Most of the patients who want to start with orthodontic treatment ask me a question, do I need to remove my teeth if I put on braces? Not compulsorily. There are certain types of arrangement of the teeth which need teeth removal. For example, if the teeth are way too forwardly placed without much spacing between them or teeth which are very much crowded so that there is no space to align them, teeth removal may be the only option if other modalities of the treatment don’t serve the purpose of providing space. But if there is sufficient space between your teeth to push them back, you may not need the extraction. This entirely depends upon the calculations in millimeters done by a qualified orthodontist. 

Some patients feel, my friend didn’t have to remove her/his teeth then why me? It’s simply because, they might have got some different type of malocclusion which did not demand extraction of teeth. Different people…..different types of arrangement of teeth. 

Another common question about extracting the teeth is, will it affect my eye sight? Previously, natural falling of the teeth and losing eyesight due to old age used to happen at the same time. People connected these two things and arrived at a conclusion that falling of the teeth weakened their eyesight and since then, this notion is imbibed. However, that is not the case at all. There is no connection between your teeth and your eyes. 

Some patients ask me, will that space remain there forever after the teeth are removed, or do I need to replace those teeth? The answer is No. That space will be utilized to align your teeth. At the end of the treatment, you will not even be able to recognize which tooth was extracted. However, when your braces are off, you strictly need to wear retainers post treatment provided by your orthodontist so that the space doesn’t open up again. 

So if your orthodontic treatment demands extraction of your teeth, trust your orthodontists and get them removed without any hesitation.