Terrified to have first 4 premolars extracted for protusion!

[Monte]

My orthodontist said I should have my 4 first premolars extracted (and he was completely wishy washy about this!) and I don't know that this is the right treatment for me at 40 years old. I already have bad TMJ issues and neck/back issues from neck surgery and a car accident.

I'm scared this will change my face for the worse and make my TMJ issues and neck issues even worse.

Does anyone have experience with this, good or bad they could share??

Thanks!

[gpac]

I believe that premolar extraction is very common, however some orthodontists will attempt to correct a bite without extractions to see how much progress can be made. I don't think extractions should make your TMJ worse, if the extractions are necessary to produce a therapeutic bite.

[sirwired]

CAN extractions go badly? Yes.

But certainly that is not the norm... despite the horror stories and mis-information on the internet, extractions done for orthodontic reasons usually go quite well. (Extractions done for dental reasons, and not followed up with implants (or, at least dentures or bridges) cause a LOT more problems.)

[shb9012]

I just had 2 of my premolars extracted about a month ago and it was not nearly as bad as I had expected. It only took a couple of days to heal up and has only made positive improvements when it comes to comfort in my mouth. From what I've read, there seems to be a camp of anti teeth extraction for orthodontic work, but I think if your ortho sees it as the best treatment, you should trust them. If you're going to them for care in the first place, you have to have faith in their opinions.