Is a Gappy Smile Sexy?

Celebrities like Madonna and Lauren Hutton have flaunted gappy smiles for years, but spaces and gaps may not be the best way to express your uniqueness, especially if your goal is to make a good impression. A large percentage of Americans don’t like gaps and spaces—it’s estimated that about 20 percent of Americans are currently undergoing orthodontics, according to the American Association of Orthodontists. “I’d say about 50 to 75 percent of us have some sort of misalignment in the smile,” says Chevy Chase, MD, prosthodontist Youssef Obeid, DDS. But not all of us choose to fix our teeth. “Economics is certainly a factor as to why people don’t fix their teeth. But there are also those who choose not to correct their smiles because they think the spaces and gaps look natural and sexy.”