Qadri and colleagues have surveyed lay members of the public to try and measure their perception of different types of orthodontic treatment and subsequent restorative treatment. Opening of lateral incisor spaces can be difficult to get right especially if there are other complicating factors. The closure of spaces obviously has its advantages. It removes the need for ongoing maintenance of a restoration such as a resin bonded bridge, this can be even more complicated and involved where implant restorations are planned in these sites which will potentially need grafting and long life maintenance...lets not mention the potential for complications !
Other issues to consider with space closure include the gingival profile of the canine, the depth of colour of the canine and its size and ability to be disguised with bleaching and bonding as a lateral incisor. In this research from a group in Sheffield (UK) they found that patients and laypeople preferred space closure from an aesthetic sense as opposed to having a restoration in the lateral incisor position.