What is Diastema?

While you may not be familiar with the term diastema, you are most certainly familiar with the condition.  When you have a space between two teeth, you have a diastema.  If you have more than one gap between two teeth, then you have diastemata.  You have seen famous actors, singers, models and politicians with diastema and it is even considered normal for some mammals to have one between the incisors and molars.

You may have a diastema for a number of reasons and it may be more or less noticeable depending on the location in your mouth.  Some people experience diastema as children while their teeth are not proportional in size to their growing jaws.  For other people, diastema can persist into adulthood as a result of the pulling of their labial frenulum.  If the gum tissue that connects the upper lip to the jaw is larger, the front teeth can be pushed apart leaving a diastema between the front two teeth.

If you have a gap in your teeth and you are looking to change the look of your smile, you do not need to keep the diastema if you don’t want it.  In some countries, like Ghana, Namibia and Nigeria, diastemata are attractive and are even created through cosmetic dentistry.  In France, diastemata were used by men to avoid military service.   Men needed to use their teeth to tear into weapon packaging and diastema prevented the men from being classified as fit to serve.  The influence of models like Lauren Hutton or television personalities like Michael Strahan have helped increase the popularity of diastema but it is not permanent, if you prefer your smile without spaces between your teeth.

Depending on your age and the cause of your diastema, you and the dentist can discuss your treatment options.  The treatment options can include orthodontic braces or retainers, dental crowns, veneers or even fillings.   The dentist can work with you to shift your teeth into move even alignment or to adjust the size of your teeth on either side of the gap to minimize the gap.  In the case of children or young adults, the dentist may even suggest allowing the teeth and jaw to grow and shift.  In cases like that, the diastema may resolve itself without professional dental interference.

When your smile has uneven teeth or spaces between teeth, you may hesitate to share your smile with others.  Over time, you may suffer from decreased self-esteem or a lack of confidence in social situations.  If you find that your diastema has impacted your day to day experiences, take some time with the dentist to talk about treatment options.  You may not need to invest the money and time you think you do to close the troublesome gap.  The small change in your teeth can lead to more self-assurance socially and professionally.  There is no need to let a gap between teeth hold you back.  A quick conversation with the dentist and a diagnosis for the cause are the only steps between you and the improvement you want.