Hey Readers,
This time, I am going to answer one of the most common questions asked. Why does this happen?
This question is frequently asked by those who get spaces between their teeth and with time the spacing increases.
How teeth remain in stable position?
Let’s see what how teeth remain stable in mouth. If something changes, we can point out the cause of teeth moving from their position.
From outside, teeth are surrounded by Lips in front and cheeks on sides. Tongue remains on the inside. Now, the pressure from both sides is almost equal and teeth remain in stable position.
If there is a slight difference between the pressures from outside and inside, teeth do not move. This is because of gums and bone holding the tooth adapt to the slight difference in pressures. This adaptive capacity depends on the health of gums and bone holding the teeth.
What if the difference in pressure from inside and outside exceeds the adaptive capacity?
How does pressure difference affect teeth position?
If Pressure from cheeks is more, the upper jaw gets constricted.
If the pressure from tongue is more, teeth start to move outwards and spaces can be seen between them.
People with spaces between teeth have more tongue pressure. And they keep on pushing their teeth outwards. We call this pushing habit as Tongue Thrusting. Tongue thrusting can be present at rest, during swallowing and even during speaking.
Is spacing between teeth treatable?
Spaces between teeth can be easily closed with braces or aligners.
What is the role of Tongue thrusting?
If the habit of pushing teeth or Tongue Thrusting isn’t overcome, the spaces can open up again. This process of reversal of treatment is called Relapse.
How can relapse be prevented?
To prevent relapse, tongue needs to be trained to adapt to new position of teeth and not apply much pressure during rest, swallowing and speaking.
This is one reason why we, at Smile Specialists, stress on Tongue Training! With proper tongue training, spaces between teeth can be effectively treated.
