Do Gapped Teeth Get worse as you Age?

[Proballer25]

Im currently 21 years old and have a slight gap on my upper and lower front teeth. I have always had this since iv been young. My question is will this gap open up more and more as i age? I can live with the gap i have now im just hopeing it doesnt open up bigger and bigger as i get older. Any help here? Thanks in advance -Shawn

[katzfriend]

I would think as long as your gums are healthy your gap will stay the same. If you get peridontal disease your gums will recede and teeth become loose, which can cause them to shift. Also if you lose any teeth that could get your other teeth to shift and cause your gap to widen. So take good care of your gums and teeth and you should be fine, I think (but I am no expert!).

[wintersun]

If you are worried, Look at Lauren Hutton and Dave Letterman-I've watched their careers for 30 yrs, and don't ever recall their gap getting "bigger". CHARACTER- is what YOU gotta think! Such GALL-never getting their teeth fixed..!
How DARE you?? IN HOLLYWOOD????
That is soooo funny- and I know they have the best dentists money can buy- but I never notticed their gap getting any bigger...They have spent thousands of dollars PRESERVING that gap!
But maybe your dentist can tell you??

[ciliegia]

My father's family and I have the gap between the upper front two teeth. My father never flossed and the gap spread, considerably, and he lost his teeth. The same for his brothers and sister (referring to the gap, floss, and lost teeth).

I floss daily and the gap never spread. On the other hand...my sister, who never flossed (or for the most part, never went to a dentist), not only got a huge gap in her front teeth, but has lost a number of them.