This is something I hear almost every week from patients. The wisdom teeth grow in (or try to) and push the back teeth forward until the bottom teeth have no room and become crowded. It seems to make sense. Interestingly, research studies have never shown such a causative relationship. So, what gives?

The bottom front teeth tend to get crowded most in the late teens and early 20s. Wisdom teeth tend to  also complete their development in the late teens and early 20s. This is why they are so commonly associated. However, research has shown that the same exact crowding occurs even in people who are congenitally missing their wisdom teeth. In other words, even when someone never grows wisdom teeth, the other teeth shift anyway.

OK, so why did your teeth all of a sudden get crowded?

Unfortunately, there is a natural shift of the lower back teeth, moving forward slowly over time. This is why you’ll also see this same issue come in people who have had their wisdom teeth removed or those in their 50s who have had wisdom teeth in their mouth for 30 years. Your teeth probably didn’t get crowded all of a sudden, but it has likely been a very long, drawn out process that finally reached a point that you started to notice it. This is also the reason why you have to wear retainers after orthodontic treatment into adulthood.