Closing a gap between front teeth in Glasgow’s West End
A gap between the two front teeth (a diastema) is one of the simplest things to change about a smile. For most people it is closed with composite bonding: no drilling, no braces, and usually one visit.
BeforeAfterA gap between the front teeth, closed with composite bonding and no drilling. Treated at Jordanhill. Individual outcomes vary.
£220Bonding per tooth, from
£48Consultation, taken off your treatment cost
No drillingBonding is added to your own teeth
4.9★★★★★500+ Google reviews
What we see
Which kind of gap is yours?
Gaps come from teeth that are slightly small for the jaw, a tooth that never came through, or a smile that has drifted over the years. How wide the gap is, and whether there is one or several, decides the best way to close it.
A small gap between the two front teethThe classic diastema, up to a couple of millimetres. Composite is added to the inner edge of each front tooth so the two meet, with the width shared between them so neither tooth looks too wide. Usually one visit.
Several small gaps across the smileSpacing between a number of teeth is often closed with bonding across the front six, or with clear aligners that bring the teeth together before any bonding is needed.
A wider gapPast a certain width, filling the whole space with composite makes the front teeth too broad. Here the gap is narrowed first with aligners, then finished with bonding, or the teeth are reshaped with veneers.
A gap that has opened up recentlyTeeth that have started to drift apart in adulthood need a check first: the cause can be gum disease, a lost back tooth or a tongue habit, and that is treated before the gap is closed so it stays closed.
Before and after
Gaps, closed
No stock images and no models. This is a patient treated in this practice, photographed before and after.
BeforeAfterSeveral gaps, closed in one plan
Spacing across the upper front teeth closed with composite bonding, each tooth widened a little so the smile reads as one even line.
Individual outcomes vary; your dentist can show you similar cases at your consultation.
Choosing the right approach
Bonding, aligners or veneers?
Three ways to close a gap, from the quickest to the most involved. The consultation tells you which suits the width of your gap; for most people it is the first.
Composite bonding
Tooth-coloured resin added to the edges of the teeth either side of the gap until they meet. No drilling, no anaesthetic, nothing permanent done to the teeth, and usually finished in one visit. From £220 per tooth.
Clear aligners move the teeth together rather than filling the space, so the teeth keep their natural width. Suits wider gaps and spacing across several teeth. Months rather than a visit, with a retainer afterwards. From £1,475.
Thin porcelain facings that close the gap and change the shape and colour of the teeth at the same time. For a wider gap, or where the teeth are also worn or discoloured. Two visits. From £420 per tooth.
For most gaps the answer is composite bonding, completed in a single visit. Here is what happens, step by step.
Radhika and a patient seeing her new smile for the first time.
1ConsultationYour dentist measures the gap, checks the teeth and gums are healthy, and shows you how the width will be shared between the teeth so the result looks natural. You leave knowing the cost.
2PreparationNo drilling. The edges of the teeth are cleaned and conditioned so the resin bonds to them, and a thin strip is placed between the teeth so each side can be shaped separately.
3BuildingResin matched to the shade of your own teeth is added in thin layers to each tooth and shaped by hand until the two meet, with the contact point placed where it looks right.
4FinishingEach layer is hardened with a curing light, then the bonding is trimmed, checked against your bite and polished so the join with your own tooth is hard to see.
You can eat and drink normally the same day. We review the result with you before you leave, and you are welcome to come back if anything feels high or catches.
Nervous about the dentist? There is no injection and no drilling; you set the pace and can stop at any point by raising a hand.
The £48 consultation is taken off the cost of your treatment if you go ahead. It is not refunded if you decide not to proceed, or if treatment turns out not to be suitable for you.
What moves the price
How many teeth are bonded, and how much is added to each. Closing one gap between the front teeth means bonding both teeth either side of it, as two separate composite bondings priced at the per-tooth rate. Spacing across several teeth is priced per tooth in the same way, and a wider gap that needs aligners or veneers is priced as that treatment.
Bonding is added to the surface of your own teeth rather than cut into them, so it does not permanently alter the teeth underneath, and it can be repaired or refreshed in years to come.
…helped restore my composite bonding from previous dentist and made me smile ready for my wedding. Such a friendly and welcoming practice
★★★★★Jess
Gap closure FAQs
Your questions, answered
Anything we have not covered, ask at your consultation or call the practice on 0141 334 2550.
Yes. A small or medium gap is closed with composite bonding, which adds tooth-coloured resin to the edges of the two teeth until they meet. There is no drilling and nothing is fitted to your teeth. For a wide gap, or spacing across several teeth, clear aligners may give a more natural result, and your dentist will tell you which at the consultation.
At Dentistry @ Jordanhill, composite bonding is £220–£452 per tooth, and closing one gap means bonding both teeth either side of it, priced as two. There is a £48 consultation first, taken off the cost of treatment if you go ahead. Invisalign is from £1,475 and veneers from £420 per tooth, if the gap is better suited to those. You know the exact cost before anything begins.
This is the main thing your dentist plans for. The width of the gap is shared between the two teeth, and sometimes a little is added to the teeth next to them as well, so the proportions stay natural. If the gap is too wide to close this way without the teeth looking broad, you will be told, and aligners or veneers suggested instead.
No. The teeth are not drilled, so no anaesthetic is needed. The surfaces are cleaned and conditioned, the resin is added and shaped, and the only sensation is the curing light and the polishing at the end.
Typically 3–7 years, and often longer with care. The resin on the inner edges of the front teeth is away from the biting edge, which helps. If it stains or chips years later it can be polished, repaired or replaced without touching the tooth underneath.
With bonding the gap is filled rather than the teeth moved, so there is nothing to relapse. If the gap is closed with aligners instead, a retainer is worn afterwards to hold the teeth in their new position, because teeth that have been moved will try to drift back.
Yes, and the order matters: whiten first. The resin is matched to the shade of your teeth on the day and does not lighten afterwards, so bonding done before whitening would end up darker than the teeth around it.
No. The consultation can be booked online by anyone, whether or not you have been to us before, and it is where your dentist confirms which option suits your gap.
Find us in the West End
Find us on Crow Road
454 Crow Road, Glasgow G11 7DR
Next to Jordanhill train station, on bus routes, with parking close by. Ground-floor surgery with disabled access at the front of the practice. Opening hours are in the footer below.
Book a £48 consultation, taken off your treatment cost if you go ahead. Your dentist will measure the gap, tell you plainly what suits it, and for most people close it in one visit.
Dentistry @ JordanhillWest End of Glasgow
