Topic Four: How Spacing can Lead to Dental Issues
Do you feel like you have gaps in between your teeth? These spaces and gaps are a condition called diastema. These are most noticeable between the two upper front teeth. Adults and children both are prone to this condition. In the case of children, the space between their teeth may disappear once their permanent teeth grow in.
Having large gaps and spaces between the teeth may lead to certain oral health conditions that orthodontic treatment can effectively fix. Following are some of the dental problems which can be caused due to spaces in teeth.
● Gum Disease
The gaps between the teeth can cause the bacteria to persist within the mouth. These bacteria give rise to periodontal disease, which could get costly. When your gums are infected, you will need a series of dental treatments to restore your mouth’s health. If the gum infection is left untreated, it can cause bone loss.
Severe gum diseases are interlinked to more serious health conditions, such as heart disease and other systemic problems.
● Damage to Other Teeth
The teeth function together to keep each other rooted in the right places. When one or more teeth are absent in the mouth, it will naturally affect the other teeth. Along with altering the bite, it will alter your smile, which is an essential part of life.
The space between the teeth causes alterations in the bite and has the potential to affect the way you chew food and speak. The aesthetic consequences are important to consider as well: when the teeth are not properly aligned and have a poor bite, it often leads to faster chipping and wearing down of the teeth. Cosmetic and restorative dentistry plays a vital role in address the problem of missing teeth!
● Tooth Decay
Large spaces and gaps result in the accumulation of plaque and calculus.
The gaps and spaces that are too large are prone to the collection of food and debris, which begin to develop harmful bacteria that eventually harden around the teeth and gums. When this happens, cavities may start to form and develop into tooth decay.
● Increased Risk of Frequent Headaches
Have you been experiencing frequent headaches? If you’re having a hard time pinning down the source of them, there is a chance that this pain is linked to dental irregularities. A misaligned bite due to gaps or spaces can lead to problems with your jaw joints, which ultimately causes chronic headaches.
Spacing is not only an aesthetic dilemma but also one that pertains to your health. The good news is that most cases of gaps or spacing can be fixed using at-home aligners, an affordable and effective alternative to braces.