Diastema is a space or gap between two teeth. Many species of mammals have diastemata as a normal feature, most commonly between the incisor

Incisor

Incisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below.-Function:...

s and molars

Molar (tooth)

Molars are the rearmost and most complicated kind of tooth in most mammals. In many mammals they grind food; hence the Latin name mola, "millstone"....

.

In humans

In humans, the term is most commonly applied to an open space between the upper incisor

Incisor

Incisors are the first kind of tooth in heterodont mammals. They are located in the premaxilla above and mandible below.-Function:...

s (front teeth). It happens when there is an unequal relationship between the size of the teeth and the jaw

Jaw

The jaw is any opposable articulated structure at the entrance of the mouth, typically used for grasping and manipulating food. The term jaws is also broadly applied to the whole of the structures constituting the vault of the mouth and serving to open and close it and is part of the body plan of...

.

Diastema is sometimes caused or exacerbated by the action of a labial frenulum

Frenulum

A frenulum is a small fold of tissue that secures or restricts the motion of a mobile organ in the body.-In human anatomy:...

 (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.

In the Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer

Geoffrey Chaucer , known as the Father of English literature, is widely considered the greatest English poet of the Middle Ages and was the first poet to have been buried in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey...

 wrote of the "gap-toothed wife of Bath

The Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale

"The Wife of Bath's Tale" and prologue are among the best-known of Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales. They give insight into the role of women in the Late Middle Ages and are probably of interest to Chaucer himself, for the character is one of his most developed ones, with her prologue twice as...

". 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 Ghana

Ghana

Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...

, Namibia

Namibia

Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...

, and Nigeria

Nigeria

Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...

, diastema is regarded as being attractive and a sign of fertility, and some people have even had them created through cosmetic dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry is generally used to refer to any dental work that improves the appearance of a person's teeth, gums and/or bite. Many dentists refer to themselves as "cosmetic dentists" regardless of their specific education, specialty, training, and experience in this field...

. In France, they are called "dents du bonheur" ("lucky teeth").

Les Blank

Les Blank

Les Blank is an American documentary filmmaker best known for his portraits of American traditional musicians....

's Gap-Toothed Women is a documentary film about diastematic women.

Some well-known people noted for having diastema include models Lauren Hutton

Lauren Hutton

Lauren Hutton is an American model and actress. She is best-known for her starring roles in the movies American Gigolo and Lassiter, and also for her fashion modeling career.-Personal life:...

 and Jessica Hart

Jessica Hart (model)

Jessica Hart is an Australian model who appeared in the 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She was born in Sydney, Australia...

, American Football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 player Michael Strahan

Michael Strahan

Michael Anthony Strahan is a former National Football League defensive end who played his entire career for the New York Giants; a career where he set the record for the most sacks in a single season and won a Super Bowl in his final year. He is currently a football analyst on Fox NFL Sunday, and...

, actress Anna Paquin

Anna Paquin

Anna Helene Paquin is a Canadian-born New Zealand actress. Paquin's first critically successful film was The Piano, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 1994 at the age of 11 – the second youngest winner in history...

, songstress Madonna

Madonna (entertainer)

Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

, late night show host David Letterman

David Letterman

David Michael Letterman is an American television host and comedian. He hosts the late night television talk show, Late Show with David Letterman, broadcast on CBS. Letterman has been a fixture on late night television since the 1982 debut of Late Night with David Letterman on NBC...

, and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice

Condoleezza Rice is an American political scientist and diplomat. She served as the 66th United States Secretary of State, and was the second person to hold that office in the administration of President George W. Bush...

.

Dental Corrections

Diastema is an adjustable dental condition. This includes traditional braces, Invisalign

Invisalign

Invisalign is a series of clear, removable teeth aligners that both orthodontists and dentists use as an alternative to traditional metal dental braces. As of April 2008, more than 730,000 patients have completed or are currently in treatment....

, or direct dental bonding 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.

Some internet sources sell elastics that are designed to pull the front teeth together and close a diastema. However, orthodontists and cosmetic dentists warn that these techniques tip the teeth rather than move them sideways as they should be moved. In some cases, people using this technique have caused their front teeth to come loose.

Other animals

Most species of herbivorous mammals have a diastema between the front teeth (incisors and canines

Canine tooth

In mammalian oral anatomy, the canine teeth, also called cuspids, dogteeth, fangs, or eye teeth, are relatively long, pointed teeth...

), if present, and the cheek teeth (molars and premolars). This is also the case for rodents and lagomorphs.

Many myrmecophagous

Myrmecophagy

Myrmecophagy is a feeding behavior defined by the consumption of termites or ants, particularly in those animal species whose diets are largely or exclusively composed of said insect types....

 mammals, such as the aardwolf

Aardwolf

The aardwolf is a small, insectivorous mammal, native to Eastern and Southern Africa. The name means "earth wolf" in Afrikaans/Dutch. It is also called "maanhaar jackal". It is related to hyenas, but unlike its relatives, it does not hunt large prey. This unusual animal preys on insects...

, anteaters, and pangolin

Pangolin

A pangolin , also scaly anteater or Trenggiling, is a mammal of the order Pholidota. There is only one extant family and one genus of pangolins, comprising eight species. There are also a number of extinct taxa. Pangolins have large keratin scales covering their skin and are the only mammals with...

have either no teeth, or, in cases like the aardwolf, have large diastemas between their sparse teeth.