After years of braces treatment to get your child’s teeth perfect and with a straight and beautiful smile, the last thing you need is for wisdom teeth to come along and ruin all that work.
For our patients who have braces applied pre-teens or early teens, wisdom teeth don’t really factor into the overall treatment as wisdom teeth generally can appear between late teens and early twenties. For children who are older when starting their braces treatment or for adults, we may recommend removing your wisdom teeth as part of your overall treatment plan.
So what about wisdom teeth that come after the braces have been removed and my child’s teeth are now perfect?
The problem with wisdom teeth is that by the time a person reaches their late teens, their jawbone has nearly reached its adult size – so there just isn’t room for wisdom teeth to surface. So unfortunately the wisdom teeth grow wherever they can, which can cause problems in your jaw and mouth. Thus enters the worry that orthodontic treatment will be ruined because of wisdom teeth.
Braces work slowly, over time realigning and readjusting the position of the teeth. Wisdom teeth can take a long time to appear, so they won’t suddenly appear in your child’s mouth and shift any teeth. Generally wisdom teeth won’t dramatically change orthodontic work, but it if there is change it will be gradual.
It is very important to return to your orthodontist for regular checks of the retainers as these will stop teeth moving even if wisdom teeth are present. The best way to ensure that the previous braces treatment isn’t effected by wisdom teeth is to comply with your retainer instructions, monitor the wisdom teeth and to visit your dentist for regular check-ups. If your dentist recommends removing any wisdom teeth, it is best to listen to the recommendation as to ensure any previous braces treatment to straighten teeth isn’t reversed.
