of these teeth. If the wisdom teeth become symptomatic (pain or swelling) during your orthodontic treatment, you can be referred to your dentist or an oral surgeon for further evaluation and possible removal. Typically, we wait until the end of your orthodontic treatment for our final analysis of your wisdom teeth. If your wisdom teeth are causing you pain, partially or fully impacted or in a position that is difficult to clean, we will refer you to have them removed.
We know through research studies that the erupting forces of wisdom teeth are in the range of 5-10 grams, which is very little. Nonetheless, we want to eliminate any potential problems that could cause any movement of your teeth after finishing orthodontics. Thus, it is more than likely that you will be referred to your dentist or an oral surgeon to have your wisdom teeth removed. Remember we don’t want these teeth to interfere with our fantastic orthodontic result.
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