braces and teeth extraction

I dont know if this topic will fit the health section or beauty, but since I get braces for the purpose of fixing my overbite, so I think it fits here lol Well i went to my orthodontics today and he told me that in order to fix my problem, i have to extract 8 teeth total, which are 4 wisdom teeth from upper and lower and 4 premolars( 2 from upper and 2 from lower). I am kind of skeptical about this procedure since there are too many teeth need to be extracted. I was wondering if anyone has had this problem like me, these are a few questions that I have:

1. How long does it take to heal everything before putting on braces?

2. How was the wisdom teeeth extraction went for you?

3. Was it a really horrible experience and what reccommendation would you give to as the healing process?

4. How long does it take for braces to close the gap between your teeth?

thank you in advance for answering those questions, it means a lot to me since I am really worried about my condition

I never removed any teeth for when I got braces (I had them from gr 6 to gr 9) and it's better to remove your teeth now or you'll be sorry (cause I am!)

My teeth were aligned for a while and I wore my retainer for a few years but then I stopped (another regret)... And as time went by, my lower teeth started to move out of alignment. I think it was due to my wisdom teeth. It turns out that my wisdom teeth grew sideways so they were putting pressure on my lower teeth. I recently had my wisdom teeth removed last month, and they're practically all healed now. It was not very painful for me because the dentist gave me a shot so I wouldn't feel pain and I was also put to sleep during the operation. It was not painful, just my mouth was uncomfortable for a week or two.

I wish I had pulled out extra teeth before I got braces, but my ortho said I did not have to. Thus I didn't... but I did not like the results of my teeth. I felt like I didn't have much space, and because my teeth size is rather large... I thought I should of pulled a few out.

So I think I'm going to get invisalign in the near future (hopefully starting this summer)

i never had that many pulled out at once

however i did get 4 wisdom teeth extracted at once

1. it took me about 2 weeks to heal completely. initially there was no pain, but the third day was the worst (soreness .. not so much pain.. just very sore and man that was annoying!), then by the 5th day i was okay again.. but it still sore. it's different for everyone though-- most people take a week. i have a friend who completely healed in 5 days-- her cheeks didn't even get swollen..

2. eh, i did it over winterbreak so it wasn't that bad. couldn't eat much the first 5 days or so... you can't chew... or open your mouth very wide... like i could kinda fit a spoon in my mouth if i tried hard enough. oh and your cheeks might turn greenish (bruise) along with getting puffy the antibiotics smelled horrible. oh and my breath was horrible too-- you can't brush your teeth! X_x pain killers didn't help me at all .. umm yeah and drooling blood = not fun. you're going to bleed a lottttt and when you sleep you can't constantly chance the gauze so it's really gross when you wake up :/

3. yes it was horrible, but that was to be expected. you can have them knock you out with gas for the procedure if you're scared i don't think there's much you can do to speed up the healing process other than to follow the directions that they give you.. take your medicine, rinse with salt water, don't suck on anything blahblahblah

4. it depends on how big the gap is! for me.. if it's minor 2-4 days? i can't really remember but daisy chains always closed my gaps really fast (they make you really sore too though..)

Wow, that sounds like a lot! But if your ortho recommends it, I would get another consultation with another ortho and if it's the same, do it. I had to get only two premolars extracted, one from each side from the top. But I will need to get my wisdom teeth out soon, they're pushing against my molars and threatening to ruin 3k and two years of pain and suffering!

did you have an overbite also? How does your teeth look afterward? I went to several orthodontists and they all reccomended different things but I picked this orthodontist because he seems to understand what I want. He also said that if i dont extract my wisdom teeth but only extract 4 premolars, those wisdom teeth will put pressure on my teeth causing them unable to fix my overbite. I think we have the same problem except your orthodontist did not reccommend you do extract any teeth.

I never removed any teeth for when I got braces (I had them from gr 6 to gr 9) and it's better to remove your teeth now or you'll be sorry (cause I am!)

My teeth were aligned for a while and I wore my retainer for a few years but then I stopped (another regret)... And as time went by, my lower teeth started to move out of alignment. I think it was due to my wisdom teeth. It turns out that my wisdom teeth grew sideways so they were putting pressure on my lower teeth. I recently had my wisdom teeth removed last month, and they're practically all healed now. It was not very painful for me because the dentist gave me a shot so I wouldn't feel pain and I was also put to sleep during the operation. It was not painful, just my mouth was uncomfortable for a week or two.

I wish I had pulled out extra teeth before I got braces, but my ortho said I did not have to. Thus I didn't... but I did not like the results of my teeth. I felt like I didn't have much space, and because my teeth size is rather large... I thought I should of pulled a few out.

So I think I'm going to get invisalign in the near future (hopefully starting this summer)

did you have an overbite also? How does your teeth look afterward? I went to several orthodontists and they all reccomended different things but I picked this orthodontist because he seems to understand what I want. He also said that if i dont extract my wisdom teeth but only extract 4 premolars, those wisdom teeth will put pressure on my teeth causing them unable to fix my overbite. I think we have the same problem except your orthodontist did not reccommend you do extract any teeth.

Ya i think I have an overbite. My top row looks very aligned... just that it sticks out which is quite unattractive. I think you should just do them all at once... cause you wouldn't want your wisdom teeth to mess up your results afterwards. But you probably cannot eat for a while because you'll be missing 8 teeth.

[oh ya, when i had my 4 wisdom teeth pulled, my face was not very swollen (says my mom]

1. i dont know i never had any teeth removed before i got my braces

2. ah man, mine went horrible. i had 4 teeth removed i was awake the whole time and you can hear the drilling and cracking noises. its terrifying and once your numbness goes away it hurts like hell, they re-injected me about three times to numb my mouth D:

3. well youre going to be drooling for the first couple of hours or a day. bleeding lasts about three or four days (for me it did) your face will swell up. i reccommend you not to go to school. do the salt water rinse each hour if youre still bleeding, only eat soft foods and keep washing your pillows/sheets cause theres going to be blood and drool everywhere no matter what. oh and take advil to ease the pain.

4. it doesnt take that long, youll see changes probably within a month

hopefully you dont get a horrible experience like me!

would you mind to share a photo of your teeth before and after braces, so i can get a view of how my teeth would look if i dont extract any teeth with braces thank you in advance. If you dont want to, its fine also

Ya i think I have an overbite. My top row looks very aligned... just that it sticks out which is quite unattractive. I think you should just do them all at once... cause you wouldn't want your wisdom teeth to mess up your results afterwards. But you probably cannot eat for a while because you'll be missing 8 teeth.

[oh ya, when i had my 4 wisdom teeth pulled, my face was not very swollen (says my mom]

It's quite normal for your ortho to suggest extracting so many teeth - are your teeth somewhat large, cramped and you have a small jaw? If so, it's not that surprising.

However if it's just to fix an overbite - yeah, you might want to ask around other orthodontists first.

I never had any teeth pulled out for braces, but I knew a girl who did (she got a lot pulled out) - the process of closing it up and all was a long one - maybe for the entire of high school she had them (6 years) - I don't know if she still has them now, and even if she does, they'd be wires on the inside. But yes, I think 6-8 years could be the minimum.

i had my wisdom teeth (3) taken out like a year before i got braces but when i got my consultation for my braces done, they said that i would have to take an additional 4 teeth out

it doesnt take long for it to heal tho :]

1. It all depends on the situation of your teeth. For me, before they put braces on, I had to get these expander thingies at the top and bottom of my teeth so that my jaw would expand for a few months.

2. I had 6 teeth removed all at the same time - 4 wisdom and 2 extra (and I mean extra. Like, they're not part of the 28 that we're supposed to have). I was put to sleep through the whole thing and I only began to feel pain after my nap. There's Tylenol for that haha.

3. Not horrible at all. Sure, you can't eat your favourite foods as much and sure it's annoying when the food goes into the holes at the back of your teeth, but really, it ain't that bad. =/ As for the healing process, I would recommend you to stay away from rice for a bit. It gets really gross and annoying when it gets into the holes at the back of your lower teeth. Aaaand, make the most of it. I did =D I lost lots of weight lolololol. =p

4. Once again, it depends on your teeth situation and how fast your orthodontist wants to take it. It usually takes 2-4 months, depending on how many appointments for adjustments you go through. I had a gap or two cause of even worse teeth complications (my left incisor was impacted and grew underneath my two front bottom teeth?!) and they couldn't decide where to place these two teeth n_n Anyway, I'm closing one huge tooth gap right now and the gap has significantly decreased in size since last week (my most recent appointment) so it shouldn't take that long. =)

Anyway, good luck! I know the pain of braces through all my stupid teeth complications but I'm sticking it out cause I know it'll be worth it. Don't be discouraged because you have to take out some teeth but be excited because you're on your path towards a perfect smile!

Yes I do have small jaw and that was what my orthodontist told me. Small jaws with large teeth so they all cramped up and dont have space to move them back since I got an overbite. My teeth are very large in size and three lower teeth are overcrowded because they were not aligned properly.

It's quite normal for your ortho to suggest extracting so many teeth - are your teeth somewhat large, cramped and you have a small jaw? If so, it's not that surprising.

However if it's just to fix an overbite - yeah, you might want to ask around other orthodontists first.

I never had any teeth pulled out for braces, but I knew a girl who did (she got a lot pulled out) - the process of closing it up and all was a long one - maybe for the entire of high school she had them (6 years) - I don't know if she still has them now, and even if she does, they'd be wires on the inside. But yes, I think 6-8 years could be the minimum.

I have braces now, and had 2 teeth extracted prior to getting them. I've never heard anyone who needed that many teeth pulled out, but I guess it happens. Anyway, to answer your questions

1. How long does it take to heal everything before putting on braces?

In my case, I had 2 teeth extracted around a month before I got braces. I wasn't brave enough to get them pulled out at the same time, so I had two appointments for that. The bleeding goes away in about 6-10 hours if you don't chew or talk too much (The first time I had my tooth extracted it took 6 hours until the bleeding stopped, but after I got the second one pulled out I got really complacent and ate a lot, talked to my friend for hours lol so I was still bleeding the next morning.). The gums should heal completely anywhere between 1-3 days, from my experience.

2. How was the wisdom teeeth extraction went for you?

Surprisingly, it wasn't painful at all, even after the Anesthesia wore off. It just got pretty uncomfortable for me because I had to change the gauze every so often, and I hate seeing blood so, yeah.

3. Was it a really horrible experience and what reccommendation would you give to as the healing process?

Don't talk too much, or avoid chewing. Try not to spit or gargle too much for the first 24 hours (i'm not sure, i don't even remember anymore lol) because that would keep the blood from clotting. Take pain meds if necessary.

4. How long does it take for braces to close the gap between your teeth?

I have self-ligating braces, and they're supposed to do the job faster. I've only had my braces for a month, though, but when I went to my ortho a couple of days ago to get them adjusted/tightened, she can already tell the difference.

i had 4 teeth removed before braces, and when my wisdom teeth were coming in, they had to be taken out as well. total of 8 teeth removed, so i'm missing the same amount of teeth as you are.

i say go for it because the rest of your life you'll have straight teeth (given you wear your retainers) for two years of braces.

I went through the exact same thing. 8 teeth removed. At the time it sounded like a lot.....but when you look at it physically, it doesnt appear to be that many. The 4 wisdom teeth are right at the back so you're never gonna see them, plus you have 4 others to compensate. And you have 8 premolars, so again....you're not gonna notice. I think Kylie Minogue had her premolars taken out, and shes still got a gorgeous smile

My ortho told me to take xrays for my braces, but he noticed that my wisdom teeth were growing in SIDEWAYS instead of UP (freakiest thing Ive ever seen!) So he recommended I get the 4 which were growing funny removed. He said it'd be very painful later on in life and it'll damage the teeth that the molars were growing into. So I had to get 4 wisdom teeth out (2 from the top, left and right side and 2 from the bottom, left and right side).

Alongside those, I had to get 4 premolars out (the ones next to my canines), to make room for teeth movement when my braces came in.

From what my ortho told me, I didnt have to do it all in one go. I could have gotten my braces and then when they were done and taken off, I could get my wisdom teeth removed. It shouldnt have a big impact on your teeth movement with the braces.

My dad asked me what I wanted to do, and being impatient me, I said "Lets get all eight taken out at once." So then I had to go to this oral surgeon and asked him about the method. He said seeing as my wisdom teeth were growing below the gumline I'd have to be put under anaethetic so that he could remove them. And whilst I was asleep, he'd be fine with removing the 4 premolars too.

.....Yeah, my life story xD Lets answer your questions

1. How long does it take to heal everything before putting on braces?

My orthodontist told me to wait about 6 weeks after my wisdom teeth removal before I come in and put on my braces. (.....I think it was 6 weeks anyways)

2. How was the wisdom teeeth extraction went for you? (sorry, not sure what you were asking here)

Like I said, because it was anaethetic, I was asleep through the whole thing xD

Right after I woke up, I was still kinda woozy cos the anaethetic still hadnt worn off xD And apparently I was still bleeding...so that wasn't pretty. They gave me a stack of tissues to 'drool' into, because I wasnt allowed to spit. After that........ I think it was absolutely amazing!! I got to eat jelly and icecream all the time :D

Sometimes the cuts would open and I'd bleed, which is horrid when youre eating. But they gave me some gauze material+salt solution, which I was suppose to bite on and bleeding would stop a minute or so after. Pain-wise.....I can't really answer that, because my surgeon prescribed me some strong painkillers. Even when I forgot to take my painkillers though, it was just a strong throbbing sensation in my gums. And your jaw will be pretty swollen after this. Took about 2 weeks for my swelling to go away and after that, there was a light bruise on my jawline. Apart from that, pretty sure you'll survive ^^

3. Was it a really horrible experience and what reccommendation would you give to as the healing process?

My advice. For the love of jeebus, DO NOT lick the area or eat things that aren't recommended. After my surgery I was told not to poke my tongue around to feel stuff......and being curious, I did it anyway >< Ended up opening some cuts. Just follow the instructions they give you, and if you have any questions just call them up and ask ^^ I think the only horrid thing about this is that you're not allowed to brush your teeth for a few days.....that gets really gross (I recommend doing this during vacation or something) and its even worse if you eat things youre not meant to....cos they can get into the cuts.

One thing that freaked me out was that some of my stitches came undone.....but I called them up, and they said it was normal.

4. How long does it take for braces to close the gap between your teeth?

Actually, I got my braces in September 2009, and to today, I still have the gap (where my premolars were taken out). Although it's gotten a lot smaller in the process. I think my ortho said that closing the gap is gonna be like the 2nd last part of my brace treatment.

Personally I think the braces are a lot more annoying. One of these days, Im gonna go godzilla and yank them outta my mouth.

Oh gosh....so sorry for the essay ^^" Hope I answered what you wanted to know. Good luck with your teeth and the process to the perfect grin

I've had 8 teeth removed too

4 wisdom and 4 in the front, but I had the 4 wisdom teeth removed after I got my braces

I had the two on top and two on the bottom removed twice, when they were baby teeth, and when the adult teeth grew in.

1. I had my teeth removed long before I had my braces put in, so i don't know how long you need to wait

2. I had all four wisdom teeth extracted at once. They use anesthesia so you don't feel anything. The top wisdom teeth just slide out, but the bottom wisdom teeth, they have to break apart, or cut into smaller bits and pull them out. You'll just hear some cracking noise.

Then they stitch up the gums so they don't get food suck inside and infected, so you have to go back and get the stitches taken out. After the extractions you'll probbaly be put on painkillers for a couple days, can't eat solid food for at least a week.

Just use the medicine they give you to wash your mouth, or use salt water

3. Even though it's a bit painful it's better to get them taken out, since they hurt when they're coming in. I remember when I was in vacation and touring the Louvre my wisdom teeth were giving me the worst headaches starting a fever that cause force me to go back to my hotel.

4. Super fast, you'll see changes in the first week, and might even have you go back to the orthodontist within a month to get your wires trimmed.

One of my front teeth started to move forward when I was about 18-19 so had to get braces done late in life I also had to extract 4 teeth - like the 4th one left & right and top & bottom, to make space to straighten everything out.

1. How long does it take to heal everything before putting on braces?

They extracted 2 top teeth then a week later the bottom 2. Then they put in some sort of bands at the adjacent teeth to stretch a little. This one hurt the most as there was the pain from the extracted teeth that day plus extra stretching pain on the gums.

2. How was the wisdom teeeth extraction went for you?

Have not had them extracted.

3. Was it a really horrible experience and what reccommendation would you give to as the healing process?

To extract of course will have the local anesthetic and you will lose all feeling in your mouth (which is good!). Wisdom tooth will hurt more I've heard. Just follow the advice of your ortho on what to do and not do. All in all it healed good. The body is a wonderful thing and can take such pain. No extra pain medication. I didn't have a bad time with the braces throughout those 2 years - maybe because there was that gap/space with those extracted teeth, so that one day pain was worth it in the long run. All the horror stories before from friends and scaring me all were unwarranted.

4. How long does it take for braces to close the gap between your teeth?

Wore it for 2 years until the orthodontist was satisfied. I can still feel a gap with my tongue on all 4 sides but from the front it is completely closed. You have to make sure to floss that section regularly as stuff can get trapped there easier than other places.

1. How long does it take to heal everything before putting on braces?

I had my braces a long time ago - almost 8 years to be exact. First off, I had to remove 4 premolars as well. As a recall, it wasn't bad and the healing process was pretty quick. I had my braces in (probably) a few weeks after.

2. How was the wisdom teeth extraction went for you?

I cried. Haha. I wasn't scared initially, but afterward, when they starting putting needles in my mouth to freeze it up, I became so nervous. Honestly, it was a bad experience for me. Yeah, my mouth was frozen, but I still felt pain because my wisdom teeth were not even mature and they had to pull and yank and cut and everything. BTW, I had my wisdom teeth taken AFTER my braces came off.

3. Was it a really horrible experience and what recommendation would you give to as the healing process?

The 4 premolars went well. I was able to eat the same day haha.

The wisdom teeth, however, not so well. I couldn't even eat soup 'cause I would throw it up. It was so painful I was popping them painkillers as often as I could. I was also very puffy from all the swelling for a couple of weeks. My brother's, however, went very well. He was put to sleep and wasn't swollen or anything afterward. But I do recommend buying cans of soup beforehand!

4. How long does it take for braces to close the gap between your teeth?

Mine never fully closed, even when my braces came off. The orthodontist told me to continue wearing my retainer and it will eventually close. However, I stopped wearing my retainer long ago. I know, bad choice - always wear your retainer! Haha.

Hehe. I had the exact same thing. Cept one more And then I also had a tooth that had to be exposed xD

So yes, in total 9 teeth, and I'm only 15 haha xD I got all the problems you can think of. Over bite, Over jet, a teeth growing in the palate. Yea. WOO.

Don't freak out!

1. How long does it take to heal everything before putting on braces?

Uhh let's see. The surgeon told me it'll take 2 weeks to heal max. I had the operation 3 weeks before school started, and got my braces the first week of school.

So yea. I hope that gives you some sort of indication. I could eat more solid food the second week I mean, I ate a freaking hamburger. You're going to have to take reaaaly small bites and eat really slowly. But it was pretty darn filling compared to all the congee.

2. How was the wisdom teeeth extraction went for you?

Anaesthetic for the win IT WAS REALLY FUN!

For me, first they gave me a really tiny needle. I think it was to calm me down or something. It's like a REALLY tiny needle. About 4 cms? Tiny man. Then I got moved to the operating room and they gave me another needle.

It was really weird though. The lady was asking my name while the guy injected me with the needle. She then asked for my birthday....and that was it. I woke up in a different room feeling all dandy. My mouth was felt weird, but that was only because I had these gauzes in my mouth xD You don't feel a thing during the procedure, and you're pretty drugged up so you don't feel anything afterwards.

3. Was it a really horrible experience and what reccommendation would you give to as the healing process?

If you mean the operation, it wasn't that bad at all. Only because I don't even remember it xD

As for the healing... Take your medicine. You;re most likely going to be prescribed some antibiotics and painkillers. TAKE THEM. You can lay of the painkillers after the 3rd day. I can't swallow tablets so I crushed them and they still worked XD After the operation, I just went home and sleep. Remember to apply ice packs to lesson the swelling! I think the only thing you have to worry about it food. I lived on congee for like the next week or so. And my cheeks got really swollen. Like. CHIPMUNK SWOLLEN xD It goes away after the 6th day. Yea. So just stay home and relax. Oh yea, I was like, deathly afraid of getting my wisdom teeth holes infected, can't remember what you call it, so just like remember to rinse everyday with salt and warm water (:

4. How long does it take for braces to close the gap between your teeth?

I don't know. I've have braces now, but the gaps are still there. I don't think they are going to close. I should ask my ortho

GOOD LUCK