What is the ruling on straightening teeth if they are spaced apart?

Question : This brother, Hamad al-Wabli, says in this question: Is straightening teeth permissible if they are spaced apart? We ask you to answer this question.

Answer : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment. Straightening teeth falls into two categories. The first category is when the intention is to increase beauty; this is forbidden and not permissible. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed those who file their teeth for the sake of beauty and change the creation of Allah. This is the case even though a woman is required to adorn herself, as she is one for whom adornment is established; a man is even more so. However, if the straightening is to remove a defect, as some people may have a protrusion in their teeth, whether the incisors or others, that is ugly and repels whoever sees it, then there is no harm in a person having them straightened, because this is removing a defect, not increasing beauty. This is indicated by the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ordered a man whose nose was cut off to make a nose out of paper, meaning silver, and then he ordered him to make a nose out of gold, because this removes the visible defect, so the intention is not to increase beauty. May Allah bless you, Honorable Shaykh.