Why do black triangles between your teeth develop?

Triangle shaped gap between the teeth is a common cosmetic dental deformity. Interdental papilla is a piece of gum tissue that extends from the gum margin to fill the area between two adjacent teeth. This part of the gingiva is shaped like triangles while covering the facial surfaces of the front teeth. Aside from covering the proximal surfaces of teeth, the piece of gingiva protects the tooth roots and prevents food particles from getting stuck between the teeth.

When the interdental papillae recede, it reveals the gap between our teeth. The space is projected as a black triangle between the teeth in such cases. This condition is called Gingival Embrasures. It is otherwise known as Gingival Triangles.

Many people believe wearing dental braces or clear aligners is the main reason behind such black triangles between the teeth. Likely, various factors also trigger such dental black triangles. Keep reading to know what they are.

Will teeth straightening treatment cause black dental triangles?

The triangle gap between teeth often appears after teeth straightening treatment. The embrasure space is not visible when the teeth are crooked, crowded or overlapped.

The existing interdental papillae are insufficient to fill the gap between the teeth once the teeth are repositioned with traditional braces or clear aligners. Hence the actual embrasure space becomes visible after orthodontic treatments.

In simply, teeth straightening treatments do not create black dental triangles but unveil the existing ones.

What are the possible causes of black triangles between your teeth?

There are many reasons dental black triangles develop, some of which are directly related to the condition of the teeth and gums. We have listed them here.

• Triangular tooth shape – Teeth are wide at the top and bottom when they are rectangular shaped. However, the triangular-shaped teeth are narrow at the gum line and wide at the biting surface. Hence the interdental papillae cannot be stretched to fill the gap in such cases, exposing the black triangles between teeth.
• Diverging tooth roots – Abnormal angulation or curving of tooth roots make the teeth emerge in a way with excessive embrasure space. In most cases, it happens genetically.
• Thin, fragile gum tissues –The thin, fragile gum tissues start to recede when they are affected by allergic conditions or microbes. When the interdental papillae recede, the gap between the teeth near gum margins becomes obvious. On the contrary, the gums with thick biotype can withstand inflammatory conditions, thanks to the greater blood flow they receive and keep the interdental papillae in place.
• Bone loss – Bone underneath the teeth starts to dwindle due to untreated gum disease or conditions like osteoporosis. Such dental bone loss makes the gum tissues recede, revealing the embrasure space.

Aside from the oral health complications and other conditions carried by your genes, improper oral hygiene and defective craftsmanship in dental treatments also cause black triangles between teeth.

• Aggressive dental hygiene – The gum tissues are soft and are tightly bound to the bone underneath. If you brush or floss vigorously, such aggressive behavior will injure the gum tissues covering the embrasure space. Consequently, the gum tissues start to recede, and triangle shaped gap between teeth becomes noticeable.
• Poor oral habits – Similar to the above-discussed poor dental hygiene habit, poor oral habits like toothpicks frequently, nail-biting, smoking or chewing tobacco products also cause black dental triangles.

How do dentists fix black triangles between your teeth?

You have numerous therapeutic solutions to get rid of dental black triangles. They are as listed as follows:

• Pink restorative materials
• Tooth reshaping
• Dental restoration reshaping
• Gingival veneers

Besides these, there are certain treatment options available to preserve and regenerate gum tissues, as follows:

• Tissue engineering
• Tissue volumizing
• Surgical approaches

Bottom line

Black triangles between teeth are not just a cosmetic concern. If left untreated, it paves the way for the piling up of food debris which is taken advantage of by oral microbes and leads to severe dental disorders like dental abscess.

Hence it is better to take necessary actions like proper dental hygiene and bi-annual dental checkups to prevent developing a triangle-shaped gap between teeth.