What Causes Black Triangles?
For some patients, the shape of their teeth taper towards the root and gum line, resulting in a little gap that is often triangle shaped, hence the term, “black triangles”. These open gingival embrasures generally affect the front teeth and may be caused by a lack of gum tissue. Black triangles are very common among people of all ages but as we age, our gums naturally recede simply due to daily wear and tear on the teeth and natural tissue thinning. Black triangles can be exacerbated by gum disease, vigorous brushing, or tooth infections.
Can black triangles be prevented?
For most patients, black triangles are an anesthetic annoyance but your dentist may encourage you to seek treatment if they begin to create a food trap or have increased plaque accumulation. Both of these problems can leave teeth more susceptible to decay and gum disease. If your black triangles do not bother you, your dentist may advise you to brush and floss carefully and keep an eye on the affected area to make sure it is not catching food or building up plaque.
As far as preventing black triangles, some patients are just more predisposed to developing black triangles because of the shape of their teeth or the fitness of the gum tissue. However, it is important to focus on minimizing gum recession and to avoid contributing factors such as gum disease and tooth decay by practicing good oral hygiene and seeing your dentist regularly for a check up and professional cleaning.
How are black triangles treated?
Without treatment, black triangles are likely to become more prominent over time as your gums continue to recede. Fortunately, there are several ways we can treat black triangles.
* Small black triangles caused by mild gum disease and recession may be controlled by having a deep cleaning with your dental provider and improving your oral hygiene routine. If your gum disease is more advanced, you may need to see a periodontist for treatment to get you back on track.
* If your black triangles make you uncomfortable or self conscious, your dentist can use dental bonding to build up your teeth and disguise the gaps.
* There are a few techniques that dentists and periodontists use to rejuvenate a patient’s gum line. The pinhole technique can be used to reverse gum recession as well as a gum graft or hyaluronic acid treatment.
Black triangles sometimes appear after orthodontic treatment in areas where teeth were previously crowded or overlapped. Interproximal reduction (IPR) is a technique in which your doctor uses a very thin file to take off some tooth structure between two teeth. If your doctor sees black triangles beginning to form during ortho treatment, IPR can greatly reduce their appearance by allowing the teeth to come even closer together.
If you are unhappy with the appearance of black triangles in your smile, speak with your dentist to see if there is an underlying condition that needs to be treated or to see what cosmetic options they offer to close those triangles and give you a smile you can’t wait to show off!