About 20% of people on the planet face such a problem as gaps between teeth. Dentists call the gaps between the central teeth diastema, and between any other teeth - trema. Aesthetic dentistry can offer a way to get rid of this problem - and more than one.
Trema is not only a cosmetic defect that significantly reduces the patient’s quality of life, but a dangerous pathology that can lead to the development of serious dental diseases: trema negatively affects the stability of the teeth, exposing them to additional stress - this, in turn, leads to the appearance of caries, various gum diseases.
Gaps between teeth: classification, causes
A variety of reasons can lead to the appearance of three:
- Often we are talking about hereditary predisposition. If at least one parent has trema or diastema, the risk that the child will encounter the same problem is 30%;
- Sometimes the appearance of gaps between teeth is a consequence of bad habits. Among those people who often chew pens and pencils, the percentage of those suffering from gaps between teeth is significantly higher than among those who are free from such habits;
- loss of teeth. The loss of a tooth entails many problems: this is atrophy of bone tissue, this is the process of moving apart the remaining teeth, which entails the appearance of teeth. The displacement of teeth leads to a deformation of the bite, to a change in the entire process of chewing food, and this can negatively affect the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and human health in general. That is why dentists recommend not to delay and carry out full dental prosthetics.
Depending on which teeth, milk or permanent, we are talking about, trema and diastema are divided into two groups: false and true. Trema are called false if they form between baby teeth, true - respectively, between permanent teeth. A false trema does not always degenerate into a true one, but this is a clear reason for parents to pay attention to the condition of their child’s oral cavity. Make an appointment with an orthodontist and follow his instructions - this will help you minimize the risk of gaps between your permanent teeth.
Recovery period
Recommendations after tooth extraction:
- remove the tampon 15-20 minutes after application, as in the future it becomes a source of infection;
- Do not drink or eat for 2-3 hours;
- for the first 2-3 days, eat only soft and warm food without irritants (pickles, hot spices, marinades, smoked meats);
- Take prescribed antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs regularly;
- Carry out rinses and baths only in consultation with your doctor;
- limit physical activity and nervous stress.
With simple removal (without opening the gums), complete recovery occurs within a week; for complex cases, it takes 10-14 days.
How to remove gaps between teeth?
Modern dentistry offers the following options:
- Veneers. They are dental onlays attached to the front surface of the patient's teeth. Their main purpose is to correct the aesthetics of the dentition without the need for orthodontic treatment. Veneers are made in Moscow strictly individually in a dental laboratory. At the first stage, the patient’s tooth is ground down (a thin layer of enamel is removed), and an impression is made of it, which serves as a sample for creating a veneer. Making a veneer takes from 7 to 14 days, during which time the patient wears temporary veneer structures. After the permanent veneers are made, fitting is carried out, their compliance with aesthetic standards and the wishes of the patient is checked, if everything is good, the specialist fixes the veneer. The advantages of this option include the ability to correct even wide gaps between teeth in the shortest possible time.
- Bracket systems. The safest, high-quality method, loyal to dental tissues, but also the longest. To correct the bite, braces are used. If the patient is a child whose baby teeth have only recently been replaced by permanent teeth, braces are the best option. Modern braces are almost invisible, so they do not cause discomfort in everyday life. In addition, you can always order lingual braces, which are attached to the inside of the dentition, which means they are absolutely invisible. The time for wearing braces is determined by the dentist individually in each case - the timing depends on the structure of the teeth, the age of the patient, the size of the gap and other factors. Usually we are talking about a time range from six months to two years.
- Artistic composite restoration. This is the most preferred method when it comes to eliminating gaps between fangs, incisors, and slight curvature. Composites are photopolymer elastic materials that are applied layer by layer and harden under a photopolymerizer (special lamp). The advantages of artistic dental restoration include the speed of achieving results (restoration takes up to half an hour to two hours), the absence of painful sensations for the patient, and the absence of the need to grind down tooth enamel.
The above are not all the ways to get rid of gaps between teeth. Perhaps your dentist, having assessed the condition of your oral cavity, will offer you a more effective and/or profitable alternative - this could be a plastic transparent mouthguard (easily removed, allowing you to combine the adjustment of the position of your teeth with their whitening), corrective fillings or crowns.
Fracture, dislocation of an adjacent tooth
Fracture or dislocation of an adjacent tooth during an extraction operation most often occurs when using forceps with wide cheeks or when removing teeth with an elevator, when the adjacent tooth serves as a support for the instrument. This complication is considered a medical error.
Prevention of fracture or dislocation of an adjacent tooth
Prevention of dislocation of an adjacent tooth is the careful removal of the causative tooth without relying on the adjacent tooth, or when a tooth is dislocated with an elevator, the fulcrum for the instrument should be the edge of the interdental septum, the neck of the tooth, and not the crown. When using a direct elevator, the first stage of tooth dislocation should be carried out mainly by reciprocating rotational movements of the instrument as its blade is inserted between the surface of the tooth and the wall of the alveolus.
Treatment of a dislocated adjacent tooth
If the adjacent tooth is completely dislocated, if it is intact, replantation is possible. If a single-rooted tooth is dislocated, it should be immobilized using a dental wire splint. It is not necessary to immobilize a multi-rooted tooth after replantation. The patient should adhere to a gentle diet and carefully observe the rules of oral hygiene. If tooth extraction was performed due to an acute or chronic infectious-inflammatory process, a course of antibacterial therapy should be administered. The patient should be under dispensary observation with monitoring of the condition of the dental pulp (electroodontometry in dynamics) and the condition of the periodontium (x-ray monitoring after 2, 6 and 12 months). If a fracture of an adjacent tooth occurs, we choose treatment tactics based on the clinical situation: we determine the condition of the hard tissues of the tooth, pulp and periodontium. Assessing the condition of the dental tissues can also help determine whether there were any factors that caused the fracture: periodontal disease, caries, poor-quality fillings.
Diastema in celebrities
Teeth are the calling card of any famous person, and, according to many, they must be perfect. But there are many stars who have turned the gap between their teeth into their highlight. According to physiognomy, gaps between teeth are a sign of talent and creative potential.
Famous women with diastema
To the list of stars with diastema who became famous in the last century, in addition to Brigitte Bardot and Ornella Muti, you can add Lauren Hutton, who conquered the fashion industry back in the 60s of the 20th century. Among modern models is Georgia May Jagger, who became the face of the Chanel advertising company.
Diastema makes French celebrities even more attractive and is an integral part of their image. In addition to Vanessa Paradis with her pronounced diastema, one can remember the actress Jane Birkin, who considered the gap to be a “funny little thing.” Léa Seydoux, the performer of the role of Belle from Beauty and the Beast, is in no hurry to get rid of this defect.
American women are more conservative in this regard and strive for a Hollywood smile. Fifty Shades of Gray star Dakota Johnson once had a great sense of humor about her diastema. To be convinced of this, just watch a video of a famous American television show with her participation. But over time, the actress got rid of her diastema.
Famous men with diastema
Diastemas and trema in famous men are quite common. Among Hollywood veterans who got rid of the gap between their teeth, we note Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage. But the famous director Oliver Stone did not treat the diastema. The gap does not prevent Woody Harrelson, Eddie Murphy, and Laurence Fishburne from smiling widely.
Among the representatives of the younger generation who corrected diastema in their youth, we highlight Zac Efron and Matthew Lewis.
Johnny Depp and the cult director Tim Burton uniquely expressed their “love” for gap teeth by creating the image of the Mad Hatter in the film “Alice in Wonderland.”
You can have different attitudes towards diastema and trema, but you shouldn’t deny that they really suit some of the stars. Diastema can highlight a bright appearance and make it memorable.
What is diastema
The dentition is not always continuous. Often they contain enlarged spaces - trema between the teeth (from the Greek trema - hole). Such chips can be from 1 to 10 millimeters in size. In dentistry, the space between the front teeth in the center of the upper dentition is designated by the separate term “diastema.” Moreover, diastema of the upper teeth is more common than the lower ones.
Experts divide diastemas into false and true. If a gap appears in a child as a result of early loss of baby teeth, this is a false diastema, which will disappear on its own over time. However, parents often ask doctors why the distance between children's teeth increases with age. Because the jaw grows and there is more space on it, and the size of the teeth increases slightly. As a result, the chips become more noticeable. In this regard, true diastemas, that is, gaps between teeth in adults, must be corrected by resorting to the qualified help of an orthodontist.
