Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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Our Diastemas. When I mention to most people, asking what a diastema is, The majority do not know--even if they exhibit one! Of course, it is the space between front upper and/or lower incisors. I lived with a diastema most of my life, Until I needed to have partials (deciding that implants were too expensive). As they were molded, I failed to mention I had a--now non-existent--diastema. As a result the teeth in my upper jaw are all shifted to the left ! I am beyond vanity at nearly 83, and find it just one more fun talking point. Having had this condition, I always noticed, especially in black Americans, That many singers, speakers, politicians who sported a diastema. My wondering came to an end, after a bit of research. First, it is an African trait, whites exhibiting one because we are all basically African! In Africa (eg Ghana and Nigeria) with European prejudice, Africans there were not valuing nor enjoying their diastemas, But with independence, the whole concept flipped into a positive trend. Today, 95 percent in Africa find MMD's (Maxillary Midline Diastemas) very beautiful. Moreover, 95 percent of the diastemaless population wish and actually want to create one! Genetically, developmental causes affect as many as 36 percent of black people, While affecting as few as 3.5 percent in the caucasian population. We in this country and possibly in Europe Do not even think about a diastema and its influence on attractiveness, But now-a-days in Africa and perhaps those in the western world, Black people are very aware of the little space between their teeth! Frank Maurer 8 July 2024 0450 Hours.