Do I Need My Wisdom Teeth Removed Before Braces?

• Dr. Boris Pinhasov, DDS
• August 9, 2026
• 10:00 am

Medically reviewed by Boris Pinhasov, DDS, Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics | Last Updated: August 2026

In most cases, no. You usually do not need your wisdom teeth removed before starting braces, and current orthodontic evidence does not support the old belief that wisdom teeth crowd your front teeth or undo your results later. Whether removal makes sense depends on your own mouth, so your orthodontist reviews your x-rays, checks how much room you have, and coordinates an extraction with an oral surgeon only when your case actually calls for it.

If your dentist told you one thing and your orthodontist told you another, you're not being handed bad information. You're hearing two professionals look at the same mouth through two different jobs. Here's how to make sense of the disagreement and decide what your case actually needs.

Your general dentist watches the long-term health of every tooth, including the wisdom teeth at the very back. When those teeth are hard to clean, partly stuck under the gum, or likely to cause trouble down the road, a dentist often leans toward removing them at some point, braces or no braces.

Your orthodontist is planning tooth movement, so the question they answer is narrower: will these wisdom teeth get in the way of the specific corrections we are about to make? Much of the time the answer is no, and an orthodontist may be comfortable starting braces and keeping an eye on the wisdom teeth rather than rushing them out.

Both views can be right at once. One is about lifetime tooth health, the other is about your treatment plan. At BP Smiles Orthodontics, Dr. Boris Pinhasov trained as a general dentist before specializing in orthodontics, so he reads both sides of that conversation and tells you which concern applies to your teeth and when it needs to be handled.

"He took the time to take photographs and walk me through the reasons I needed fillings, then explained each part of the process along the way."

Jackie Cunningham

This is the belief behind most of the worry, and the research does not back it up. For years people assumed that erupting wisdom teeth push the front teeth together and cause crowding. Studies that looked for that link have not found wisdom teeth to be the cause. Crowding tends to come from normal changes in the jaw and teeth over time, which happen with or without wisdom teeth present.

The same goes for teeth shifting after braces come off. Relapse is driven mostly by whether you wear your retainer as directed, not by your wisdom teeth. Taking out healthy wisdom teeth purely to protect a straight smile is usually not necessary. Your retainer is what holds your result.

Sometimes removing the wisdom teeth first is the right call. An orthodontist or oral surgeon may recommend it before braces when:

• A wisdom tooth is impacted, meaning it is stuck under the gum or bone with no room to come in
• Space at the back of the jaw is tight, and the wisdom tooth would press against the molars your plan needs to move
• A partly erupted wisdom tooth is causing infection, decay, or gum problems
• Your treatment plan calls for moving the back teeth in a way the wisdom teeth would block

That decision comes from your own x-rays and exam, not from a rule that fits everyone. That's why a full evaluation tells you far more than a blanket yes or no.

Yes, and this is common. Removal doesn't have to happen before braces at all. Many patients keep their wisdom teeth through treatment and have them taken out later, often in the late teens or early twenties, when the roots have formed enough to plan the extraction while it's still straightforward. Having braces on doesn't stop you from getting wisdom teeth out when the timing is right. Your orthodontist and the oral surgeon coordinate that timing so one doesn't interfere with the other.

Wisdom teeth removal is a surgical procedure, so it is handled by an oral surgeon rather than your orthodontist. At BP Smiles Orthodontics, Dr. Pinhasov evaluates whether your wisdom teeth affect your braces plan, and when removal is needed he refers you to an oral surgeon who performs the extraction. You keep one orthodontist guiding the braces while the surgeon takes care of the tooth, and the two plan around each other.

Dr. Boris Pinhasov, DDS, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and the orthodontist at BP Smiles Orthodontics in Queens. He earned his dental degree with honors at the New York University College of Dentistry and completed his orthodontic residency at Maimonides Medical Center. He treats children, teens, and adults, and sees patients in English, Russian, and Spanish.

Because he was trained first as a general dentist and then as an orthodontist, Dr. Pinhasov can tell you plainly whether your wisdom teeth are a braces problem, a long-term dental problem, or nothing to act on yet. Your first consultation for braces is complimentary, and it includes reviewing your x-rays and giving you a straight answer on sequencing before any treatment starts. The office works with most plans that carry orthodontic benefits and offers interest-free in-house financing tailored to each patient. The same case-by-case planning applies whether you choose braces or Invisalign.

"The doctor is straight forward and tells if treatment is necessary and if you need to hold off."

CNRS23

For a clear plan for your teeth, call BP Smiles Orthodontics at (718) 290-9444 to book your free consultation.