Diastema

Condoleezza Rice, former U.S. Secretary of State, has a prominent diastema.

Diastema is a gap or space between two teeth. The term is most commonly applied to be an open space between the upper incisors (front teeth). It happens when there is an unequal relationship between the size of the teeth and the jaw. Many species of mammals have diastema as a normal feature, for example the gap between molars and incisors in rodents.

Diastema is sometimes caused or exacerbated by the action of a labial frenulum (the tissue around the lip) causing high mucosal attachment and less attached keratinized tissue which is more prone to recession or by tongue thrusting, which can push the teeth apart.

In the Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote of the "gap-toothed wife of Bath." As early as this time period, the gap between the front teeth, especially in women, had been associated with lustful characteristics. Thus, the implication in describing "the gap-toothed wife of Bath" is that she is a middle-aged woman with insatiable lust. This has no scientific basis, but it has been a popular assumption in folklore since the Middle Ages.

In Nigerian society, diastemata are occasionally regarded as being attractive mostly among the western regions, and some people have even had them created through cosmetic dentistry. In France, they are called "dents du bonheur" ("lucky teeth").

Les Blank's Gap-Toothed Women is a documentary film about diastematic women.

Notable people with diastema

• Louie Anderson, American comedian
• India.Arie, American singer
• Brigitte Bardot, French Actress
• Belladonna, Hardcore Pornstar
• Jane Birkin, French Actress
• Ernest Borgnine, American actor
• Brandi Carlile, American singer
• Jemaine Clement, musician/comedian
• Elvis Costello, musician
• Ray Davies, British musician for The Kinks
• Robert Downey Jr., American actor who originally had a diastema, but had it corrected later in his career.
• Zac Efron, American actor whose self-described "huge gap" has been corrected.
• Danielle Evans, American model
• Flea, Bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers
• John Fogerty, American singer and musician
• Dave Foley, Canadian comedian/actor/writer
• Jorja Fox, American actress
• Marga Gomez, Puerto Rican comedian and playwright
• Jessica Hart, Australian model
• Jennifer Hudson, American singer and actress
• Dave Hughes, Australian stand-up comedian, radio and television presenter
• Lauren Hutton, American supermodel and actress
• Samuel L. Jackson, American Actor
• Elton John, English pop/rock singer and musician
• Isis King, American model
• Dr. Know, Guitarist for Bad Brains
• Denis Leary, American actor/comedian
• David Letterman, American TV comedian
• Demi Lovato, American actor/ Singer whose diastema has been corrected.
• Madonna, American singer
• Eddie Murphy, American actor/Comedian
• Eve Myles, Welsh actress
• Kurt Nilsen, singer/songwriter and World Idol winner
• Sandra Day O'Connor, American Supreme Court Justice
• Anna Paquin, Canadian-New Zealand actress
• Vanessa Paradis, French singer/actress
• Laura Pausini, Italian singer
• Ronaldo, Brazilian footballer
• Condoleezza Rice, United States Secretary of State
• Esther Rolle, American actress
• Laura San Giacomo, American actress
• Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austrian-American politician
• Seal (musician), Singer
• Paul Sheer, American comedian/actor
• Peter Siddle, Australian Cricketer
• Lara Stone, Dutch Model
• Michael Strahan, American football player
• Davor Suker, Croatian football player
• Terry-Thomas, British actor
• Paul F. Tompkins, American comedian
• Elijah Wood, American actor

In Non-Humans

In most species of herbivorous mammals, a diastema between the incisors and canines (if present), and the cheek teeth - molars and premolars are present. This is also the case for rodents and lagomorphs.

Many myrmecophagous mammals, such as the aardwolf, anteaters, and pangolin have either no teeth, or, in cases like the aardwolf, have large diastemas between their sparse teeth.

See also

• Cosmetic dentistry
• Tooth veneers