Permanent and Quick Option for Teeth Gap?

I am afraid that dental bonding will not be a good option for your to close the gap between your front teeth.   A 3mm space is fairly large and attempting dental bonding to close the space will make your front two teeth look much too wide.  A much better approach would be to place two porcelain veneers.  By doing veneers you give the laboratory the freedom to close the space without making them appear as wide.  In addition, the lab can match the color of the existing teeth through digital shade imaging.  This process will only take two visits and give you a MUCH better result.  

Bonding is always a great, quick, long-term and economical option.  Unless the clinician is highly skilled, I would suggest a "wax-up" or prototype model of your proposed outcome prior to treatment.  This way a guide can be produced to transfer that to your teeth.  It will show correct proportions of your teeth:  length and width.  A general rule of thumb is the width of the front teeth should be approximately 75-80% of the length.  So if a tooth is 10 mm long, it should be about 7.5 - 8 mm wide.  It will also take into account the way your upper and lower teeth come together, bite and chew which will ultimately make the longevity more predictable.  You may also want to consider optional teeth whitening prior to bonding to enhance the result - keep in mind the color of the bonding will stay the same if you decide to whiten in the future.  Not much about "tooth effect bands" to show their efficacy and post-stability.  Good luck!

Bonding the teeth to disguise the gap between them is a good option in some cases. You want to make sure that your teeth are the right proportions to accommodate this gap. By that, I mean that if you already have short teeth or wide teeth, adding bonding to the sides to close the gap will only make them look shorter and wider (and unnatural). Keep in mind that bonding is a good option that will last you but can discolor over time due to the nature of the material used. Another option that is much longer lasting would be to get porcelain veneers on these teeth, if you are a candidate. 
With regard to the bands you mentioned, I would never recommend a patient to do any sort of orthodontic treatment (moving the teeth with bands, for example) at home. It can damage the teeth. Even if you were to do it at home and were able to move the teeth, the space that was once between those teeth will just be transferred to the sides of them, so you will still have a space. Also, Once you take the band off, the teeth will drift back to their normal position if they are not being retained. Hope this helps!

A 3mm wide space between your front teeth is a great candidate for dental bonding as long as your teeth are long enough to accommodate the added width. If you start out with short teeth with a 3mm gap, then trying to widen the teeth will make your front teeth look too wide. Dental bonding is the most conservative procedure we do as dentists and it can last for many many years, but no procedures are predictably permanent. Certainly stay away from do it yourself orthodontics!

 

The space between front teeth can be closed with bonding, this is the most economical and conservative approach.

 

However, over time the bonding can discolor and will need to be replaced. Need to keep in mind also that the teeth will become wider and a mock-up prior to placing the bonding permanently can give the patient a better idea how things will look. The gap can also be closed with veneers, but it is more costly,  requires two appointments and will be more drilling on the teeth. Can not stress the importance of mock-up for more accurate evaluation of the size and shape of the teeth for a more successful outcome.

 

 

 

Few things in health care are permanent.  Ask your dentist what solutions will give you the best value for your money and help you get what you want, but it's healthier to start with 'how long' instead of focusing on 'permanent.'

If you want to close 3 mm gap fast and effectively - bonding is the way to go. You will increase the width of each tooth by 1.5 mm, which is not very significant amount. You have to remember that bonding material with the time might change the color, but then again you can replace it very fast end effectively too.Good luck!

Bonding can be a good solution for a gap like this. But not always...

If your teeth are attractively shaped and proportioned now, bonding can make them look too wide. Teeth bands may help make the space smaller, but will cause other problems like making space in the teeth next to those. There are a long list of problems that can be caused including that the space will come back later.

Bonding when it is done by a skilled cosmetic dentist, can produce a beautiful result. In my office we would offer you computer smile imaging so that we both could look at it and decide if that looks good on you. We may even do a bonding simulation so we both could look at it as well. 

If you want a quick simple improvement, bonding is most likely the answer. If you want a perfect result, it might even take some porcelain veneers to create the right proportions.

Find a great cosmetic dentist, be as specific as possible about what results you want. Think through what you are willing to invest in cost and time to accomplish it. Then have a great conversation. For a (true) cosmetic dentist, these topics are daily ones and he should be able to guide you to a choice that works well. Thanks, Dr. Scott Greenhalgh, DDS

Choosing the best option for you to close a front gap is to have a mock -up done by your dentist.  Obviously,  the ideal treatment is to have braces but that does not always close your gap.  Bonding tooth colored plastic that matches the color of your teeth can be done with out noticing and is a less expensive choice than veneers.  If you want to close gaps and change the color of your teeth then you need to either whiten first or do veneers.  Bonding does not change the color of your teeth.

If you want it done in one visit, then bonding is the way to go. Bonding is considered a permanent material, but that doesn't mean it will never need to be redone, it most likely will at some point. Orthodontics might be the best choice, but it takes longer and will be more expensive. Keep in mind that traditional orthodontics or Invisalign might not be permanent either. If you don't wear a retainer, then a gap can open up again. Stay away from "tooth effect bands".