Breandán wrote:
Don't want to put a damper on the party, but I think a diastema is technically a different type of gap between teeth from a séanas (the photo definitely represents a séanas).
A diastema is "A gap separating teeth of one kind from those of another, found in most mammals except humans." (SOED), i.e., the gap between the biting teeth and grinding teeth of horses, sheep, cows, etc.
Well wikipedia says it applies to both humans and animals (but it's hard to know how reliable that is). There's some interesting superstitions about it too.
Quote:
In the Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer wrote of the "gap-toothed wife of Bath".[2] 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.[citation needed]
In Ghana, Namibia, and Nigeria, diastema is regarded as being attractive and a sign of fertility, and some people have even had them created through cosmetic dentistry.[3] In France, they are called "dents du bonheur" ("lucky teeth"),[4] and in Australia, gapped front teeth in children are said to be a predictor of future wealth.
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