What Are Gapped Teeth? | How Is It Treated?

Gapped teeth are spaces between teeth that can appear in any area of your mouth. These spaces are often more noticeable between the two upper front teeth.

Adults and children can both be affected by this oral health condition, but the latter might no longer have gaps when their permanent teeth emerge.

If you are experiencing gapped teeth and are unhappy with how it affects your appearance, you can receive treatment to reduce the gap size or to close the tooth gap entirely.

What Causes Gapped Teeth?

Many factors can lead to gapped teeth, such as:

• Size of a Patient's Teeth and Jawbone | You might notice gaps forming when your teeth are too small in comparison to your jawbone. Genetics can influence the size of your teeth and jawbone, which is why gapped teeth can impact multiple family members.
• Oversized Labial Frenum | You can develop gapped teeth when an overgrowth occurs on the tissue that borders your gum line and two upper front teeth. Such an overgrowth creates a separation between your two front teeth, which produces a gap.
• Poor Habits | Children might suck on their thumbs, fingers, lips, or thrust their tongues forward when swallowing. These habits may eventually create a gap because the sucking motion adds pressure on the front teeth and forces the teeth to pull forward.
• Incorrect Swallowing Reflex | Older children and adults can develop gapped teeth from improper swallowing reflexes. Your tongue should position itself on the roof of your mouth during a swallowing motion; however, some patients might push their tongue against their front teeth. This is known as a tongue thrust, and the excess pressure it puts on your front teeth can ultimately result in gapped teeth.
• Gum Disease | Gapped teeth can form because of gum disease, a type of oral health infection. Inflammation affects the gums and tissue supporting your teeth, which can lead to tooth loss and gapped teeth. Common symptoms of gum disease are bone loss, red and swollen gums, bleeding gums, and loose teeth.
• Missing or Undersized Teeth | Gapped teeth can result from missing teeth or teeth that are smaller than others in your mouth. With this concern, your upper lateral incisors (the teeth on either side of the two upper front teeth) are generally the source. When the upper lateral incisors are smaller or missing, you can develop a gap between your two front teeth.

How To Treat Gapped Teeth

For small gaps between teeth, treatment might be unnecessary or are simply a cosmetic issue, with no additional concerns. For larger tooth gaps though, it will depend on the underlying cause of the gap, such as an oversized labial frenum, missing tooth, or if the gap was caused by thumb sucking or an improper swallowing reflex. A common treatment solution for gapped teeth is braces. This dental device has wires and brackets that place pressure on your teeth to gradually move them together, eliminating the gap. It is also important to note that braces work on the entire mouth and shift all teeth, which is useful for patients with multiple gaps, though most gaps are generally seen in the two front teeth. For some patients, you have the option of traditional metal braces, lingual braces, ceramic braces, self-ligating braces, and removable aligners, depending on your individual needs.

While some braces can correct gapped teeth resulting from a missing tooth, that is not always the case. If you have lost a tooth or had one removed, you might require a dental implant, which is an artificial root intended to support a replacement tooth. This procedure includes oral surgery that has your dentist place the artificial root directly into your jawbone. After the dental implant heals, your dentist will then attach an artificial tooth to it, a process that can take several months to complete. Dental implants are designed to be a permanent solution, but as time goes on, you may have to replace the artificial tooth depending on the wear.

If you are experiencing gum disease, you should first undergo treatment to stop further infection. Afterward, you can seek treatment to correct any gapped teeth. Gum disease treatment can include scaling and root planning to eliminate hardened plaque (tartar) from above and below your gum line. Severe cases of gum disease may demand surgery to remove tartar that has formed deep within the gums.

How To Prevent Gapped Teeth

Although not all cases of gapped teeth can be prevented, you can reduce the risk by following oral hygiene practices. Here are a few oral health routines to practice regularly:

• brushing your teeth twice per day
• flossing daily
• visiting your dentist for routine checkups and cleanings
• avoiding poor habits, such as thumb sucking
• correcting an improper swallowing reflex