What causes larger gaps between teeth?
Gaps between the teeth are seen quite often in a child’s mouth and more rarely in adults. Between the incisors a gap shows up particularly clearly. Gaps can look very charming — think of the actress Vanessa Paradis or the German actor Jürgen Vogel, whose pronounced gaps have even become his trademark. If the space is wider than 0.5 millimetres, however, specialists speak of a diastema. This can lead to problems: if the bite does not fit, complications can arise when speaking and chewing.
Diastema — what causes it?
There are many reasons for a gap. A diastema can be hereditary, because the size of the teeth and of the jaw is passed down genetically. The teeth may be small, for instance, and the lower jaw too large. A labial frenulum attached too low also encourages a gap between the teeth. A midline diastema — the gap between the upper incisors — is frequently caused by prolonged thumb-sucking.
Which treatments are advisable?
The gaps that often appear in a small child’s milk teeth generally need no treatment. As the child grows and the permanent teeth come through, the gaps disappear in most cases. If you have gaps in your permanent teeth that bother you, your dentist will start the appropriate treatment. Treatment by an orthodontist may also make sense, possibly with a brace or an aligner. Veneers can be a suitable approach where smaller gaps are to be closed: these are very thin ceramic shells that your dentist makes and that are then bonded to the teeth, covering the smaller gaps. Attractive teeth always come with an added measure of quality of life. Aesthetic dentistry offers a great many possibilities so that you can always smile brightly and without a second thought. Zahnchirurgie Köln will be glad to help.
