How Can You Fix Gaps in Teeth?
Do you or your child have gaps in your smile? Gapped teeth can affect your appearance, but they don’t always affect your health. Your dentist can tell you whether a gap may be a sign of another problem and discuss your treatment options if you want to make changes to your smile.
What causes gaps in teeth?
There can be many reasons for spaces between teeth, which may affect just two teeth or all of your teeth. They may be narrow and barely noticeable, or they can be as wide as a missing tooth.
Spaces between teeth are known by dentists as diastema. This condition can have many possible causes, which your dentist will aim to identify so they can plan appropriate treatments.
The most common reasons for gaps between teeth are:
- New teeth: Gaps between milk teeth help to maintain space in the jaw for the permanent teeth that come along to replace them. Gaps between permanent incisors usually close by themselves once the canine teeth have erupted.
- Small teeth or wide jaw: Teeth may appear spaced apart if they are disproportionately smaller than the jaw.
- Low fraenum: The labial fraenum is the fold of skin above the front teeth that connects the upper lip to the gum. If this is further down than normal, this can wedge the teeth apart and leave a gap.
- Thumb sucking: Thumb and finger sucking doesn’t normally cause problems if it stops early, but children who continue to suck their thumbs after the age of 4 risk forcing their teeth apart.
- Tongue thrusting: When the tongue pushes against the teeth when you swallow, rather than against the roof of the mouth. This pressure on the front teeth can lead to gaps forming over time.
- Gum disease: Advanced gum disease (periodontitis) can cause permanent damage to the gums and tissues supporting the teeth, leaving gaps.
- Missing teeth: These wider gaps are especially important to treat, as they can affect the alignment of surrounding teeth or cause difficulties with eating or speech.
Treatments for gapped teeth
Treating spaced teeth isn’t always necessary. Gaps in children’s teeth often close by themselves as they grow or when their baby teeth are replaced by permanent teeth. However, gaps in adult teeth are likely to remain or to get more noticeable over time, which could cause functional or aesthetic issues.
Depending on what’s causing gaps between teeth, treatment options could include:
- Orthodontics using braces or clear aligners to move the teeth closer together
- Dental crowns or bonding to reshape teeth and close minor gaps
- Dental veneers that fit over the front of teeth and can extend across gaps to bring them together
- Minor surgery to remove excess fraenum tissue
- Replacing missing teeth with dental implants, a bridge or dentures
See a Mosman dentist today
If you want to talk to a dentist about closing gaps between your teeth or other issues affecting your smile, contact our team at Mosman 3D Dental today. Call (02) 9969 8610 or book online.