When you smile, your upper front teeth are on full display. If your two central incisors are splayed then, in other words, flaring outwards, your confidence can suffer. This condition leaves spaces between the central incisors and their lateral neighbours. It can also cause the upper lip to protrude, affecting how you smile with your mouth closed.

Fortunately, this issue can be corrected with orthodontic or cosmetic dentistry. However, you first need to determine the cause. Determining the cause will help you to decide on an appropriate form of treatment.

Thumb Sucking Causes Flaring

One cause of flared or splayed upper teeth is thumb sucking. When a child sucks their thumb, they place pressure on the central and lateral incisors. This constant pressure pushes the teeth outwards giving them a splayed appearance.

If this is cause, then orthodontic treatment is the most appropriate. Using braces, an orthodontist can reposition the central incisors, bringing them back into their natural position. However, in some cases, if there is not enough room to accommodate the central incisors in their new position, your dentist will need reduce their size by removing some enamel.

Tongue Thrusting Leads to Splayed Teeth

Tongue thrusting could also be the caused on your splayed teeth. The patient pushes their tongue against their front teeth when swallowing instead of against the roof of their mouth in this condition. If this is the case, your dentist will first help you to swallow correctly by teaching you a set of exercises to carry out each day.

Once you have learned to swallow correctly, you can proceed with orthodontic treatment to correct the splaying of your central incisors.

Overly Large Teeth Cause Flaring

Sometimes, a patient's teeth are too large for their jaw. This leaves little room for all the teeth to sit comfortably side by side. What can then occur is that the central and lateral incisors begin to flare due to the force of the other teeth. In this case, recontouring the central and lateral incisors can help to reduce the size of the teeth.

In this procedure, a tiny amount of enamel is removed from the sides of the teeth. Once this is done, you can either opt for veneers, which will help to reduce the flaring and give your smile an extra sparkle. Alternatively, you can opt to do a course of orthodontic treatment to move the teeth back into their natural position.

Don't let splayed teeth ruin your confidence. Seek out a cosmetic or orthodontic dentist for a consultation, and to learn how you can gift yourself the smile that you deserve.

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