Many people have gaps between their front teeth.
While some gaps may be minor, more noticeable spaces can affect your confidence and make you feel self-conscious about your smile. Fortunately, several cosmetic dentistry options can successfully and permanently close tooth gaps.
What Causes Gapped Teeth?
Gaps between teeth, also called diastemas, have several potential causes:
- Genetics – Spacing issues can run in families.
- Lost teeth – If you lose a permanent tooth, the surrounding teeth may drift and create a gap.
- Oversized labial frenum – This piece of tissue attaching your gum to your lip can push teeth apart if too large.
- Abnormal tooth size or jaw growth.
- Thumb-sucking as a child can push front teeth forward.
While many people have tooth gaps, more significant spaces between teeth can bother some patients and make them less confident to show their smiles.
Should I Close My Gaps?
Only you can decide if you want to fix spaces between your teeth for cosmetic reasons.
While gaps do not automatically cause oral health issues, food particles and bacteria can more easily lodge between teeth with sizable spaces. And so patients at a higher risk of tooth decay or gum disease may benefit more from gap closure.
Cosmetic dentists can advise you on whether closing gaps would aesthetically improve your smile. They can also discuss any potential dental health benefits in your unique case.
Ultimately, you should weigh factors like treatment cost, required procedures, and expected results when deciding if and how to address your tooth gaps.
Fixing Gaps in Teeth: 5 Ways to Fix Gapped Teeth
Several cosmetic and restorative dental treatments can resolve gaps between teeth. Options range from fast, simple procedures to more complex, longer-term treatments.
1. Dental Bonding
Bonding applies a tooth-colored composite resin material directly to the teeth to fill spaces. The dentist first roughens the sides of the teeth near the gap and applies an etching solution so the bonding material will adhere. After applying the resin, your dentist “sculpts” it into the ideal shape before hardening it with a curing light.
Dental bonding produces quick, affordable results starting at around $200-$300 per tooth. However, bonding material stains more easily than porcelain and may need occasional touch-ups.
Modern bonding resins can now last 5-7 years or longer with proper oral hygiene.
2. Dental Veneers
Porcelain veneers are custom-made thin tooth coverings that dentists bond directly to the fronts of the teeth. Veneers create uniformly bright, gap-free smiles that look completely natural.
The veneer process takes 2-3 appointments. Your dentist first takes impressions and sends them to a dental lab that creates and stain-matches your veneers. At following visits, the dentist bonds the veneers over the treatment areas with strong resin cement.
Veneers cost $925-$2,500 per tooth but can last 10-15 years or more.
3. Dental Crowns
Dental crowns completely cover damaged or misshapen teeth with custom-fitted caps. Crowns provide strong, gap-free replacements for missing permanent teeth on either side of a space. They protect surrounding teeth that would otherwise drift into the empty gap area.
The process for getting a crown involves numbing the area, filing down the treatment tooth, taking impressions, and placing a temporary crown until the permanent one arrives from the dental lab.
Crowns achieve excellent functional and cosmetic results but usually run $800-$3,000 per crown.
4. Orthodontic Treatment
Braces and clear aligner systems like Invisalign® can successfully and predictably close gaps by gradually shifting teeth into their ideal positions. Treatment typically runs 12-24 months but produces results that should remain stable long-term.
Orthodontic costs vary widely, averaging $3,000-$7,000 for traditional braces and $3,000-$8,000 for Invisalign. Aligners offer more aesthetics but cannot correct some complex bite issues. Having retention after treatment is key to maintaining corrected tooth positions.
5. Dental Implants
Dental implants provide a permanent replacement option when missing teeth cause a large gap that permits other teeth to shift and drift over time. The dentist places a titanium implant surgically beneath your gums, then connects a realistic porcelain crown to the top portion after healing.
Implants help prevent future tooth movement, support the facial structure against sagging, and stop additional gaps from forming. However, the surgical aspect does require healthy bone levels and usually runs $2,000-$4,000 per implant.
Fixing Gaps in Teeth: Which Option Is Right for Me?
The optimal gap closure method for you depends mainly on:
- Gap size – Smaller gaps have more options, while missing teeth require implants or bridges.
- Your budget for treatment.
- How quickly you want results. Faster options include bonding and veneers.
- If you need adjustments for bite issues or jaw alignment.
Be sure to ask a skilled and experienced cosmetic dentist which solutions they offer and discuss their advantages and disadvantages for your unique smile goals. They can also show you before-and-after photos to set realistic expectations. But always feel free to get second opinions, too!
Consultations for Gap Closure Treatments
The best way to decide how to fix a tooth gap between your front teeth is by booking a consultation with an experienced cosmetic dentist in your area. They can perform in-person examinations of your smile, diagnose what is causing spaces between your teeth, and present your best cosmetic treatment options – most cosmetic dentists offer free initial consults.
Bring in photos of how you’d like your smile to look or show examples of smiles you admire. Be prepared to discuss what most bothers you about your existing space between teeth. And keep a running list of any questions you have so nothing slips your mind during your appointment.
During your consultation, your dentist will likely:
- Take x-rays of your mouth
- Perform a dental exam checking for cavities and gum disease
- Measure any gaps precisely
- Evaluate if other issues like misaligned, chipped, or worn teeth contribute to gaps.
- Discuss whether you grind your teeth at night
- Consider options given your financial range
Sure, gaps between teeth are common. But you do not have to live with spaces in your smile if they truly bother you.
Thanks to bonding, veneers, crowns, orthodontics, and dental implants, many effective and long-lasting cosmetic treatments exist to create the smile you want. So take that first step and set up a consultation with a cosmetic dentist soon to get your questions answered!
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