Dental Extractions

A few years ago, most orthodontic treatment was associated with the need to have teeth removed and in many instances teeth were removed to make space and the teeth just allowed to drift into position. Technology has moved on now though and it is no longer necessary to remove teeth in a lot of cases.

There is a lot of speculation about dental extractions and whether or not they can cause harm to patients. Two of the popular theories state that removing teeth can harm a patient's profile (appearance from the side of the face) and lead to joint and neck problems. We have carefully reviewed all the scientific research on this matter and there is nothing to support the view that dental extractions, when carried out appropriately, cause any harm whatsoever. These theories therefore remain pure speculation at present and we continue to carry out evidence based treatment. It is fair to say that as much harm can be done to a patient by not removing teeth when it is appropriate to do so than by removing teeth when it is not appropriate to do so and all cases have to be assessed individually.

Having said this though, no-one likes having teeth removed and no-one likes removing them either! We do therefore try to formulate non-extraction treatment plans wherever possible and will always discuss the pros and cons of this on an individual basis. If a patient particularly wishes to avoid dental extractions for whatever reason, we will do our best to do so if at all possible but there are some situations where it would be potentially more harmful to treat a patient without taking teeth out than not to treat them at all. Rest assured though that we never remove teeth unless it is necessary and in the patient's best interest.