Mike Tyson is changing his ferocious look. No, he’s not having his tribal tattoo removed. He’s missing that famous gap-toothed (diastema), gold-capped grin that was featured prominently in “The Hangover.”
One of the most recognizable faces in the world has been undergoing a dental makeover.
Tyson recently stated that he is focusing on an acting career. This may have something to do with his departure from the gap-toothed celebrity club.
A diastema is a space between two teeth. Many species of mammals have diastemata as a normal feature, most commonly between the incisors and molars. In humans, the term is most commonly applied to 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.
Diastema’s are sometimes caused or exacerbated by the action of a labial frenulum (the tissue connecting the lip to the gum) 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.
Treatment For A Diastema Diastema is a treatable dental deformation (if considered one). Treatments include traditional braces, Invisalign, direct dental bonding, porcelain crowns, or porcelain veneers to make the teeth wider and thus fill up the space. One problem with orthodontic correction is relapse: There is a strong propensity for the gap to reappear after treatment. This can be addressed by bonding a permanent retainer to the inside surfaces of the teeth.
Diastema In Current Culture 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.
Some well-known people with diastema include Kirsty Jones, Condoleezza Rice, CSI star Jorja Fox, models Lauren Hutton, Jessica Hart, Monika Jagaciak and (formerly) Paulina Porizkova, actress Béatrice Dalle, the late actor Terry-Thomas, singers Morten Harket, Elton John, Pharoahe Monch, Marie Fredriksson and Vanessa Paradis, former NFL defensive lineman Michael Strahan, David Letterman, actor Robert Morse, fictional bassist William Murderface, actress Anna Paquin, (formerly) actor Zac Efron, songstress Madonna and Swedish politician and Minister for Education Jan Björklund (derogatorily called “Magister Diastema”).