Black Triangle Gap Between my Two Front Teeth

Question

I am getting my braces off in three weeks, and for the most part I am very happy. One of the spaces that won't close will need a little bonding, but that's it. My problem is the black triangle gap that is between my two front teeth. I know this is going to bother me, but my dentist says that if he puts some bonding there to cover it, I might have problems later on because I won't be able to clean that spot properly. How much of a worry should this be, if I want to bond it anyway? My cleaning habits are very good - I floss at least once a day and brush twice- but if I'll never be able to floss between my two front teeth, will the gums start to recede even more someday? Also, If I will have problems flossing around the bonding, will a water pic do the job just as well?

Lance Timmerman, DMD, MAGD · Answer

If done well, flossing should not be too much of a challenge.  The bonding should be contoured in such a way that cleaning is not an issue, and hey shouldn't be attached to the adjacent teeth.
Veneering with porcelain veneers would be more predictable, but you would need to decide if the triangle is big enough to warrant such efforts.

Mojdah Akhavan, DDS · Answer

There could be an easier fix to your problem. Ask your orthodontist if he/she can do INTERDENTAL REDUCTION to your front 2 teeth. This involves a small amount of tooth reduction, followed by space closure and making the black triangle smaller.If its possible, in my opinion, its a much the best alternative!

Ron D. Wilson, DMD · Answer

Good question....I would say the majority of the time the orthodontist should be able to do some interproximal reduction in between the teeth to be able to close the gap. This should work assuming not a tremendous amount of bone loss/gingival loss in the area. I would go that route first!

Robert Waxler, DMD, MS · Answer

Just because they bond the teeth to close the space doesn't mean that they are bonded together...you will still be able to floss normally.

	Sometimes we do bond a wire on the inside of the teeth to hold a space closed...if they do that then you can easily thread a  piece of floss under the wire.

Gerilyn Alfe, DMD · Answer

You didn't mention if the black triangle was always there, or if it appeared during the orthodontic process. If it happened during ortho, there is a test your dentist can do to determine if the gums may fill back in on their own. If your measurement falls within those parameters, I will usually advise my patient to wait for a few months to see if the gums rebound on their own. If not, I would usually opt for very conservative porcelain veneers to close the gap-they are much more predictable in closing black triangles than bonding and there should be no problem cleaning or flossing around them.

Black Triangle Gap Between my Two Front Teeth

Answers (8)