Fifty Shades and Madame Web star Dakota Johnson has a lovely smile, even with a gap between her teeth. But in 2019, she removed her retainer to prevent neck pain, which led to the gap in the middle of her upper teeth closing. “I was really disappointed because I've had that gap since I was born, but when I took my retainer off on the back of my teeth, it closed up on its own,” Johnson told InStyle magazine.
A gap between teeth, medically known as diastema, usually occurs between the two front teeth. Overgrowth of tissue in the center of the inner lip, overgrowth of gum tissue, teeth that are too small for the jawbone, extra or missing teeth, and even genetics can cause a gap in the teeth. Diastema can also be caused by an abnormal swallowing reflex, thumb sucking, and periodontal disease.
In Johnson's case, it's unclear why she had a gap between her teeth in the first place, but it appears that removing her retainer caused the gap to close on its own. This isn't normal, but it's possible, says cosmetic dentist Dr. Victoria Bateman (via Page Six). Perhaps she was fitted with a permanent retainer to keep her teeth in place after her braces were removed. There was probably a small gap, and when the retainer came off, the teeth closed up. [have] Johnson is reportedly wearing retainers again in the hopes that the gap between his teeth will go away – other celebrities with gaps include Madonna, Michael Strahan and Anna Paquin.
