Is shaving the teeth to make space for dental implants the safe?

I saw an implantologist re replacing a missing canine tooth with an implant...unfortunately there is not a lot of space as my teeth have moved forward. Originally I was advised I would need braces to open the gap. However this implantologist suggested shaving the teeth either side in order to make space. The reason I did not want a bridge was because I did not want my healthy teeth filed down. Is shaving them the same thing? Will it weaken my teeth?