Although it may not be harmful to your physical health, a diastema, also known as a gap between your teeth that is larger than 0.25 millimetres, can cause significant damage to a person’s self-esteem and may affect oral health. Diastema is quite common, and it occurs in both children and adults. Luckily, there are a number of warning signs to indicate a gap is forming between the teeth and various treatment options available to fill in the gap.
Causes
Behaviours
If you are the type of person who sucks your thumb or thrusts your tongue around in your mouth, these certain behaviours can be contributing factors to a diastema forming. Thumb sucking, which is most commonly found in younger children, causes a gap to form between the teeth because the sucking motion ends up applying pressure to the front of the teeth.
Gum Disease
Gum disease is an infection that can seriously damage soft tissue, and if it is not treated in time, can progress to diastema or the teeth starting to fall out. This happens because gum disease causes inflammation of a person’s gums, and when this inflammation occurs, your teeth are not properly attached to the bones, and your teeth can start to loosen up and move, resulting in a gap.
Size of Teeth
If your teeth are oversized for your mouth or you have very small teeth, it is possible an extra space may appear between the teeth, and this allows other teeth in your mouth to shift as well.
Labial Frenum
The labial frenum is a piece of tissue that connects the upper part of your lips to your gums. If the tissue is stretched a little bit too much, diastemas can occur. This is extremely common in younger children but can affect adults as well.
Loss of Baby Teeth
Sometimes as children start to lose their first sets of teeth, a gap between the teeth will form. This is usually not a big deal because the diastema will eventually close on its own when they start to grow their second sets of teeth.
Symptoms
There are a number of symptoms that can alert a person that a diastema may be on its way. Some of these symptoms include:
• Bright and red swollen gums
• Receding gum line
• Halitosis
• Teeth that are loose
Treatment Options
Invisalign
Invisalign are one of the first choices that a dentist may pick when it comes to treating your diastema. Invisalign is an effective treatment option because their purpose is to straighten teeth, which includes closing gaps.
Veneers
Another treatment option to consider when seeing your dentist is dental veneers. These are great option because they are long lasting, have a natural look, and can be sized to close gaps.
Dental Bonding
This procedure involves the use of a special type of plastic material combined with a light that will harden the substance and bond it to a person’s tooth. You can use dental bonding to fix dental issues such as repairing cracked teeth, to make your teeth look a little longer, and to fill in the gaps between your teeth.
Dental Crowns
Dental crowns are another alternative treatment option your dentist may decide on. This is done in more severe cases where a person’s diastema is caused because of severely damaged teeth.
Having a diastema is something that can affect a patient’s overall quality of life due to feelings of low self-esteem. They may not smile as much or feel embarrassed when talking to other people or eating out at a restaurant. Because of this, it is important to seek treatment when a noticeable tooth gap starts to appear in your mouth. It is an issue that can be easily fixed. In addition, it is also important to know the cause of the diastema and make sure it is not due to more serious dental issues.
If you have noticed any of the signs and symptoms of a diastema forming, visit us at the Upper Hunt Club Dental Centre located in Ottawa. During your appointment your dentist can determine the cause of your diastema and best possible treatment option for you. Contact us today to schedule an appointment!
