Do you Have Gaps in Your Teeth?

Do you feel an unusual gap or space between teeth? Well, spaces in-between teeth are a common sight in people across the world. Some have generalized spacing where there is a space between most of the teeth.

What causes space between aligners and teeth

In some people, the area is seen in the front teeth only and the back teeth are properly aligned. However, the most commonly seen teeth spacing is in the primary dentition or in the milk teeth. Having spaces between the milk teeth in a child is considered physiologically normal. But, having spaces between the teeth in an adult is not normal and calls for attention.

What causes spaces between the teeth?

1. The most common cause for spaces between the teeth is a condition where the teeth are small while the jaws are big. This happens mainly because the individual inherits teeth size from one parent and jaw size from the other. This incompatibility leads to spacing in the teeth.

2. Tongue thrusting habit is a physiological cause of spacing between teeth. This habit normally occurs in children and might or might not continue into adulthood. A large tongue is often a cause that leads to this habit. Due to the constant thrusting of the tongue on the upper and lower front teeth, they flare out and lead to the spacing between them.

3. Thumb-sucking: this is another habit seen in children where the child continues to suck his/her thumb by placing it behind the upper from teeth. The constant sucking force leads to outward flaring of the upper front teeth and subsequent spaces between the teeth in the upper front region of the jaw.

space between aligners and teeth

1. Gum disease: This can occur in different stages beginning from gum reddening to gum swelling, bleeding, pus discharge and infection descending down into the bone supporting the tooth. When the infection from the gums reaches the underlying bone of a tooth, the bone starts dissolving and the tooth starts to lose its support. This leads to mobility and flaring of the tooth causing spaces between teeth.

Read More – Clear Aligners before and after

How Can These Spaces be Closed?

There are multiple treatment modalities for closing unnatural gaps between teeth. Except in cases where the teeth spacing is due to gum and bone infection where different treatment is recommended, almost all other cases are treated using orthodontics i.e braces and aligners.

In most cases of spacing, aligners are the best choice. However, when there are other associated abnormal tooth positions, different approaches are taken to close these Gaps in Your Teeth. Keeping safe distance is a good principle, but in the case of teeth, the closer they are, the healthier they are!

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