Filing Vs Tooth Extraction For Invisalign

Hi , I'am planning for invisalign treatment to improve my teeth alignment, my front teeth are protruding effecting my smile . I have taken consultation from 2 orthodontist . One told me I can extract one of wisdom teeth to make space , other said thats not possible for invisalign . He recommends something like filing my teeth to make space. It seems to me that filing would give faster or even better results but I'am afraid about my teeth becoming weak . Regards, Mona

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4 Doctor Answers | Asked by Mona M in San Jose, CA

Doctor Answers (4)
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Enamel reduction common with ortho/Invisalign..

The filing of the enamel is safe and effective way to gain space for tooth movements. I dont think removing a wisdom tooth will help you that much...maybe after Invisalign you can have them removed for jaw stability if you like but helping with invisalign is minimal..

3rd molar extraction, Invisalign, straight teeth, filing teeth, IPR

I would that filing (IPR - Interproximal Reduction) would be more of an option that I would lean towards. You can take up to a 1/2 mm inbetween the teeth to gain some space overall for reduction of the protrusion. I would make sure that this technique is done properly in order to protect the integrity of the tooth structure. Without seeing the panoramic x-ray it is very difficult to make any assumptions about the 3rd molars, but in my experience extracting 3rd molars has... more

Extraction vs filing teeth for Invisalign

Filing teeth (known as IPR or slenderizing) is used in orthodontics to gain space when a limited amount of space is needed. It will not weaken your teeth if done properly, and can be an alternative to extractions. If more than a certain amount of space is needed, extractions may be necessary. In this case Invisalign is not usually a good choice because it often does not close extraction spaces very well. To find out about the best approach in your particualr... more

Slenderizing teeth is very conservative

IPR (interproximal reduction or slenderizing teeth) is very common in orthodontics, not just Invisalign. Normally, only a little is done, around .5 mm, so the integrity of the teeth is not affected. IPR is usually all that is needed for the majority of cases, but extractions still happen from time to time.