What to Do With Gaps in Your Baby’s Front Teeth – Bridging the Gap

There may be gaps between your baby’s front teeth as they begin to erupt. Parents may be concerned about these gaps and wonder if their children are normal or need special attention.

We’ll examine possible causes of gaps in your baby’s front teeth in this article, as well as give you doable solutions. We’ll talk about when your child needs to see a dentist and how to encourage good dental hygiene in them.

So join us as we close the knowledge gap between questions and answers if you’re a parent looking for advice on how to handle gaps in your child’s front teeth.

Why Baby Teeth Are Important

Why stress about your baby’s teeth when they will eventually fall out? For your child’s present and future health, baby teeth are actually crucial.
Naturally, baby teeth assist your child in speaking and chewing food. But according to the American Dental Association (ADA), a little-known fact is that baby teeth actually hold space for your child’s adult teeth, clearing the way for their growth.

The space available for adult teeth to erupt later may be reduced if your baby loses a tooth too soon and a permanent tooth moves into the space. An awkward or crowded smile may result from this.

Read More: Baby Teeth vs. Adult Teeth

Gapped Teeth Causes

The most frequent cause of a gap between the two upper front teeth is a fraenum that sits lower than it should. The fraenum is a fold of skin that connects the upper lip to the upper gum. Put your upper lip up and feel around for it.

• Small teeth: A tooth gap could form if you have small teeth.
• Large jaws: Compared to the size of the teeth, some jaws are quite large.
• Missing teeth: At birth, a child’s jawline might be missing one or two teeth. A tooth gap develops when some of these teeth become entrapped in the bone and fail to emerge.
• Natural development: For the larger adult teeth to erupt, there are frequent spaces between teeth. Canines in particular tend to close any gaps that may have developed between teeth when they first began to erupt as more adult teeth, especially canines, come in.
• Extra teeth: A tooth gap could develop if there are extra teeth in the bone, which could obstruct the eruption of other teeth.
• Lingual fraenum: As a result, the tongue and mouth’s floor are joined. A severe case of tongue-tie, a condition brought on by a fraenum that is constrictive and prevents the tongue from protruding out over the lips, may result in a gap between the lower jaw’s front teeth.
• Bad habits: A gap between the teeth could be caused by some bad habits, including thumb-sucking and tongue-thrusting. (Read More: Do’s & Don’ts After a Tooth Extraction)

Will These Gaps Close on Their Own?

A lot of people have baby tooth gaps. Most of the time, due to growth and time, these gaps can close on their own.

The front teeth may have a gap and the fraenum may be attached low to the gum six to nine months after the eruption of the primary teeth. The fraenum may have contracted by the time a child is a year old, and additional teeth may have come in to fill in any gaps.

The spaces between the adult front teeth usually close on their own as more adult permanent teeth erupt.

When to Seek Professional Treatment

An unattractive smile can be caused by hereditary conditions like extra teeth, large teeth, missing teeth, wide spacing, or small jaws. In addition to visiting an orthodontist by the time your child is seven, it is crucial that you take your child twice a year for dental cleanings and examinations.

Your child can start receiving preventative care the sooner you take them to see an orthodontist. As soon as the adult teeth begin to erupt, Thomas Orthodontics can determine whether any early treatments are required to avoid needing more extensive future treatment. If you have any questions about your child’s smile, call us right away to arrange a consultation appointment.