Spacing
Gap in your smile in Greenwich, CT: three approaches, and they differ
Whether a space should be closed by moving teeth, adding to them, or replacing one entirely depends a great deal on how the gap came to be there in the first place.
How urgent is it?
Routine visit
Cosmetic in most cases. The exception is a gap that has opened recently in an adult, which can indicate bone loss and should be examined.
Opening hours
Mon–Tue 8a–7p · Wed–Thu 8a–5p · Fri 9a–2p
What this usually means
The causes we see most often
01
Natural spacing
Teeth slightly narrower than the arch that holds them. Often a family trait, and sometimes a feature people genuinely like and choose to keep.
02
A missing or undersized tooth
A tooth that never developed, or a small peg-shaped lateral incisor, leaves space on either side of it.
03
Teeth drifting after a loss
Lose one tooth and the others move gradually over years. New gaps appearing in adulthood usually have this history behind them.
04
Gum disease
Teeth that have lost bone support can drift and splay apart. This is the cause we most want to rule out first.
What to do right now
Before you get here
- 01
Take a photograph of your smile in daylight and bring it along. It is more useful to us than trying to describe what bothers you.
- 02
If the gap has appeared or widened over the last year or two, mention that specifically when you call.
- 03
If your gums bleed when you brush, tell us at the same visit, since the order of treatment depends on it.
- 04
Bring an older photograph if you have one showing how your smile used to look.
What we would do
At the appointment
We check the health underneath first, since a gap closed cosmetically over active gum disease will simply reopen.
Then we look at the size of the space, the shape of the teeth on either side, and how your lip frames them, and lay out the realistic options.
Small gaps often close with bonding in a single visit. Larger ones, or a gap in an awkward position, are usually better moved with clear aligners first, then finished cosmetically. A gap from a missing tooth needs replacing rather than simply closing.
How we fix it
The treatments this usually leads to
Q & A
What patients ask us about this
A small one, yes. Bonding or veneers can widen the neighboring teeth convincingly. A wide space closed that way can make the teeth look too broad, so aligners come first in that case.
It can, if teeth were moved and not retained afterward. Anyone who has aligners with us leaves with a retainer and a clear expectation of wearing it. That makes the whole difference in the long run.
Straightforward spacing is often a matter of a few months rather than a year. We give you an actual number at the consultation once we have seen your scan, not before.
Where we are
211 East Putnam Avenue, Suite 2-6, Cos Cob
Minutes from central Greenwich on East Putnam Avenue, with parking at the building.
Patients travel to us from
People often ask about these too
Describe it in your own words when you call. We will tell you whether it needs us today.