What if My Wisdom Teeth Come Out After I Wear Braces?

Even if you notice an eruption of your wisdom teeth after you're done wearing your braces, you don't have to stop smiling.

You waited and waited to have your braces in Johns Creek put on, then waited and waited to have them come off to reveal your new beautiful, straight smile. But now your wisdom teeth are starting to come in. Will they ruin your new grin?

It’s safe to say that all the effort you put into getting a new healthy smile is not going to waste. Developing wisdom teeth after braces treatment does not mean that they will somehow alter the results achieved with treatment.

However, they can and will cause many problems that affect your oral health severely if you don’t take care of them. Keep reading to know how, when, and why it’s sometimes very important to go through wisdom teeth removal.

Can Wisdom Teeth Shift My Teeth?

Fortunately for everyone who just went through braces treatment, the answer to “Can wisdom teeth shift your teeth after braces?” is no, they can’t. Wisdom teeth don’t shift your teeth, nor will wisdom teeth removal after braces.

You see, wisdom teeth will many times become impacted, meaning they aren’t able to erupt fully or do it in the ideal position. This happens because they don’t have enough space to grow into and simply don’t possess enough strength to push the rest of your teeth out of the way.

Even so, it is completely understandable if you thought that your wisdom teeth could give you crowded teeth. We’ve all feared wisdom teeth growing and destroying our now-aligned and permanent teeth because, for a time, even orthodontists had this idea and used to recommend the removal of the third molars every time they developed in an attempt to prevent any shifting from occurring. Now we know that extraction is not always necessary.

Can Wisdom Teeth Shift My Teeth?

“There’s not much to worry about for most people,” says an orthodontist in Johns Creek, Dr. Nima Hajibaik. “In fact, the University of Iowa did some research that found that wisdom teeth made no difference. There were sensors placed between the teeth to compare pressure both with and without wisdom teeth, and it didn’t make any difference at all.”

Of course, there are still many reasons to remove wisdom teeth. After all, they do cause serious oral health issues that we’ll later expand on.

Will My Retainer Still Fit After My Wisdom Teeth Erupt?

How wisdom teeth affect your retainer will depend highly on your specific case and type of retainer. Invisible retainers molded to your teeth don’t take your wisdom teeth into consideration when making the mold. Because of this, unless your third molar erupts excessively close to your other molars, you should be able to use them without problems whether you have wisdom teeth erupt or not.

The same goes for more traditional retainers like the very common Hawley retainer. They only account for the teeth present and generally don’t mind the wisdom teeth. Still, you’ll have to be aware of the situation to know if there’s something to inform your adult orthodontist Alpharetta about.

Adult Orthodontics Alpharetta

What Are the Problems With Wisdom Teeth?

For some patients, there just simply isn’t room in the mouth for the wisdom teeth to fully erupt, so they remain in the jaw bone. That is what is referred to as impacted. In this case, the wisdom teeth remain partially in the bone and partially exposed.

For partially impacted wisdom teeth, an oral surgeon will generally recommend their removal. Because of how they sit in the mouth, patients can’t care for them very well, which means they might fall prey to tooth decay or gum infection. Additionally, a surgeon can remove them much more easily than fully impacted wisdom teeth.

If you have impacted wisdom teeth, you may not even realize it until you feel pain. This pain is due to an infection caused by the impacted teeth or by these additional teeth placing pressure on the mouth. It takes wisdom teeth a long time to grow, so it may take you a while to notice any changes in your mouth.

But even fully erupted wisdom teeth can be hard to care for because they are so far back in the mouth. Because of this, many dentists recommend removing them before they can cause damage to the rest of the mouth.

If an Alpharetta orthodontist recommends that you have wisdom teeth removed because you have impacted molars, either partially or fully, it’s important that you follow up with an oral surgeon. There are a few things that could happen if left undisturbed. They include:

  • Tooth Decay and periodontal disease.
  • Cysts or tumors.
  • Bad breath.
  • Soft tissue and bone loss.
  • Root resorption of other molars.

Get the Best Removal Only When Necessary

Whether you wore traditional braces or Invisalign in Johns Creek, if you are at the end of your teen years, you may notice your wisdom teeth developing. Don’t panic, removal is not always necessary, but when it is, it’s the best option for your dental health. Additionally, it’s not as bad as many people may think it is.

Contact us at Newpark Orthodontics to determine whether you need an extraction or not. Alternatively, request your consultation with us online here. We’ll be with you as soon as possible, eager to get you the smile you deserve.