Can extraction sites affect the profile?

Tooth extractions, apart from the third molars, which it seems is normal to extract today, have always given rise to controversy among orthodontists with both supporters and opponents. It is legitimate to raise the question regarding the need for extractions in our treatment plan and to opt for the first or second premolars as the extraction site, or even the first molars when the latter are decayed and the germs of the third molars are in place. Facial esthetic guides us in our treatment decisions but we must free ourselves from the so-called esthetic lines drawn up many years ago and, for the most part, on the basis of lateral headfilms and small study samples. Particular ethnic features are another major factor to be borne in mind, given that the vast majority of cephalometric standards were based on Caucasian populations. In this article, we will draw on clinical studies to illustrate the thinking behind the need for extractions and the choice of extraction sites.