by maria | Last Updated: December 14, 2020

All You Need to Know About Black Triangle Teeth and Possible Treatments 

All aspire to have near-perfect electric-white teeth with no gaps, but everyone isn’t naturally gifted to have one. Fortunately, dental science has advanced manifolds to cosmetically repair openings between teeth, popularly called black triangles, using the most sophisticated procedures. Whether gaps are natural due to the shape of teeth or developing due to other acquired factors, your dentist can fix them and give you a perfect shining smile. Gaps between teeth could be an unmanageable dental hygiene challenge making things worse in the long run. Your dentist will first examine your dental structure and explain in detail about tooth shape, possible reason behind black triangles, and suggest possible remedies available to fix those ugly looking gaps.   

What Are Black Triangle Teeth?

If you are naturally gifted with triangular teeth, with the time you might develop triangular gaps between teeth. Besides attracting unwanted attention, the black triangle also known as open gingival embrasures could be a cleanliness nightmare resulting in plaque, tartar, and stains. Although not a matter of concern as over 67% of over 20 years old have black triangles. However, you should not ignore it if it is developing due to other reasons, which could be the following:   

What Causes Black Triangle?

The triangular gaps between your teeth could be due to dental structure and deteriorating gums. If you are witnessing the development of gaps formation, you should consult your dentist and fix it as soon as possible to avoid further damage.

Gum Recession: Healthy gum tissue holds your teeth and fills the spaces between them. If you have gum (periodontal) disease, gums could start receding from teeth, exposing gaps between teeth. 

Bone Loss: If you are suffering from osteoporosis, the bone near the base of your teeth could deteriorate. With bone loss, your gum could start receding resulting in the formation of a black triangle.  

Oral Health: If you are not careful about your oral health or hyper-aggressive about cleanliness you could damage your gums in the long run. Weakening gums could ultimately expose the triangular gaps between teeth.  

Orthodontic Treatment

If you are undergoing dental straightening treatment some gaps might develop as teeth move to new positions. In some cases, braces could cause gaps too.

How to Fix Black Triangle Teeth?

The treatment begins with a detailed examination to diagnose the possible reason behind black triangle formation. Following a basic dental examination, your dentist might opt for the x-ray to see dental structure, the severity of gaps between teeth, and suggest suitable treatments to fix black triangles. The type of treatment depends on the severity of gaps and the cause. Before starting treatment, you should share all possible details about your food, drink, smoke, and other habits so that he could proceed accordingly. 

Gentle Dental Hygiene

According to the American Dental Association (ADA), one should floss and brush teeth twice daily to avoid dental hygiene-related issues. Dental hygienists believe you can fix black triangles between teeth if you maintain dental hygiene. In some cases of initial gum weakening, dentists might opt for hyaluronic acid injections to regenerate gum tissues.

IPR

One of the most popular black triangle repair procedures is the interproximal reduction (IPR) or slandering. Your dentist will mechanically remove enamel between the teeth to improve dental aesthetics. The core idea is to create optimum space for teeth to fit better.

Cosmetic Bonding

If the gap between your teeth is relatively large your dentist might recommend cosmetic bonding to fill gaps with suitable material. To harden the material your dentist might use UV light. The most popular material used by dentists is composite resin, which could be white or pink.

Braces

If black triangles formation is due to orthodontic treatment, braces could be of great help to gap reduction. Braces are used for teeth straightening and your orthodontist could use braces effectively to close gaps between teeth.

Porcelain Veneers

Another effective black triangle repair procedure is veneers, in which a thin porcelain shell is adhered to the front of the teeth. It will not only close gaps between your teeth but also improve the contours of your teeth and smile. The procedure might require the removal of a small amount of enamel. It normally lasts for up to 20 years, depending on your oral hygiene practices.

Surgical Remedies

If your black triangles are severe with advanced gum recession, you might need surgical intervention for gums tissue grafting. Your periodontist will remove a small amount of tissue from the roof of your mouth and graft it over damaged gums. If required, your dentist might recommend bone grafting as well. The procedure is less invasive in nature as large invasions aren’t required.  

Conclusion

The selection of the black triangle teeth repair procedure will depend on the condition of your gum recession. If you are noticing gum recession, it is better to consult your orthodontist or dentist at the earliest as ignoring it for long could worsen the situation and treatment could be more complex, costly, and of course, painful.