Dr. Malone,
I have a gap in my two front teeth in the top of my mouth. I want to close it but I don’t want braces. Are there any other methods I can use?
– Ashley from Alabama

Ashley,
There are several ways to close a gap between your two upper front teeth, and which way is best may depend on other conditions in your mouth.

If that is the only thing wrong, the easiest and nicest way to close it would be with tooth bonding. With tooth bonding, we add dental composite to the two front teeth and make them each a little wider, so that there is no more gap. I match the color and translucency of your teeth exactly, and shape and polish the composite so that you can’t tell anything was done to the teeth. You should be able to find an excellent cosmetic dentist in Alabama to do this for you. Don’t go to your family dentist for this – doing this right requires considerable artistic ability and special bonding materials and tints that many general dentists don’t stock. Look for a dentist who is accredited by the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

Another option is to do porcelain veneers. This is more aggressive, because the veneer will cover the entire fronts of the two front teeth, and may even involve other front teeth. But if there are other defects in the teeth, this may be the best.

Another option is to use Invisalign invisible braces. You said you didn’t want braces, but these aren’t conventional braces. There are no metal brackets, and the teeth are moved about twice as fast as they are with conventional braces.

The tooth bonding is by far the least expensive way to go, and the nicest way, too, if the gap is your only problem.

Other links:
Lafayette Louisiana cosmetic dentist