The Missing Tooth Dilemma

It's one of the most common things I hear from parents: "We're waiting until her adult teeth come in."

I understand the instinct. Parents naturally want to capture their children looking their very best, and a missing front tooth can feel like an awkward stage. But I encourage them to think about it a little differently.

A missing front tooth isn't a flaw. It's a milestone - one of those universal rituals of childhood that nearly everyone experiences. For a few short months, every grin tells the story of a child who's growing up. Then, almost overnight, that stage is gone forever.

That's why I don't see those portraits as "less than." I see them as documenting a chapter that can never be recreated.

There will be plenty of opportunities to photograph your child once those permanent teeth grow in. You'll have years - perhaps decades - to make those portraits. What you won't have is another chance to capture that unmistakable gap-toothed smile that instantly says, this is childhood.

When I'm photographing a child who's missing a front tooth, I usually create two kinds of portraits: a timeless, classic image where the smile isn't the focus, and a big, joyful grin that proudly shows off the gap. Some families choose the classic portrait for the wall and keep the smiling image as a favorite reminder of that brief season of life.

Both have value. Portraits aren't always about making someone look their most polished. Sometimes they're about faithfully recording who they were at a particular moment in time.

Years from now, your child won't remember the day that tooth finally grew in. But your family may treasure the portrait that captures a stage every child goes through - one that disappears far sooner than anyone expects.

So if your child has a gap-toothed grin, don't think of it as a reason to postpone portraits. Think of it as an opportunity that won't come around again.

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