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Orthodontists and dentists use advanced procedures to treat and save teeth. But sometimes, a tooth just can’t be saved and needs to be extracted. Sometimes it’s due to extensive decay, or infection, or serious injury. Or sometimes, to create a healthy bite, an extraction is necessary during orthodontic treatment.

When does an orthodontist recommend an extraction? Conditions which call for extraction include:

• Incoming Wisdom Teeth

Not many people have enough space in their mouths for four wisdom teeth! And when there’s no room to erupt properly, wisdom teeth can become decayed or infected, push your other teeth out of place, and damage the roots of nearby molars. Extracting wisdom teeth protects your teeth and your bite alignment.

Usually, orthodontic treatment takes place before the wisdom teeth begin to erupt. But if yours start to make an appearance during treatment, your orthodontist and dentist will work together to schedule extraction without interfering too much with your orthodontic treatment plan.

• Tooth and Jaw Structure

Dr. Tony Skanchy and the team at Alta View Orthodontics carefully plan your treatment based on examinations, X-rays, and/or 3D imaging. The goal is to align your teeth and jaws for an attractive smile and a healthy, functional bite. When overcrowding is severe, or if there is a serious malocclusion (bite problem), or if a particular tooth is unusually large or misshapen, your orthodontist might recommend an extraction.

Sometimes more room can be made for teeth with appliances such as palatal expanders or, in other cases, with the help of oral surgery. Extractions are only recommended when they are absolutely necessary.

• Baby Teeth Which Aren’t Coming Out 

Baby teeth normally fall out in a predictable pattern. Front teeth first, canines and molars last. Baby teeth have small roots, and these roots begin to break down when the adult teeth underneath put pressure on them as they start to erupt. As the root gets smaller and smaller, the baby tooth gets looser and looser—until it falls out. 

Sometimes, though, the roots of primary teeth don’t break down, and the baby teeth stay right where they are. This means that the permanent teeth have to erupt someplace else—usually behind those baby teeth. This creates a double row of teeth, and your permanent teeth can become crooked or overlap as they try to fit in. Extracting stubborn baby teeth allows your adult teeth to come in just where they’re supposed to. Because of their small roots, extracting primary teeth is usually simple and straightforward, and can be done in your dentist’s office. 

• Too Many Teeth

Most of us have 32 adult teeth, including wisdom teeth. It’s rare, but sometimes an extra, or supernumerary, tooth develops. Your jaw is most probably not equipped to accommodate any extras, so, in this case, the extra tooth or teeth are removed to give the rest of the teeth the space they need to avoid overlapping or crowding.

When your orthodontist recommends an extraction, it’s because it’s important for your dental health. Dr. Tony Skanchy will refer you to a dentist or a specialist like a periodontist or oral surgeon, who will: 

• discuss the extraction procedure with you, including sedation options
• numb the area 
• gently loosen and then extract the tooth
• provide options for pain management after the procedure
• give you detailed instructions for aftercare
• work with your orthodontist to keep your treatment on schedule

Extraction is never your first choice, or your orthodontist’s! But when an extraction is necessary for tooth and bite alignment, everyone at Alta View Orthodontics in Sandy, UT will coordinate a treatment plan to create your best—and healthiest—smile.

A lot of patients ask us why Dr. Tony Skanchy and our team at Alta View Orthodontics work tirelessly to give our patients straight teeth. Of course it’s nice to have a smile full of evenly-aligned teeth, but did you know that straightening your teeth can keep them healthier as well? Straight teeth lead to better oral hygiene, increasing your chances of keeping your own natural teeth for a lifetime!

Straight teeth are also less prone to decay, because they collect less plaque, that sticky colorless substance that forms on our teeth. When you visit Alta View Orthodontics for your initial consultation, Dr. Tony Skanchy will examine all aspects of your teeth, face, smile, and jaw.

If you’re wondering whether your teeth might cause problems because they are out of alignment, please give us a call to set up an initial orthodontic consultation at our convenient Sandy, UT office. Dr. Tony Skanchy can help you decide whether or not you will benefit from orthodontic treatment.

Questions? Give us a call, ask us below or on our Facebook page!

It’s only natural when you’re waiting for something good—you count down the weeks until your birthday, or until the summer holidays, or until your braces come off. But while your birthday and your vacation won’t come any faster no matter what you do, you can help determine just how fast that happy day arrives when you’re done with your orthodontic treatment.

When you first got your appliance, Dr. Tony Skanchy gave you an estimate of how long your treatment would take. Of course, that estimate is based on everything going according to plan. What are some detours that can delay your progress?

• Missing Appointments

With every adjustment at our Sandy, UT office, you are moving closer to the ideal positioning for your teeth. If you miss or postpone appointments, it can take just that much longer to complete your orthodontic work.

• Eating the Wrong Foods

You have a list of foods that are on the do-not-eat list. Hard, chewy, sticky bites are famous braces-breakers, but don’t forget that size also matters! Biting into a juicy apple or a buttery ear of corn can damage your brackets and wires just as much as chewy candy can. Be sure everything you eat is size-appropriate and braces-friendly. Obviously, damaged braces can’t straighten teeth as effectively as intact appliances!

• Sticking with Bad Habits

Pressure from nail biting, chewing pencils, or crunching on ice can cause chips and cracks in your teeth, so just think what they can do to your appliance. Ask us for tips for quitting if you’ve picked up any of these habits. We know habits can be hard to break, but they are harder on your teeth and braces. If you bend or break a wire or loosen a bracket, you might be delaying your orthodontic progress. Which leads us to . . .

• Ignoring Appliance Accidents

Accidents happen. Brackets or metal bands can become loose; wires can bend or break; spacers can fall out. If you notice a problem, call our office right away. Sometimes a minor problem can wait, but if your appliance is damaged, your teeth aren’t moving into position on schedule.

• Blowing Off Bands

If you have bands to help correct your bite, be sure that you wear them as directed. If you skip hours or days of band-wear, you are adding to the time it will take to correct the bite problems they are meant to fix. And don’t double band to speed things up—that might put too much pressure on your teeth. Just follow our recommendations, and you will be done with those bands—and those braces—as soon as possible.

But, wait! We promised you one sure way to keep your orthodontic progress on track:

• Follow Your Treatment Plan

If you keep your appointments, take care of your braces, call us promptly if they are damaged, and wear your appliance as directed, you will be doing your part to keep your treatment on track. And that happy day when your braces come off? It will arrive right on schedule!

It’s no easy feat to have one of the best smiles in Hollywood. The reality TV starlet Kristin Cavallari attributes her gorgeous smile to routine oral hygiene, the removal of two impacted wisdom teeth, and having undergone orthodontic treatment. Kristin’s treatment began in sixth grade when she was fitted with a device Dr. Tony Skanchy and our team call a palatal expander, which is used to guide upper jaw growth in our younger patients.

What is a palatal expander?

A palatal expander “expands” (or widens) your upper jaw by applying gentle pressure on your upper molars, and is used to make the bottom and upper teeth fit together better. In addition, palatal expanders work to create more room for teeth, as well as promote a broader, more appealing smile.

Do palatal expanders hurt?

Palatal expanders are usually not painful, however you may experience difficulty speaking and swallowing for the first few days. Adjusting your palatal expander as instructed by Dr. Tony Skanchy will ensure there are no delays in regards to your treatment plan.

Typically, it takes a few weeks to achieve the desired amount of expansion, after which you will keep wearing your expander for about six months, giving time for the new bone to form and stabilize. Dr. Tony Skanchy and our team at Alta View Orthodontics will give you detailed instructions about how to adjust your appliance and can answer any questions you may have about your palatal expander.

If you have any questions about your palatal expander or your treatment plan with Dr. Tony Skanchy, please give us a call at our Sandy, UT office!