How to Fix the Gap Between Your Teeth

Do you want to fix the gap between your teeth? Mawson Dental Care offers restorative treatments for teeth gaps. We are cosmetic dentistry specialists in Canberra who offer full mouth rehabilitation, veneers, dental crowns and whitening services for your dental needs.

Do you or someone you know has noticeable gapped teeth? The spacing between teeth that can be both found in children's teeth and adult teeth is referred to as Diastema, or more commonly known as "gap teeth". Despite the fact that teeth gaps can appear anywhere in the mouth, it usually develops between the two upper front teeth.

Although teeth gaps can possibly make a person look good, they can sometimes signal major dental problems. Furthermore, if these gaps in the front teeth are not thoroughly cleaned, they might lead to persistent oral problems.

What Causes a Gap in Teeth?

Gum Disease

The presence of an ailment such as a gum disease can significantly cause gaps between teeth. Gum disease, which is brought on by poor oral health, can often cause red and swollen gums, bleeding gums, and even make your teeth pull away from your gum line. In worst cases, severe gum disease can lead to loose teeth and eventually, spaced teeth.

Oversized Labial Frenum

Another common cause of a gap between your front teeth can be a large labial frenum. A labial frenum is a slender strip of fibroelastic tissue supporting the upper lip to the upper gums.

Some people's frenums don't develop regularly, which is why you can see that other's frenums grow too large, causing the front teeth to separate and create minor gaps.

Although oral surgery is not always necessary for a significant frenum-induced gap between the front teeth, an oral surgeon may conduct a frenectomy to treat an abnormal frenum.

Jaw Bone Size

According to other dental reports, the size of your jaw bone is a determinant in the size of your tooth and its alignment. If you are born with a wider jaw, your teeth may have greater room to move and shift. However, if you have small teeth and a wide jaw, you will acquire uneven gaps between your teeth.

Missing Teeth

Undersized or missing teeth can also result to gaps between teeth. Most frequently, this involves missing teeth on either side of the two upper front teeth.

A space can form between the two front teeth if the upper lateral incisors are absent or just slightly sized.

Thumb Sucking in Children

Sometimes children's bad habits like thumb sucking results in gaps between teeth as they grow older. During which, thumb sucking alters the child's upper dental arch form.

And as the child grows into an adult, there wouldn't be enough room for the teeth to grow normally. Hence, as the teeth finds a space, adult teeth unintentionally shifts, resulting in a crooked teeth.

Loss of Primary Teeth

According to other dental research, teeth gaps may also be due to the loss of baby teeth among children. When a child's baby teeth fall out, they may have temporary teeth gaps. These gaps usually fill after their adult, or permanent, teeth grow.

As this type of gap is common among children's teeth, it can only be considered as a typical developmental event where no treatment is required.

Incorrect Swallowing Reflexes

In a normal swallowing process, the tongue touches the roof of the mouth effectively without restraint. But with an improper swallowing reflex, the person might press their tongue up against their front teeth.

Instead of normally swallowing, the front teeth are repeatedly pushed forward, progressively creating a gap in the upper front teeth due to the pressure. This movement, known as a "tongue thrust" , might progressively force the development of gaps between your teeth.

Can Teeth Gaps Be Closed Without Braces?

Orthodontic treatment, such as a dental brace, is one of the most popular treatment options for gaps between teeth.

With solutions that allow for unobtrusive or even invisible treatment, modern orthodontic treatment can be customised based on your needs and preference. For example, you can now opt to undergo a more discreet orthodontic treatment such as using clear aligners or invisible aligners.

Compared with the traditional braces, invisible aligners are barely noticeable. Hence, it wouldn't look like you have dental aligners in your upper front teeth. However, of course, not everyone has the same condition. Where appropriate, alternative treatments can be used for closing gaps and treat teeth alignment issues.

How Do I Get Rid of the Gap Between My Teeth?

It may not be always essential to treat a teeth gap, particularly if it occurred due to a loss of permanent teeth or from an imbalance between the size of the teeth and the jawbone.

If the dentist does not require an oral surgery, he/she may only require minimal tooth preparation. Hence, the dentist may suggest that the best treatment options may involve either one of the following:

Braces

Wearing braces to fix gaps is an effective option for closing gaps between teeth. Dental braces basically puts pressure in the teeth gaps, forcing them to close and align.

Most often than not, dentists recommend patients with teeth gaps to wear a whole set of braces since the entire mouth can be impacted by a single shift even if there is only one gap.

Invisible Aligners

An effective alternative for treating gapped teeth are invisible aligners. Typically used among teenagers and adults, invisible aligners, also called as clear aligners, can gradually close the gaps between your teeth and realign with other teeth, for you to achieve a straight, beautiful smile.

Dental Bonding

Aside from braces, using cosmetic procedures for closing gaps between teeth have now been widely accepted today. Not only because they actually produce very good cosmetic outcomes, but they are a cost effective treatment option to fix gaps on your teeth in a non-surgical approach.

A common cosmetic dental treatment is dental bonding. During the dental bonding process, a tooth coloured resin is applied to the teeth's surface to cover the gap (usually in the upper front teeth) and then cured under a special light to harden.

Dental Veneers

Dental veneers are typically made either from porcelain or composite. Porcelain veneers use individual pieces of porcelain to cover the front of the teeth, whilst composite veneers use composite resin as their main component.

During the teeth preparation, some dentists will first grind your teeth to create the mold. Using the mold, the porcelain pieces or composite resin will then be sent to the lab to create the dental veneers. Once done, the dentist can now apply the veneer to your teeth and secure it afterwards.

Although porcelain veneers need slightly more teeth preparation than composite veneers, you can be confident that porcelain veneers are stronger and will last for years.

Dental Crowns

Dental crowns are only advised when a person's teeth needs to be repaired due to decay, fracture, or teeth erosion. However, you can also use them to work on your teeth gaps.

A correctly positioned dental crown will cover the exposed tooth structure and sit just above the gum line, where it will then reduce the gaps between your teeth.

Dental crowns are designed to fit over a prepared tooth and restore its appearance, strength, and form.

Get the Perfect Smile at Mawson Dental Care

At Mawson Dental Care, you don't have to hide your smile. Through advances in modern dental materials and techniques, you can achieve the smile you’ve always wanted.

As the leading cosmetic dentistry service in Canberra, we offer various dental procedures, techniques, and options to treat teeth gaps, discoloured teeth, or chipped teeth.

We are proud to provide a wealth of dental health services to our clients here at Mawson Dental Care. Rest assured your oral health is our top priority.

Visit our dental clinic and discover how you can improve your teeth and rejuvenate your smile through our range of cosmetic and restorative treatments.