Can I Keep My Front Tooth Gap During Invisalign® Treatment?
Invisalign® corrects alignment issues, closes gaps, and improves the look and function of the teeth. For some people, a large gap, or diastema, between their front teeth is a defining feature, part of the beauty of their smile, and something they don’t want to lose with Invisalign treatment.
Dentist Andrew G. Mortensen works closely with Invisalign patients in Huntington Beach, CA, to achieve their treatment goals, including preserving front tooth gaps when patients want to keep their diastemas.
What Is a Diastema?
A diastema is simply a gap between the teeth. Diastemas can occur between any two teeth but are most common between the two front teeth.
Diastemas are often genetic but can also be caused by thumb sucking or gum disease. Diastemas caused by gum disease should be treated to prevent gum disease from becoming worse. However, most other types of diastemas pose no threat to oral health.
When a diastema is between the two front teeth, it’s called a maxillary midline diastema. Midline diastemas are a common occurrence and completely normal. In fact, a maxillary midline diastema is desirable in many cultures. Huffpost reports that a front tooth gap is seen as a symbol of wealth and beauty in some African cultures. As a result, a front tooth gap can play an important role in cultural identity and carry great significance to some people with a diastema.
Invisalign and Diastemas
Invisalign is a discreet orthodontic treatment that gently adjusts the position of the teeth with a series of clear aligner trays. Aligners are worn throughout the day and night but may be removed while eating and to brush and floss the teeth. Aligners are changed every two weeks until the desired results are achieved for our Huntington Beach patients.
The purpose of Invisalign is to correct alignment issues and improve oral health and the appearance of the smile. For some people, this means closing their diastema while others may want to keep the gap between their teeth.
With Invisalign, it is possible to preserve a diastema front tooth gap while still achieving alignment goals and enhancing the smile’s beauty.
Keeping Your Diastema
Whether your diastema carries cultural significance to you or just something you like about your appearance that makes you you, you can keep your diastema with Invisalign.
Invisalign aligners are custom-made to correct the position of the teeth with the goal of achieving each patient’s desired results. This includes keeping a gap between the front teeth when it’s important to the patient and how they want their smile to look.
If you’re planning to undergo Invisalign and want to keep your diastema, it’s important to make your desired results known to your dentist.
Schedule a Consultation With Dr. Mortensen
Invisalign improves alignment for better dental function and a more beautiful smile, which we understand means keeping a front gap for some patients. To find out if Invisalign is right for you, we welcome you to schedule a consultation with Huntington Beach dentist Andrew G. Mortensen, DDS.
