Gap in front teeth is a common oral condition in which the front teeth do not grow close together, creating a gap in the middle. Gap in front teeth not only makes the face lose its aesthetic appeal but also greatly affects the chewing or communication process in daily life. In addition, defects in teeth also make many people self-conscious when smiling, thereby missing out on many opportunities every day. However, you can choose one of the popular methods to effectively overcome this condition at home or at the dentist.
1. Causes of spaced front teeth
The distance between the front teeth will affect the eating and oral hygiene process. This condition occurs due to many reasons, both objective and subjective:
1.1. Due to missing teeth
In fact, not everyone has enough teeth and missing teeth in the jaw is extremely common. Congenital missing teeth is also considered the leading cause of spaced front teeth. Insufficient teeth growth in the jaw will create gaps and this causes the remaining teeth to be misaligned, grow in the wrong position, increasing the possibility of the front teeth not growing close together.
1.2. Impacted, inverted teeth
Impacted, inverted teeth, if any, will not grow out of the gums like other normal teeth. They can grow right below the base of the incisors and accidentally create a gap that makes the position of the two incisors not close together.
1.3. Due to the difference in size of teeth and jawbone
Another cause of sparse front teeth is the difference in size between the teeth and the jaw. When the teeth are small in size but the jaw is too large, the jaw cannot be filled completely and creates gaps between the teeth. This condition causes gaps to appear in most positions on the jaw, including both molars and incisors.
1.4. Due to bad habits
Sometimes the front teeth are spaced simply due to some bad daily habits. One of these habits can be mentioned as using toothpicks after each meal. Flossing too hard will cause the enamel between the teeth to wear down, over time will create gaps at the tooth roots, the gum tissue will recede and the tooth roots will be exposed. In addition, if not careful, toothpicks can damage the gums that support the teeth.
1.5. Due to oral diseases
In fact, not many people really care about the signs of diseases related to the oral cavity. However, oral diseases such as tooth decay, periodontitis, etc. are quite common causes of sparse front teeth. The way to prevent these diseases is to pay attention to regular and proper oral care and hygiene.
2. What is the fate of people with sparse front teeth?
According to ancient folklore, people with sparse front teeth often have the following personalities. However, these opinions are only subjective and there is no evidence to prove that these things are true.
2.1. Having a kind heart
People with sparse front teeth or sparse upper teeth often have a kind heart, are loyal to their partners, and treat people around them very kindly and generously. Although their fortune is not good, they will achieve certain successes in life because they know how to strive more than others. Once they have a career, money and enough conditions, they will try to do good deeds to help people and life.
2.2. Frankness
Sparse front teeth are a sign of openness, frankness and generosity. This personality helps them a lot in life, but sometimes their speech becomes uncontrolled, difficult to keep secrets and easily causes a lot of gossip.
2.3. Dishonest, selfish
The ancients often believed that people with spaced teeth were liars, dishonest, and gossiped about others. In addition, these people were believed to never care about others and only do everything for their own benefit.
3. Effects of spaced front teeth
Not just a simple aesthetic issue, spaced front teeth can also have a negative impact on life and health:
3.1. Effects on aesthetics
It can be said that teeth play an extremely important role in the harmony of the overall face, the condition of bad or beautiful teeth will greatly affect the aesthetics of the face. Many people often lack confidence due to yellowing, discoloration or chipping, and spaced front teeth are no exception. Gaps in front teeth are a defect in the smile and make many people lose confidence when smiling every day.
3.2. Affects pronunciation
The ability to pronounce is greatly affected by the teeth as well as the jaw structure. Therefore, gaps in teeth will make learning foreign languages more difficult, thereby affecting learning outcomes. Not only that, daily communication activities can also encounter major obstacles, making it difficult to build relationships at work and in life.
3.3. Affects jawbone structure
In more serious cases, gaps in front teeth cause other teeth to shift into the wrong position, directly affecting the jawbone structure. Over time, if not treated, it will lead to a misaligned bite, which will become more and more serious in the long run and eventually cause the jawbone to deform, losing the inherent aesthetics of the face.
3.4. Is the cause of many other oral diseases
The gap between two teeth is a very good environment for bacteria from leftover food plaque to grow and develop. This leads to oral diseases such as tooth decay, gingivitis, periodontitis, etc. To avoid this condition, it is necessary to pay attention to thorough oral hygiene after each meal to eliminate bacteria in the oral cavity.
4. How to fix spaced front teeth?
Some of the following methods can be applied to effectively fix spaced front teeth:
4.1. Fixing spaced front teeth at home
Tips to fix spaced front teeth at home are quite simple and do not cost much money or time. However, these methods can only be applied to young children when the jawbone and teeth are still soft and easy to adjust. In addition, if done incorrectly and with too much force, it will cause pain, tooth misalignment, misaligned bite, etc.
– Method 1
Use your hands to press on the two ends of the front teeth to push them closer together. Do this 3 times, 10 minutes each time, regularly every day.
– Method 2
Use a rubber band to wrap tightly around the two ends of the spaced teeth so that they gradually close together over time. This method should be done daily and if possible, wear the rubber band all day for maximum effectiveness.
4.2. Dental fillings
Filling gaps between front teeth is an aesthetic method that helps the front teeth become closer and more aesthetically pleasing quickly at a low cost. However, if the gap between teeth is too large, the filling will become large and unbalanced, so the method of filling gaps between teeth is often prescribed for cases where the gap between teeth is less than 2mm. Doctors often use Composite to fill teeth because this is a material with a color similar to real teeth, so it will bring high aesthetics.
4.3. Braces
Doctors often recommend braces for gaps between teeth instead of other methods because this is the least invasive method to the teeth and brings permanent maintenance results. Braces are the process of moving teeth to the desired position through the force of specialized tools such as braces, archwires or clear braces. Braces last from 18 – 24 months to achieve the desired effect, so customers need to be persistent, strictly follow oral hygiene and pay attention to diet to achieve the best results. In addition, this is also the optimal method to help the bite achieve the ideal ratio.
4.4. Porcelain crowns
In cases where the gap between the front teeth is too sparse, fillings are ineffective, you can choose porcelain crowns. With this method, the real teeth will be ground down to a certain ratio to support the porcelain crown that will be attached above. Porcelain teeth have a shape and color similar to real teeth, so they will bring high aesthetics.
In general, the condition of sparse front teeth not only affects the aesthetics of the face but also causes many worrying consequences. However, there are still ways to fix spaced front teeth at home, but if you want to achieve the best results, you should go to a reputable dental facility to receive professional advice from a doctor.
