![]() ![]() Most small gaps do collect food during chewing. Food impaction can lead to both cavities on the teeth and gum disease. The food, when left in place, becomes fuel for cavity-causing bacteria and easily creates cavities between the teeth.įood impaction also damages the gum tissues between the teeth. Not all tooth gaps are damaging. Some people have spaces between the teeth that are, what we call, “self-cleansing”. This means that the spaces are large enough that food will not become lodged, but instead will easily move between the teeth. Are Tooth Gaps Bad for Your Dental Health? ![]() This type of tooth gaps usually starts as small “black triangles” between the teeth, even while the teeth are still touching. These black triangles indicate a loss of the papillae, the part of gum tissue that extends up between the teeth. Gum DiseaseĪnother potential cause of tooth gaps, particularly in older adults, is advanced gum disease. As gum disease worsens and destroys the jawbone and gums surrounding the teeth, the teeth can slowly shift and separate from one another. This pressure can cause the upper front teeth to spread outward and apart from one another, thus leading to small spaces between them. Imagine the lower front teeth pushing on the upper front teeth from behind, forcing them outward toward the lip. ![]() Some people develop tooth gaps because they clench or grind their teeth heavily during sleep. Clenching and grinding both typically put forces on the teeth in a forward direction. Tooth gaps can develop as the result of a normal sized jawbone and teeth that are too small. A person can have gaps between the teeth if the teeth are normal in size, but the jawbone is too large. When it comes to gaps between the teeth, the problem can lie with the size of the teeth or the size of the jaw. Unfortunately, this perfect tooth/jaw size match is rare, so most people need some form of orthodontic treatment to align the teeth properly within the jawbone. In a mouth with perfect tooth alignment, the size of the teeth and the size of the jaw match up to allow the teeth to all touch side-to-side without gaps or crowding. ![]() Tooth gaps can have a variety of causes, and they are quite different! It is important to understand the underlying cause of the spaces between your teeth so that you can have successful treatment. You can “fix” tooth gaps, but if you don’t address the underlying cause, they are likely to come right back. These spaces are not always visible, either. Some people have tiny gaps between the teeth that do not present a cosmetic problem, but they can cause issues with dental health. Most people can conjure up a picture of what tooth gaps are. Just to clarify exactly what we are talking about, we mean small spaces between the teeth. It can be a single space between the two upper front teeth or spaces between every tooth in the mouth. In this article, we will explain everything you need to know about tooth gaps. Some people, including celebrities, find tooth gaps attractive and choose not to correct them. Did you know that people have unique perspectives on what makes a smile beautiful? When it comes to gaps between the teeth, not everyone considers them to be a cosmetic problem. ![]()
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