
Crowding
This is when there is not enough space in the mouth for all the teeth to fit in alignment. Crowded teeth can be unaesthetic, more difficult to clean and can cause uneven wear.
Sometimes there are strategies to help to make space for the adult teeth to come through more favourably while there are still some baby teeth left, which subsequently may avoid extractions later. This is why it is important for an orthodontist to see children while they are still growing and before they have lost all of their baby teeth. However, there are also some situations where extractions of adult teeth are necessary to enable the healthy and long-term stable alignment of the teeth. Dr Meyer looks at extractions as a last resort, but she is also sensible when it comes to balancing out the long-term health and stability of the teeth with this decision.