Help! His Adult Teeth Are Gappy! Childhood Dental Dramas?
As a parent, you want your child to have absolutely every advantage in life. It’s part and parcel of having kids! When adult teeth start to come in and things begin to look not quite right, many parents become concerned and want to know how they can fix the problem.
So let’s talk all things gappy teeth!
Adult teeth looking gappy
First of all, your child is in great company! Many famous, successful AND attractive adults have gappy teeth! Madonna, Woody Harrelson and Brigitte Bardot to name but a few! Having gappy adult teeth is not the worst thing that could happen to your child, so keep that in mind.
Do gappy adult teeth need braces?
There is no set answer to this question. Having a thorough consultation with a friendly, family dentist will reveal whether there is need for corrective action such as the application of braces.
Adult teeth may require braces if there are signs of significant problems down the track, such as pain when eating. Be aware that having gaps between teeth can cause a range of dental problems. It creates more of an opportunity for gum disease, plaque and infections to occur, for example.
What else can be done about gaps between adult teeth?
Short of corrective surgery, braces or a treatment like Invisalign to attempt to close the gaps, there is no treatment for adult teeth with gaps between them. It’s simply the luck of the draw and some mouths just have a little more space than others! It’s certainly nothing that you’ve done (or not done) and not something that could have been prevented.
What should I worry about?
As a parent? Everything!
As a parent of a child with gaps between their adult teeth? It’s going to take that consultation with a dentist to come up with a treatment plan to really understand what you’re looking at.
For the most part, gaps between adult teeth are an aesthetic concern. Significant gaps that need dental correction will be identified by a dentist but, even then, there’s nothing to worry about. Leave the care of your children’s chompers in the hands of the professionals and let them do the worrying for you!