Myth Buster: Do Wisdom Teeth Cause Crowding?

Wisdom teeth have historically been blamed for many problems. They are accused, among other things, to cause tooth movement by exerting pressure on other teeth when trying to erupt. This would be responsible for the movement of other teeth and the increase in dental crowding and rotation of the anterior teeth with time. Is this “popular belief” justified?

• Removing wisdom teeth will not prevent lower anterior dental crowding, though this doesn’t mean that there are not other reasons to extract wisdom teeth. Studies have shown that they are not the main cause and several other more important factors, such as residual growth, must be considered.
• Even when wisdom teeth are extracted, it’s common to see anterior dental movements occur thereafter.
• Therefore, several associations of dental professionals (orthodontists and oral/maxillofacial surgeons) have concluded that it’s inappropriate to extract wisdom teeth only to prevent unwanted dental movements.

There are, however, several other reasons to extract wisdom teeth.

• For example, if they have symptoms such as pain, infection, have caries, are difficult to clean, have a severe malposition, etc., it’s best to remove them.
• It’s almost always indicated to extract a tooth that is “semi-impacted” because it presents a higher risk of infection and decay in the mid or long term.

In summary, it’s frequently indicated to extract wisdom teeth that do not come out, but the reason is mainly to solve a problem already affecting these teeth or to prevent the development of pathologies (cysts, tumors, resorption/wear of adjacent teeth). Extraction is not intended to prevent the movements of other teeth over time.