Treatments for Gapped Teeth

Why the Gap Is There in the First Place

Worth knowing before you choose a treatment, because the cause decides which options will actually hold.

A large labial frenum. The little band of tissue running from your upper lip to the gum between your front teeth. If it attaches low, it sits between the teeth and holds them apart. Close the gap without addressing it and it tends to reopen.

Teeth smaller than the jaw. If your teeth are narrow relative to the arch, the spare space distributes itself as gaps. Nothing has gone wrong; there is simply more room than tooth.

Missing or undersized teeth. Peg-shaped lateral incisors are common and leave a space either side.

Tongue thrust or thumb sucking. Repeated pressure against the front teeth pushes them forward and apart over years.

Gum disease. This one matters most. When the bone supporting the teeth is lost, teeth drift and splay, and new gaps open in a mouth that never had them. If your gaps are recent and you are an adult, this is the first thing to rule out. See gum disease treatment.

Natural drift with age. Teeth move throughout life. Slow, gradual spacing is normal.

The distinction that changes everything: a gap you have always had is a cosmetic decision. A gap that appeared recently is a symptom, and it needs diagnosing before it is covered up.

Gaps at the Gum Line Are a Different Problem

If your gaps are dark triangles between the teeth near the gum, rather than a space running the full height of the tooth, that is not a diastema and the treatments above are not the answer.

These are black triangles, and they appear when the gum tissue that used to fill the space between two teeth recedes. The teeth themselves have not moved.

Common causes are gum disease, over-aggressive brushing, bone loss, and sometimes orthodontic treatment that has moved teeth into a position where the contact point sits higher than the gum can reach.

Options are genuinely different:

• Treat the gum disease first, always. Nothing cosmetic should happen on inflamed gums
• Composite bonding to broaden the contact point and close the triangle from the tooth side
• Interdental brush technique, since the wrong size makes recession worse
• Gum grafting in selected cases

Receded gums do not grow back on their own. The realistic aim is to stop the recession and disguise what has already happened, and being told that honestly at the start saves a lot of disappointment.

Gaps in the Bottom Teeth

Lower front teeth get less attention and behave slightly differently.

They are smaller and more crowded by nature, so spacing there often signals drift rather than natural size discrepancy, and it is more frequently linked to bone loss from gum disease. Lower teeth are also the ones most likely to relapse after treatment, which is why a bonded retainer behind the lower front teeth is standard after closing gaps there.

Treatment options are the same: bonding for small spaces, aligners where teeth need moving. The retention plan is what differs, and it is not optional.

Braces and Aligners for Gapped Teeth

The distinction people most often get wrong: bonding and veneers disguise a gap by making teeth wider. Orthodontics closes it by moving teeth. If you want the space genuinely gone rather than filled, this is the route.

Clear aligners

Removable, nearly invisible, and very effective for spacing, which is one of the easiest things aligners do. Simple front-tooth gaps often finish in a few months. Our pages on how Invisalign works, the different types and what it costs cover it properly.

Fixed braces

Still the strongest option where a lot of movement is needed, where the bite has to change as well as the spacing, or where several gaps are spread across the arch. Metal braces are usually the least expensive way to close a gap properly, which surprises people who assume they are the premium option. See metal braces and our wider orthodontics page.

Which one suits a gap

• One small front gap: aligners, or bonding if you want it done today
• Several gaps across the arch: aligners or fixed braces
• Gaps plus a bite problem: fixed braces
• Gap plus chipped or discoloured teeth: bonding or veneers, which fix both at once
• Large gap with narrow teeth: often both, aligners to close most of it and bonding to finish

That last combination is more common than people expect. Moving teeth together sometimes just relocates the space rather than removing it, and a small amount of bonding at the end gives a better result than either alone.

Closing the Gap Fast Versus Closing It Properly

Two honest answers, because they pull in opposite directions.

The fastest fix is composite bonding. One appointment, often under an hour for a single gap, no drilling, and you walk out with it closed. Nothing else comes close on speed.

The most durable fix is orthodontics. Months rather than hours, but the teeth are genuinely repositioned and no material has been added that will need maintaining.

The trade-off in plain terms: bonding adds material to make teeth wider, so slightly wider teeth are the outcome. On a small gap nobody notices. On a large one, teeth can start to look broad, and that is when moving them first gives the better result.

What Each Option Costs

Indicative UK market ranges alongside our own starting fees, which are set out above.

• Composite bonding: roughly £150 to £350 per tooth. A single gap usually needs two teeth treated
• Composite veneers: roughly £200 to £450 per tooth
• Porcelain veneers: roughly £600 to £1,200 per tooth
• Clear aligners for simple spacing: from around £1,500
• Full arch aligner treatment: roughly £2,500 to £5,000
• Fixed metal braces: roughly £2,000 to £4,000
• Retainers afterwards: budget for these, they are not an upsell

The cheapest route for one small gap is almost always bonding on two teeth. Our composite bonding costs page has the detail.

Cost over ten years, which is the fairer comparison

Bonding is cheapest today and needs polishing, repair or replacement every five to eight years. Orthodontics costs more upfront and, once retained properly, does not recur. Across a decade the gap between them narrows considerably, and for a young patient the orthodontic route is often cheaper in the end.

Please Do Not Try to Close It at Home

Worth saying plainly, because the searches for this are constant and the products exist.

Elastic bands around the front teeth are the dangerous one. They slip up under the gum, work their way down the root, and can cause enough bone loss to lose both teeth. This is a documented cause of tooth loss in teenagers and it happens fast.

Mail-order aligners without an in-person assessment move teeth without anyone checking the bone underneath first. On gaps caused by gum disease, that accelerates the loss.

Temporary tooth-gap filler kits sold online are thermoplastic beads. They trap plaque against the tooth, do not bond properly, and the material sits where you cannot clean.

Nothing closes a gap naturally. There is no exercise, no oil, no massage. The tissue between your teeth is bone, and it does not respond to any of it.

Will the Gap Come Back?

It can, and this is the part people are not warned about often enough.

Teeth have a memory. After any orthodontic treatment they drift back toward where they started, and spacing relapses more readily than most other problems. Retention is not optional and it is not temporary. Expect either a thin wire bonded behind the front teeth, or a removable retainer worn nightly, indefinitely.

If a large frenum caused the gap and it was never addressed, relapse is close to certain. If gum disease caused it and the disease is not stable, the teeth will keep moving. Bonding does not relapse in the same way, since nothing has moved, but the composite itself will stain and chip over the years and needs maintaining.

What Results Actually Look Like

Setting expectations honestly, since “before and after” is one of the most searched things here.

Bonding on a small to moderate gap looks genuinely seamless when the shade is matched well. A skilled result is very hard to spot.

On a large gap, closing it entirely with bonding alone means two noticeably wider front teeth. Sometimes that looks great. Sometimes it looks like two wide front teeth. A good clinician will show you this trade-off and may suggest closing part of the space orthodontically first.

Composite is slightly more opaque than enamel, so it can look a fraction flatter in bright light. Porcelain handles light better, which is why it costs more.

The honest summary: a small gap can be made to disappear. A large one is a design decision, not just a repair.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the fastest way to fix a gap in my teeth?

Composite bonding. One appointment, often under an hour for a single gap, no drilling and no waiting for a laboratory. You leave with it closed.

How much does it cost to close a gap in your teeth?

Bonding on the two teeth either side of a single gap is the cheapest route, at roughly £150 to £350 per tooth on the UK market. Aligners for simple spacing start around £1,500. Our own fees start from £295.

Can a dentist fill a gap between teeth?

Yes. Composite resin is bonded to the sides of the adjacent teeth to widen them and close the space. It is done freehand in a single visit and no healthy tooth is removed.

How do you fix gaps at the gum line?

Those are black triangles caused by gum recession, not spacing. The gum disease has to be treated first, then the triangle can often be closed with bonding to broaden the contact point. Receded gum does not grow back.

Why do I suddenly have a gap in my teeth that was not there before?

New spacing in an adult most often means the supporting bone has been lost to gum disease, allowing teeth to drift. Get it assessed before treating it cosmetically.

Can braces close a gap in my front teeth?

Yes, and spacing is one of the more straightforward things orthodontics corrects. Clear aligners handle simple front gaps well; fixed braces suit larger movements or where the bite needs changing too.

How long do braces take to close a gap?

A simple front-tooth gap often closes in a few months with aligners. Where several gaps or a bite problem are involved, expect longer.

Can gaps in teeth be closed permanently?

Yes, provided you retain them. Teeth drift back toward their original position, so a bonded or removable retainer is needed long term. Without one, spacing frequently returns.

How do you fix gaps in bottom teeth?

Same options as the upper arch, but plan for a bonded retainer behind the lower front teeth. Lower teeth relapse more readily than upper ones.

Is there a natural way to close a tooth gap?

No. There is no exercise, oil or home remedy that moves teeth. Elastic bands are actively dangerous and have caused tooth loss by cutting into the gum and root.

What is a diastema?

The clinical term for a gap between two teeth, most commonly the upper front two. It is very common and is not a disease in itself.

Does closing a gap change my bite?

Bonding usually does not, since teeth are not being moved. Orthodontics can, which is one reason a proper assessment comes before any aligner treatment.

Fixing a Gap in Elephant & Castle

The useful first step is finding out what caused it, because that decides whether you are choosing between bonding and aligners or need the gums treating first.

Call 020 7928 4474 or book online. We are at 3 St George’s Court, Garden Row, London SE1 6HD, minutes from Elephant and Castle, Borough, Waterloo and London Bridge.

For more on the options: composite bonding, composite veneers, porcelain veneers, and if the gap is from a missing tooth, bridges or implants.

Market price ranges are indicative UK figures from published 2026 cost guides, not our fees. Our fees start from the figures above and are confirmed in writing after assessment. This page is general information, not a diagnosis. Last reviewed August 2026.