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Treme of teeth

 
, medical expert
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025
 
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The presence of gaps of varying sizes in the dental row is called trema of teeth, and is often present together with an equally common anomaly known as diastema.

The latter is characterized by the presence of a gap between the central incisors, either in the upper or lower row of teeth, reaching a width of 1 to 6 mm. There are individual clinical cases of great severity, in which such a gap reaches a size of 10 mm.

The incisors of the upper jaw are mostly located at an abnormally excessive distance from each other, while the lower jaw is subject to the appearance of such a defect with a significantly lower probability. The severity of the stage in which such an abnormal phenomenon is present determines the extent to which the appearance of a person with this disease may change as a result, and the deterioration of diction and speech impairment may progress.

Many of those who have gaps between their teeth put up with this fact, not considering it to be any significant negative phenomenon, and completely in vain do not find it a sufficient reason to worry and contact a dentist. Meanwhile, gaps in teeth are a fairly common dental defect, and modern dentistry methods can help to successfully get rid of this problem.

Causes of trema

The causes of trema may primarily be hereditary. If trema and diastema are present in at least one of the parents, this is a risk factor that the child may develop large gaps between the teeth during the formation of the jaws and growth of teeth.

The reasons caused by the developmental peculiarities of the child's body include the presence of a congenital pathology of the frenulum of the upper lip. An abnormal location of the thin film, if it is attached very low and is in close proximity to the teeth, its excessive tension leads to the fact that the teeth practically creep along the dental arch.

Another congenital factor is the following. Due to pathological, exceeding the norm, growth of the jaw bones, or due to the too small size of the teeth, significant gaps may appear between them.

Furthermore, late weaning of the child from the pacifier can lead to the appearance of trema if he sucks on a pacifier, other objects or his own fingers for a long time. All this can adversely affect the processes of normal development and teething.

In adulthood, or in a child during the period when baby teeth are replaced by permanent teeth, when an empty space is formed due to the loss of one of the teeth, the adjacent teeth shift, resulting in an increase in the spaces separating them.

Regardless of what is the cause of the trema, its presence requires contacting a dentist to perform the necessary correction. The only exception may be the phenomenon of the formation of gaps between the child's teeth when the baby teeth are replaced by permanent ones. After a complete replacement, the size of the gap normalizes on its own.

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Threes between teeth

Gaps between teeth are a dental defect, as well as a diastema, characterized by the presence of gaps between the teeth. However, in this case, the characteristic feature is that such gaps occur not only in the form of an excessively wide space between the front incisors of the upper or lower jaw. Any of the other teeth in the oral cavity can be separated by large gaps.

The cause of such anomaly is excessive development of the jaw, developmental anomalies associated with the size of the teeth - if they are too small. The formation of a large space between the teeth often occurs during the period of eruption of baby teeth in a child, when the jaw is in a state of active growth. The normal value for trema is an indicator that does not exceed the value of 0.7 mm, and if the gaps between the teeth exceed 1 mm, this gives grounds to state the fact that there is a dental pathology.

The presence of large gaps between teeth is a defect of a predominantly cosmetic nature, but in addition to this, they can also act as a cause of functional problems. Due to the presence of trema, speech defects occur, soft tissues of the gums are injured, and the formation of gum pockets is provoked.

In adults, this dental pathology is a risk factor for a significant increase in the likelihood of both diseases affecting teeth: caries, pulpitis, and gum diseases: periodontosis and periodontitis.

Based on this, gaps between teeth, despite their apparent harmlessness and the fact that they, as a rule, do not cause any significant discomfort in everyday life, require immediate corrective orthodontic treatment.

Tremas and diastemas

The concepts of trema and diastema are close in their meaning due to the fact that each of them characterizes dental pathologies that are similar in essence and have similar manifestations. Both diastema and trema are used to denote abnormally large gaps between teeth in the dental row of the upper and lower jaws. In essence, the only significant difference between them is that diastema is spoken of when the central incisors are separated by an excessive gap, and tremas mean a large distance in the gaps between all other teeth.

Quite a large number of people have a gap between their teeth, or diastema. It can occur in every fifth person, and it occurs with a much higher frequency on the upper jaw. As for the lower jaw, it becomes the location of such a pathology with a much lower degree of probability.

As a rule, gaps between teeth do not represent a serious problem for many people; they live their lives peacefully, without even paying any attention to it. And some even perceive the gap between teeth as an important component of their image, which is a special highlight of their appearance. But as statistics show, most people are still inclined to consider such features as a flaw rather than something that belongs to the positive features of their appearance.

Tremas and diastemas can be effectively corrected at the current stage of development of dental equipment and methods. This comes to the aid of all those who are dissatisfied with their appearance, and helps to get rid of all sorts of related complexes and self-doubt, and can also improve the quality of life.

Symptoms of trema

Symptoms of trema are manifested in the form of extremely large gaps of empty space present between the teeth in the lower and upper jaw. Trema that reach a width of more than 1 mm are classified as pathological. Trema occurs in the presence of all sorts of anomalies and deformations that have a maxillofacial localization, with small sizes of teeth, in cases of absence of some teeth in the dental row, etc.

By their nature, this anomaly is divided into physiological and pathological.

Physiological trema is likely to occur during the period of a child's development when permanent teeth replace baby teeth, and its appearance is associated with jaw growth processes. In the absence of trema in children aged 5 years, one can assume a delay in the development of the jaw bone, which, if confirmed, leads to the need to take appropriate corrective measures. In adults from 30 to 50 years old, trema may indicate that periodontal tissues are subject to destructive processes, which are characterized by a decrease in the bone tissue of the alveoli of the teeth and displacement.

Pathological trema may appear when permanent teeth are already fully formed. It is caused by gum disease, atrophy of the jaw bone tissue, etc.

Thus, the symptoms of trema, which make the presence of this disease possible, are mainly reduced to the presence of more than one abnormally wide gap between the teeth in a row. This fact makes it necessary to contact a dentist to carry out the necessary measures to eliminate such a defect.

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Treatment of trema

Some people can live with trema for a long time without experiencing any particular discomfort. However, it should be taken into account that over time, the gaps between the teeth tend to widen. And sooner or later, the moment will come when it will be necessary to seek help from a specialist. Therefore, it is better not to postpone the treatment of trema, and start it as soon as possible.

Modern medicine offers a wide variety of different ways to eliminate such a problem. The choice of the most suitable one is based on an individual approach to each specific patient, taking into account the general condition of the teeth in the oral cavity and how far the process of formation of gaps between the teeth has gone, etc. Based on these factors, the dentist evaluates the feasibility of using braces, mouth guards, or orthodontic plates. The purpose of using each of these methods is, first of all, to straighten the position of the teeth and then fix them in this normal, correct state.

If there is no urgent need for orthodontic treatment, and all that is required is to restore the aesthetics of the smile, veneers can be used. The principle of using these artificial overlays made of composite materials or porcelain is that they close the gap, creating the necessary visual effect that gives the smile naturalness and beauty. They are fixed with glue, which is applied to the surface of the tooth, specially treated beforehand. The use of veneers allows achieving exclusively aesthetic goals, since they do not provide physical correction of the anomaly. In fact, the build-up of teeth with a diastema, that is, filling the gap between them with a special photomaterial, does not have a real therapeutic effect, only restoration takes place.

Treatment of trema can be carried out using various methods of modern dentistry, each of which implies achieving one or another beneficial effect: therapeutic or aesthetic.

Elimination of trema

It is possible to achieve the elimination of the trema by using a number of methods, which we will present below.

The longest, but at the same time the highest quality and most gentle correction of excessive gaps between teeth occurs when using the orthodontic method. Its use is not associated with any preparatory actions on the teeth, there is no need to pre-prepare, grind or file them. In children under 12 years of age, the anomaly is eliminated thanks to special orthodontic plates. Starting from the age of 13, wearing braces for a certain period of time is indicated.

The therapeutic method is also known as artistic restoration. It involves the use of composite veneers, with the help of which the missing dental tissue is built up.

The trema can be eliminated using the orthopedic method. Crowns or ceramic veneers are used to eliminate the dental defect. In terms of the level of aesthetic effect as a result of its use, the orthopedic method is superior to the method of artistic restoration with composite materials.

So, as a result of using some methods, the elimination of the gap is carried out by normalizing the position of the teeth in the dental row, while others are aimed mainly at restoring the aesthetic aspects of appearance, without eliminating the actual physical cause of large gaps between the teeth. The choice depends on what goal you are pursuing when contacting a specialist about this.

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Prevention of trema

When approaching such a question as prevention of trema, it should be noted that there are essentially no special specific prescriptions and recommendations that go beyond the well-known basic rules of care and principles of maintaining dental health.

In many cases, this disease originates from childhood, since tremas can occur even during the process of changing baby teeth to permanent teeth, and as a result of tooth loss, the neighboring teeth can change their position, forming large gaps. With sufficient parental control over the condition of the child's oral cavity, the risk of developing pathological tremas decreases, so it is very important to teach children the basics of personal hygiene, which also includes dental care and the rules for how to brush their teeth. In addition, it is very important to regularly visit a dentist, who, upon examination, is able to identify the features of the development of the child's teeth. In particular, to find out that their size is smaller than normal, or, for example, that the jaw is excessively developing, which can provoke tremas, and prescribe appropriate treatment as soon as possible before the disease progresses to a stage at which the fight against its consequences seems difficult.

Prevention of trema in relation to adults is similar. The need for regular dental control of the condition of teeth is also completely justified. A healthy lifestyle and the absence of bad habits also play an important role.

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