Gappy smile trend hits Australia
In light of the recent high profile of models such as Lara Stone and Georgia Jagger, an increasingly large number of young women are visiting their dentist in order to get the gap between their front teeth widened.
The gappy smile used to be a sign of poor oral health and an unattractive characteristic but in recent months, the look has been championed as a fashionable quirk and the catwalk trend has now spread to the people on the street.
The trend has already become extremely popular in America and the UK and now, it appears the must-have accessory has now gone global. Dentists in Australia are reporting seeing patients who are desperate for a large gap between their front teeth so that they can imitate celebrities and models.
Dentists are concerned that people are risking their health in order to look good and many are worried that the obsession with looking good has gone too far. Associate Professor, Kaye Roberts-Thomson, from the Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, claims that people are becoming increasingly obsessed with the way they look and are going to extremes to ensure they keep up with fashion and beauty trends.
Dr Neil Hewson, from the Australian Dental Association, echoes the concerns, claiming that the popularity of the gappy smile in the media has prompted people to visit their dentist in a bid to recreate the look; Dr Hewson claims the patients are eager to have the treatment, despite the potential damage the procedure could do to the teeth.
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