What to do about Black Triangles between your teeth

What to do about Black Triangles between your teeth

In an ideal smile, teeth are aligned in a smooth row, with each tooth touching
the one next to it and healthy gum in between.
After orthodontic treatment, some patients notice that the gum between their
teeth doesn’t look the same as before – there seem to be gaps between the
teeth…
Why is that? Does Orthodontic treatment change the shape of the gum tissue?
Can it be improved?

1. What are black triangles?
When teeth are touching, but the gum tissue in between does not completely fill
the area between each contact point, there is a dark triangle between the teeth.

2. Is it normal to have black triangles?
It is normal to have a small space between teeth, but several factors may cause
these spaces to be larger and more visible. According to an article posted in the
British Dental Journal  (https://www.nature.com/articles/sj.bdj.2014.1004) these
are a few of the most common reasons for the formation of black triangles:
– Tooth spacing (gap between teeth)
– Tooth shape
– Diverging roots of teeth
– Age, resulting in receding gums
– Gum biotype and/or gum disease.
Apart from those, not maintaining proper oral hygiene, smoking, and even
pregnancy can also cause gums to recede – creating more unwanted space
between teeth.

3. Is there a health risk to dark triangles?
Mostly dark triangles are a purely dental cosmetic issue, but sometimes food
can get stuck between the teeth in these gaps, which can be quite embarrassing!

4. Which tooth shape will likely cause black triangles?
Not all tooth shapes will result in the formation of black triangles, so depending
on your individual dental structure, you may or may not have them. Actually, it
is less common to not have any gaps at all.
Here’s an overview and explanation of the three main tooth shapes, so you can
see which category your teeth fall into and what type of gap or black triangle, if
any, is natural for your teeth type.

 

Rectangular tooth shape

Rectangular teeth have straight parallel edges, so the teeth fit next to each other
without any gaps on the top or bottom. Therefore, rectangular shaped teeth do
not create space between teeth (the teeth touch along a large part of the surface).

Oval tooth shape

Oval shaped teeth have rounded edges at the bottom, so there is a space at the
bottom of the edges where they touch – this is called an embrasure. As you can
see, triangles are less likely to occur in this scenario, as the tops of the teeth still
fit next to each other quite snugly.

Triangular tooth shape

Triangular teeth have sloping edges just like a triangle, so that when teeth touch
at the bottom edge (the wider edge), it creates a space at the gum level. This gap
is what we call a black triangle.

Tooth shape has a big influence on the overall appearance of your smile and
your dental health. If the gaps are bothering you, you’ll probably be asking
yourself “can black triangles in teeth be fixed?” Sure thing!

5. Can black triangles in teeth be fixed?
So, how can you get rid of black triangles? There are 3 main ways of removing
them:
– IPR
– Cosmetic bonding
– Gum surgery

Interproximal Reduction (IPR)
IPR involves reshaping or filing the sides of oval or triangular teeth, so that they
are flatter and can be moved closer together. Your orthodontist will use a
smoothing strip or handpiece to remove a small amount of enamel (0.2mm –
0.5mm) from between your teeth. Though it might sound very technical, it is a
routine process that will be done at a dental clinic without local anaesthetic, and
it doesn’t hurt. Your orthodontist is trained to know how much enamel can be
safely removed without causing problems.

Cosmetic bonding
Cosmetic bonding is an additive cosmetic enhancement. It works by applying a
bonded tooth coloured material to your teeth that thickens and lengthens them,
thus improving their shape. The tooth-coloured resin (and sometimes gum
coloured resin) is shaped and smoothed to match your surrounding teeth, and
then hardened under a special blue light.

Increasing or restoring soft tissue (gum surgery)
Surgery to the gums, tissue engineering and tissue volumizing are all techniques
that have been used to improve the health and appearance of the soft tissue
surrounding the teeth, which could all help to reduce the size of the dark
triangles. This would be done by a specialist in periodontal treatment, and you
would be referred by your orthodontist.

6. Can you develop black triangles after orthodontic treatment?
The short answer is yes. Teeth often overlap when they do not have enough
space, which may hide their shape. After orthodontic treatment, your teeth
should have reached their optimum, straightest position. In some cases, a little
black triangle may appear between teeth as a result of a triangular tooth shape.
They can vary in size and are a very normal result in orthodontic treatment.
Having small gaps can be helpful in maintaining proper dental health, as
brushing and flossing tends to be easier!

7. What do I do if I have developed (a) black triangle?
Discuss your concern with your orthodontist if he/she has not yet addressed the
issue with you. There is a possible solution for you.

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