Spaces Between Teeth - The Causes and Solutions
The spaces between the teeth, especially the space that exists between the upper incisors teeth (known also as diastema) is considered a reason to resort to the orthodontic treatment. The presence of spaces between the teeth in children is a natural part of the growth process. The presence of these spaces is also necessary because the permanent teeth that are replacing the deciduous teeth are larger in size. The lack of spaces between the deciduous teeth will result in crowding of the permanent teeth later, which requires consultation with your orthodontist for treatment.
It should be noted that children, especially at age of nine, have a gap between their front teeth most of the time. Many parents might consult with the orthodontist for treatment, but this gap is often normal, and in most cases would disappear after the eruption of the canine. In few cases part of the gap will remain, even after the eruption of the canine, which may be because the gap is larger than the natural rate or due to the presence of many spaces distributed between the teeth.
Sometimes the gaps between teeth continued to exist even after the emergence all the permanent teeth in the jaws, i.e., at puberty. The reason of this problem would be the mismatch between the size of the teeth and the size of the jaw. This mismatch occurs if the teeth are small, and the size of the jaw is normal, or if the size of the jaw is considerably large compared to the size natural teeth and this is all due to genetic causes.
The existence of spaces between teeth could also be due to the spaces of naturally missing teeth. At other times the gap between teeth may be caused by the presence of the extra tooth (supernumerary tooth) in the middle between the front incisors; causing significant divergence between these teeth; and the emergence of the diastema. In other situations the gap may be caused by some bad habits such as finger sucking or tongue thrust (infantile swallowing).
Treatment of diastema and spaces between teeth can be done by braces (orthodontic treatment). The first step of treatment is to find out the cause of the spaces between teeth, in the case of presence of extra tooth buried between anterior teeth, the initial treatment would be the removal of that tooth by oral surgeon, and then the orthodontist will close the space with braces. In the case of presence of bad habits, such finger sucking or tongue thrust, the orthodontist will use specific appliances in the patient mouth to break the bad habits before proceeding to close the spaces.
In the case of multiple spaces between teeth the suitable treatment would be orthodontic treatment, after thorough examination and diagnosis. But if the size of the front teeth considerably small, it is possible to refer the patient to cosmetic specialist to use cosmetic fillings or enhanced ceramic (veneers) to enlarge the size of the teeth.
The presence of spaces between teeth is a source of concern and worry for many people. The treatment of this problem cannot be completed without knowing the cause of these spaces, and after thorough examination of the jaws and teeth of the patient, to determine the direction of treatment, which may be by orthodontics alone, or orthodontic and aesthetic (cosmetic) treatment.
Resources: http://talegadentist.com/ http://ezinearticles.com/?Spaces-BetweenTeeth---The-Causes-and-Solutions&id=4702929
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