Women’s magazine’s are fascinated with teeth. A subject which they return to often are gapped teeth and whether we should ‘mind the gap’. This Vogue article which was written by British fashion writer, Chioma Nnadi looks at the author trying to decide whether to have her teeth re-straightened or stick with a crooked smile. She writes about the various famous faces who wear their crooked or gappy smile with confidence and as a mark of unconventional beauty.
Trending
The gapped smile is interesting for anyone working in an orthodontic practice and I sometimes find myself chatting to patients about it before appointments. Whether it’s a desire to keep a small gap between the front teeth or just a general interest in the trend, the beautiful faces of Lara Stone and Georgia-May Jagger have certainly put gapped teeth on the map.
How do Lingual Braces come into the equation?
Because lingual braces work from the back of the teeth, our patients are really aware of how their teeth are moving simply because they can see them. With an increase in awareness of the different stages of treatment, Dr Chatoo encourages discussions about any noticeable changes and what the patient likes and dislikes about their teeth. As someone who has just finished her treatment, I feel that this working partnership between Dr Chatoo and his patients is great because it gives you room to voice any ideas about how your teeth will look at the end of treatment.
Keeping the gap
The recent craze for the gap between your two front teeth (also known as a diastema) isn’t anything new. In the 15th century, Chaucer created the ‘Wife of Bath’ whose gap between her teeth was deemed sensual and alluring. The French traditionally call a gap in the teeth the dents du Bonheur meaning lucky teeth and I have also read that in Nigeria, a gap between the front two teeth is a sign of beauty and intelligence. Whilst others have chosen to have work done to their teeth, celebrities such as Madonna and Vanessa Paradis have maintained a gap in their teeth throughout their career in the spot light.
What’s great about working at a orthodontic practice like LLOC is that alongside Dr Chatoo’s expertise in the lingual technique, the whole team is focused on our patients personal experience here. We all love getting to know our visitors and finding out more about what they expect from their new smile.
Dr Chatoo doesn’t aim to create a uniform row of straight pearly whites but rather a healthy, functional smile that suits the person who wears it. If a patient is interested in keeping a small gap between their front teeth, it is certainly feasible to get a superb result whilst retaining those dents du Bonheur.
