Should Wisdom Teeth Be Removed Before Invisalign?

Question

Since none of my wisdom teeth has erupted yet, I would rather wait before removing them. One of them is growing at an angle and it is pushing towards the second molar (I'm removing it in 2 weeks), but the others should erupt just fine, my dentist told me.

	I want to start on Invisalign treatment as soon as possible. Should I remove the other 3 before starting the treatment? Thank you!

	PS: My upper teeth have a squared shape; I don't know if that's what you call crowded teeth.

Lance Timmerman, DMD, MAGD · Answer

While the other teeth may appear to be on a path of normal eruption there is no guarantee they will.  If you are going to have one of them removed, it would be easier on you to have them all done at the same time.  Fewer trips, recovery time is once, etc.  Just because they may come in straight or there is "room" doesn't mean you won't need them removed later in life (and recovery is harder as you age).It is debatable if erupting wisdom teeth contribute to crowding, but if it was my child or myself, I would opt to have them out now.What COULD happen is after treatment is complete, the teeth won't stay put while the wisdom teeth erupt.  Or, after they erupt "just fine", they change your bite and the resulting forces cause the teeth to shift.There is no right or wrong, and the decision is ultimately yours, but I would recommend they come out.

Jay Neuhaus, DDS · Answer

The jury is still out on this question. My personal opinion is that you should remove the horizontal impaction BEFORE the Invisalign, and then you can always remove the other 3 down the road, if required.

Tanya Vaysman, DMD · Answer

From an orthodontic point of view when moving your teeth the wisdom teeth are too far back to have any effect on what is going on in the front. You should be able to do Invisalign regardless of weather your wisdom teeth have been extracted or not. You might need to have them removed for other health reasons if your dentist thinks that they may present a problem but not for the purposes of tooth straightening.

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