Wisdom Teeth and Cosmetic Bonding?

Question

I'm a 17 year old guy with a pretty small gap in the middle of my two front teeth. I want to get cosmetic bonding but my wisdom teeth haven't came in yet. A couple people (not dentists) have told me that wisdom teeth can sometimes PUSH the gap together. My question is, would it be safe to get cosmetic bonding for my gap right now, or will the wisdom teeth affect my gap? Also, what do wisdom teeth do and what should I do about them?

Norman Huefner, DDS · Answer

It's an urban myth that wisdom teeth push all the teeth forward.  There are reasons why some of the teeth will move or drift forward, producing crowded front teeth in some people, but how and when this actually happens gets a bit technical and probably doesn't apply to your situation where you have a pretty small gap in between your two front teeth.

	If it's a small gap, then think you're right on, composite bonding is the first choice for closing most diastemas (dental term for space between teeth).

	Regarding what wisdom teeth do, is a different subject.  For most caucasions the size and length of the jaws will not accommodate the wisdom teeth, and thus they become impacted and oftentimes require extraction.  In primitive cultures, molars were often lost early in life, and the wisdom teeth came in around at 16-20 years of age (age of wisdom...I think not!), functioning to replace the teeth that were lost.  However in modern cultures when molar teeth are not lost at an early age, wisdom teeth really don't have any special function, more often then not are actually non functional.

Jay Neuhaus, DDS · Answer

I've never seen the emergence of wisdom teeth help close a gap between the front 2 teeth. You can have a frenectomy, if necessary, and cosmetic bonding. As far as dealing with the wisdom teeth, it all depends on their position in your jawbone, Can only be determined by adequate X-ray examination.

Brian Dorfman, MD, DMD · Answer

The gap between your front teeth is probably caused by a muscle attachment from your upper lip called a "frenum"  Wisdom teeth will not usually close this.  Bonding may work, but the cause of the issue is the muscle attachment usually.  Often removal of the muscle attachment will allow the teeth to move together.  Bonding can be done after that isf necessary.  The best way to fix the issue after the frenectomy is orthodontics.  Have a consultation with a Board Certified Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon to find out what is really occurring

Wisdom Teeth and Cosmetic Bonding?

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Wisdom Teeth and Cosmetic Bonding?

Answers (3)

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Everything you need to know about Dental Bonding

Our mission is to create a world where every investment in modern beauty is Worth It.