Passion gap

Last updated

Passion gap or Cape Flats smile is a dental modification originating in Cape Flats, Cape Town, South Africa in which people deliberately remove the upper front teeth (maxillary incisors) for fashion and status. The practice is popular among lower class Coloureds and has occasionally been done by White and Chinese South Africans in the area. [1] [2]

Contents

Reception

For many years, Cape Town residents had their upper front teeth extracted due to regional cultural fashion. A 2003 study performed by the University of Cape Town found that the main reasons for extracting teeth were fashion and peer pressure followed by gangsterism and medical purposes. [1]

The dental modification is particularly popular in the Cape Flats section of Cape Town. In an interview of 2,167 Coloured people in the Western Cape, 41% have had teeth extracted. Of those who have undergone the procedure, 44.8% were male. Children as young as 11 have had their front teeth extracted for aesthetics. [1]

Other reasons for a passion gap include the belief of improved oral sex and kissing. Another belief is that fishermen extract their teeth to whistle louder to one another. Though the practice is still popular in the region today,[ when? ] perception is changing. [3] Some employers specifically forbid the display of a passion gap. [4]

History

Dental modification in Southern Africa has been documented for 1500 years. Other forms of dental modification are more prevalent in the northern regions of Africa. Deliberate incisor removal in Western Cape remains an exception. [5]

During the mid-seventeenth century, slaves often removed their teeth as a means to "take back control of their own bodies". [3]

Medical implications

While there are no specific medical problems caused by aesthetic dental extraction, the passion gap is described by anaesthesiologists in the region as a potential cause for difficult intubation.

See also

Related Research Articles

Horse teeth

Horse teeth refers to the dentition of equine species, including horses and donkeys. Equines are both heterodontous and diphyodontous, which means that they have teeth in more than one shape, and have two successive sets of teeth, the deciduous and permanent sets.

Cape Flats Area of Cape Town, South Africa

The Cape Flats is an expansive, low-lying, flat area situated to the southeast of the central business district of Cape Town.

Orthodontics

Orthodontics is a specialty of dentistry that deals with the diagnosis, prevention, and correction of malpositioned teeth and jaws, and misaligned bite patterns. It can also focus on modifying facial growth, known as dentofacial orthopedics.

Mouthguard

A mouthguard is a protective device for the mouth that covers the teeth and gums to prevent and reduce injury to the teeth, arches, lips and gums. "An effective mouthguard is like a ‘crash helmet’ for teeth and jaws. It also prevents the jaws coming together fully, thereby reducing the risk of jaw joint injuries and concussion." A mouthguard is most often used to prevent injury in contact sports, as a treatment for bruxism or TMD, or as part of certain dental procedures, such as tooth bleaching or sleep apnea treatment. Depending on application, it may also be called a mouth protector, mouth piece, gumshield, gumguard, nightguard, occlusal splint, bite splint, or bite plane.

Prognathism Protrusion of the upper or lower human jaw

Prognathism is a positional relationship of the mandible or maxilla to the skeletal base where either of the jaws protrudes beyond a predetermined imaginary line in the coronal plane of the skull. In general dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and orthodontics, this is assessed clinically or radiographically (cephalometrics). The word prognathism derives from Greek πρό and γνάθος. One or more types of prognathism can result in the common condition of malocclusion, in which an individual's top teeth and lower teeth do not align properly.

Malocclusion Medical condition

A malocclusion is a misalignment or incorrect relation between the teeth of the upper and lower dental arches when they approach each other as the jaws close. The term was coined by Edward Angle, the "father of modern orthodontics", as a derivative of occlusion. This refers to the manner in which opposing teeth meet.

Dental extraction Operation to remove a tooth

A dental extraction is the removal of teeth from the dental alveolus (socket) in the alveolar bone. Extractions are performed for a wide variety of reasons, but most commonly to remove teeth which have become unrestorable through tooth decay, periodontal disease, or dental trauma, especially when they are associated with toothache. Sometimes impacted wisdom teeth cause recurrent infections of the gum (pericoronitis), and may be removed when other conservative treatments have failed. In orthodontics if the teeth are crowded, healthy teeth may be extracted to create space so the rest of the teeth can be straightened.

Diastema A gap between two teeth

A diastema is a space or gap between two teeth. Many species of mammals have diastemata as a normal feature, most commonly between the incisors and molars. Diastemata are common for children and can exist in adult teeth as well. Diastemata are primarily caused by imbalance in the relationship between the jaw and the size of the teeth.

Grill (jewelry)

In hip hop culture, a grill, also known as fronts or golds, is a type of dental jewelry worn over the teeth. Grills are made of metal and are generally removable. They began to be worn by hip-hop artists in New York City in the early 1980s, and upgraded during the '90s in Oakland. They became even more widely popular during the mid-2000s due to the rise of Southern hip hop rap and the more mainstream pop culture status hip hop attained.

Gold teeth

Gold teeth are a form of dental prosthesis where the visible part of a tooth is replaced or capped with a prosthetic molded from gold. Their main use in modern times is as a status symbol.

Veterinary dentistry

Veterinary dentistry is the field of dentistry applied to the care of animals. It is the art and science of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of conditions, diseases, and disorders of the oral cavity, the maxillofacial region, and its associated structures as it relates to animals.

Dilaceration is a developmental disturbance in shape of teeth. It refers to an angulation, or a sharp bend or curve, in the root or crown of a formed tooth. This disturbance is more likely to affect the maxillary incisors and occurs in permanent dentition. Although this may seem more of an aesthetics issue, an impacted maxillary incisor will cause issues related to occlusion, phonetics, mastication, and psychology on young patients.

Overjet Medical condition

Overjet is the extent of horizontal (anterior-posterior) overlap of the maxillary central incisors over the mandibular central incisors. In class II malocclusion the overjet is increased as the maxillary central incisors are protruded.

Crossbite Medical condition

Crossbite is a form of malocclusion where a tooth has a more buccal or lingual position than its corresponding antagonist tooth in the upper or lower dental arch. In other words, crossbite is a lateral misalignment of the dental arches.

Toothcomb A dental structure found in some mammals, comprising a group of front teeth arranged in a manner that facilitates grooming

A toothcomb is a dental structure found in some mammals, comprising a group of front teeth arranged in a manner that facilitates grooming, similar to a hair comb. The toothcomb occurs in lemuriform primates, treeshrews, colugos, hyraxes, and some African antelopes. The structures evolved independently in different types of mammals through convergent evolution and varies both in dental composition and structure. In most mammals the comb is formed by a group of teeth with fine spaces between them. The toothcombs in most mammals include incisors only, while in lemuriform primates they include incisors and canine teeth that tilt forward at the front of the lower jaw, followed by a canine-shaped first premolar. The toothcombs of colugos and hyraxes take a different form with the individual incisors being serrated, providing multiple tines per tooth.

Tooth Hard, calcified structure found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates and used to break down food

A tooth is a hard, calcified structure found in the jaws of many vertebrates and used to break down food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or for defensive purposes. The roots of teeth are covered by gums. Teeth are not made of bone, but rather of multiple tissues of varying density and hardness that originate from the embryonic germ layer, the ectoderm.

Mammal tooth

Teeth are common to most vertebrates, but mammalian teeth are distinctive in having a variety of shapes and functions. This feature first arose among early therapsids during the Permian, and has continued to the present day. All therapsid groups with the exception of the mammals are now extinct, but each of these groups possessed different tooth patterns, which aids with the classification of fossils.

Dental avulsion Medical condition

Dental avulsion is the complete displacement of a tooth from its socket in alveolar bone owing to trauma.

Human mouth Part of human anatomy

In human anatomy, the mouth is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and produces saliva. The oral mucosa is the mucous membrane epithelium lining the inside of the mouth.

Open bite is a type of orthodontic malocclusion which has been estimated to occur in 0.6% of the people in the United States. This type of malocclusion has no vertical overlap or contact between the anterior incisors. The prevalence varies between different populations, for instance, occurring with 16% in Black people and 4% in white people. The term "open bite" was coined by Carevelli in 1842.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Fran Blandy (2009-10-07). "Cape Town's passion gap: sexual myth or fashion victimhood?". The Telegraph . Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  2. Jamie Clifton (2012-03-06). "SMILE AND SAY "PASSION GAP"". Vice . Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  3. 1 2 Biénne Huisman (2013-08-25). "Toothy truth of the 'Cape Flats smile'". City Press. Archived from the original on 2014-03-20. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  4. Ezelle Solomons (2011-02-02). "No 'passion gap', supermarket staff told". News24. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  5. Morris AG (1998). "Dental mutilation in southern African history and prehistory with special reference to the "Cape Flats Smile"". South African Dental Journal. University of Cape Town Medical School. 53 (4): 179–83. PMID   9760932.