Should You Pull Baby Teeth Before Braces and Invisalign?

When it comes to braces and Invisalign in young patients, knowing how to tackle baby teeth is hugely important. Of course, this is something of a controversial topic, and every orthodontic team or provider will have their own preference, and this may change over time. Nonetheless, today, we’ve looked at several key things you should know about whether to pull baby teeth before braces or Invisalign/clear aligner cases as follows.

Should You Pull Baby Teeth Before Braces or Invisalign?

Whether you should pull baby teeth before braces or Invisalign will depend on personal preference. And, from a traditional perspective, it was often common to pull any baby teeth as soon as they came up before doing braces or Invisalign. However, some arch expansion can occur as the baby teeth come through, so taking out these baby teeth can be problematic and traumatic.

Generally, for baby front teeth, we here at Straight Smile Solutions allow these to come out on their own, potentially by encouraging them to bite into chewy or hard foods such as apples. However, for baby canines, whether they should come out should be based on a panoramic x-ray, looking for signs of impaction; if there is impaction, you may want to remove these baby canines and do arch expansion concurrently

Remember: if you need more space to work with, doing expansion after pulling teeth is essential, as pulling alone will only shift the problem posteriorly down the line. In addition, you should always consider the health of the baby tooth; if there is an infection, abscess, or any topic eruption of the permanent tooth, pulling will likely be necessary.