Gap in bottom teeth
I recently had my teeth scaled and it left a small triangle shaped gap between my two front lower teeth. I have not had my teeth scaled for a couple of years but the gap was not present after previous scaling. This area is difficult to floss as the teeth are so close together so there was a build up of tartar at the back. When I floss between these teeth it is so tight it can suddenly slip and hit the gum hard which irritates it. My teeth are otherwise healthy and there was no tartar or plaque in other areas and I've never needed any fillings or other treatment (I'm 25). My dentist told me the gum was slightly damaged causing the gap but not to worry as it was reversible and the gap would go or reduce with good oral hygiene, is this likely?
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Answer: Black Triangles
By BracesInfo.com Expert 10
These dark areas between the mandibular (lower) anterior teeth are often referred to as black triangles. More than likely they were not noticed prior to your dental hygienist removing the tartar on the lingual (tongue) of these teeth. Since the areas are so large, they become traps for debris and are harder to keep clean. These are naturally formed when the incisal surface of the tooth/teeth is broader than the cervical (area closest to the tissue) portion of the tooth. The tooth is almost the shape of an upside down triangle. This can be corrected with interproximal reduction or reshaping of the tooth. This will allow the teeth to move closer together, reducing the size of the interproximal (space between the teeth) space. The tissue may or may not grown back. Keep it clean and use floss or interproximal brushes as needed to keep the plaque from collecting in the area, especially while the damaged tissue is still healing.
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