08.09.2026
Wisdom teeth and crowding: the old dispute
Many people notice crowding of the lower front teeth between the ages of twenty and thirty – roughly when the wisdom teeth come through. The closeness in time gave rise to the idea that the one causes the other.
Studies on this have existed for decades, including in people with no wisdom teeth at all. They show the same crowding. The cause lies rather in the lifelong remodelling of the jaw and in the natural decline in the stability of the dental arch.
That does not mean wisdom teeth are without consequences. They are removed when they become inflamed repeatedly, when they damage the neighbouring tooth, when they are displaced, or when space is needed in the treatment plan. Those are reasons of their own – and the better ones.
Anyone who has surgery solely because of feared crowding takes on a procedure whose benefit has not been demonstrated. Anyone who wants to keep the result wears their retainer.