What is a Diastema? A diastema is a space or gap between two teeth . Although it usually appears among the “palettes”, the truth is that it is not the only place where it can appear.
This can be present in adults if it is not corrected and in milk teeth it can be something normal , since they are smaller in size than the permanent ones. The space or diastema tends to disappear as the boy or girl grows and acquires their permanent teeth.
Causes of the appearance of diastemas
- If a dental piece is missing , the ones next to it can be moved and thus create the gap.
- If the size of the teeth is small compared to the bone.
- An excessively large jaw compared to the rest of the teeth.
- Due to a misplaced or rotated tooth.
- When the frenulum that joins the upper lip to the gum is too large or fibrous , it can separate the upper incisors, and create a gap or diastema,
- If the lateral incisors are too small , the central incisors can be separated to close the gap.
Treatments to correct it
As in all dental treatment, the solution will depend on each case , and there can be several:
- When the diastema appears due to alignment problems, orthodontics can be performed to move the teeth and close the gap.
- Dental veneers or reconstructions that are placed over the teeth to close the gap.
- In the event that the problem is due to a frenulum, a frenulum will be performed , a surgical intervention that is done under local anesthesia and removes the frenulum.
What you should never, ever do is try to correct it without going to a dentist . For example, in this video you can see how a young woman tries to remove her diastema using rubber bands . This is a mistake, since the teeth cannot move from one side to another without further ado, it must be taken into account that the denture must mesh correctly in its entirety, that is, it must have a good occlusion. Not to mention that exerting this type of force could damage the tooth itself and internal structures such as the ligament and bone.
The fashion of gaps, is it dangerous?
We have all seen celebrities with a diastema, such as Vanessa Paradis or Madonna. And if it is natural, although in the case of adults some vigilance must be maintained, it is not that it is a danger in itself.
But what is inadvisable is causing a gap on purpose when the mouth is originally healthy . Not only because creating it unnecessarily can lead to possible bite problems or even muscle pain, but because some home methods, such as filing teeth to leave a gap , can create irreversible damage : cracks, fractures, or damage to the pulp and nerve within the same.
