Carrie2019
Active member
Yup I’ve had it. Started it the week before lockdown. I’ve finished now - just on my retainer part. I went to my dentist and it was £3200.
I’m made up and sooo happy.
I’m made up and sooo happy.
- Notice
By 'middleman' you mean the actual dentist. Smile Direct Club send you aligners with literally no regard for what state your teeth may be in and no xrays or check up done beforehand. Look at reviews online, they are horrific. There's a reason why dentists spend 5 years at uni learning about teeth.
Lola UK
VIP Member
the alignment looks great! I bet you’re so happy! If something is worth spending money on... it’s your teeth!! It can totally change your face and gives people so much confidence
Lola UK
VIP Member
I had Invisalign and it was the best thing I did! It was very pricey but worth it IMO. I only needed slight movement, but it took a good 8/9 months. I then did whitening after. I had so many compliments!
well worth the money as I was selfconscious in pictures, I never used to smile with my mouth open!
I only got the top arch straightened and I think it was about 2k ish. This was about 5 years ago.
well worth the money as I was selfconscious in pictures, I never used to smile with my mouth open!
I only got the top arch straightened and I think it was about 2k ish. This was about 5 years ago.
Not being aggressive sorry, I just thought it was quite funny how a dentist was referred to as a middleman! Imagine a medical Dr being called the same thing, they're only the middleman between us and every prescription drug available!
Anyway I'm sure SD probably advise somewhere that they advise a dental check up but they won't enforce it because end of the day they want sales, they aren't dentists, and if a patient is willing to take the risk then on their own head be it. So yeah I totally agree the patient needs to take responsibility as well, and surely warning bells should be ringing in their head wondering how this is possible via a DIY kit when dentists and orthodontists study for so long. Unfortunately in this country dentists have often been tarred with a reputation of being money-grabbing crooks.
A dentist may be approving the digital treatment plan for SD but that's just for the movement, it doesn't mean they've seen what's going on in the patients mouth.
Either way dentist or not, SD is crap compared to Invisalign. The material used for the aligners are different. With Invisalign you have temporary 'buttons' (blobs of white filling material) which the aligners push against to help with movements like rotation etc, and also if it's a crowded case the dentist often needs to lightly file in between the teeth to create space. SD does none of the that so the movements will be a lot more minor and/or take longer.
Lunamoon22
VIP Member
Yes, I had Invisalign for my front tooth that moved over slightly after having braces when I was younger, everyone said it looked fine but I was always self conscious about it, eventually spoke to my dentist about Invisalign.
I went in for a consultation and a scan and they showed me the before and after model, because it's a full mouth retainer they managed to move and straighten up other teeth that became slightly wonky over the years to create my perfect smile. It took a bit of getting used to retainers and they really aren't very noticeable at all. My dentist even did some enamel bonding to straighten the edges of my teeth as well as free tooth whitening and I'm so happy with the results.
It may seem expensive but I would say it's 100% worth it.
actuallyeducated
Member
I’ve got Invisalign, I’ve got the full one, I have 46 trays. I’ve had it for nearly 18 months already, only on tray 30. Cost about £4,000 I got 0% finance for 18 months pay about £215 a month. They said it would take about 12-18 months but here I am 18 months on on tray 29/46. So it’s been quite slow and I can’t really see much of a difference but my partner says he does. If they don’t come out perfect I will be absolutely furious. Given the choice again I’d probably just bite the bullet and get fixed braces so it’s over quicker and you can’t forget/not wear them enough etc.
Bae56
Chatty Member
If you're set on it, shop around. As with any private treatment the practice will decide the cost. A city centre practice normally has inflated costs in comparison to a practice in a rural area.
The one I mentioned above is a lot cheaper & it's only on a maximum of 5 months but there aren't as many dentists who offer it. I've only came across one practice in my area that offers it.
judgejohndeed
VIP Member
Unless your usual dentist is also an orthodontist, I would shop around. Even then, I would rather have an ortho who deals mainly with braces all day than a dentist who doesn't. In the same vein, I would not have a dentist do my lip filler for example - I'd advise you go with someone who does primarily braces.
There are different types of Invisalign and they actually come with different terms so be careful. I had Invisalign i7 for one arch and it cost me about £1750 including a fixed retainer. This was several years ago though. But there are different types - Invisalign i7, Invisalign Lite, and full Invisalign. Invisalign i7 and Invisalign Lite I believe do not come with further aligners if you are not happy with your treatment at the end. Only full Invisalign offers this. So be mindful if you get to the end of your set of retainers (7 trays for i7, 14 trays for Lite) you won't be able to get what they call 'adjustments' if you're not happy.
Re your second quote - I'm surprised if anyone is offering you 7 or 14 weeks because mine and my sister's was 2 weeks per tray, so it would be 14 weeks with 7 trays for i7 and 28 weeks with 14 trays for Lite. I read recently that they changed their protocol to say you can wear each tray for just 1 week but I don't know how accurate that is. My sister had Lite and her results are great btw.
In all cases check what is offered after as not all orthos offer you fixed retainers. Some will charge more for that. I would definitely get fixed. I had braces as a teen and wasn't offered fixed which is why I ended up getting Invisalign. Also, my sister does not have fixed retainers and her teeth do move slightly through the course of the day which isn't too much of a problem but IMO not what you want when you've paid all that money for Invisalign!
In terms of comparing Invisalign with braces, I preferred Invisalign as they are not so noticeable and you can take them out for occasions. However it does get annoying if you go out for food having to keep yanking them out. You also have to brush your teeth every time you put them back in which can be a pain if out and about. You have to be really disciplined with them also, so in that sense fixed braces are more ideal if you're likely to just not wear them as obviously you can't take fixed braces off. The other big plus to fixed braces is the ortho can be more precise about the teeth they are moving whereas with Invisalign all your trays are ordered based on a computerised plan so if for whatever reason you don't wear them enough or your teeth don't move as expected, your ortho cannot really adjust your plan.
Good luck! Invisalign was definitely some of the best money I've spent.
Lola UK
VIP Member
yes this is what my issue was. Obviously better to go to a dentist and they will decide how much space there is for movement! But should be pretty easy
Gembo
VIP Member
Excellent thank you. I did ask my dentist once a couple of years ago and she just said I was being silly and didn’t need it but it’s bothering me more and more so I’m going to ask her again!
TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo
VIP Member
I looked into Invisalign a couple of years ago because I'd had some dental work which had ruined my previously straight top teeth and was desperate to put them back how they were. I was quoted £5200. To be honest I felt they wanted to do a whole lot of extra faff to other teeth than was required I only needed to realign one tooth really. This was simply them wanting to achieve optimum results vs me just being happy to put them back to 'normal' rather than perfect though.
I was very close to going ahead but the thing that made me re-think was a consultant at an NHS dental hospital said they had a lot of patients being referred due to teeth falling out after undergoing treatment with Insvisalign. He said that from a dental perspective fixed braces are the better option.
Invisalign clearly works for a lot of people and I'm certainly not trying to put anyone off - I may even go ahead with it myself at some point. I just wanted to mention what I was told.
Despite how much I now hate my teeth, I'd be a lot more stressed if some fell out. I do wish I had the confidence to smile how I used to but I'm made up for those of you who have gone ahead and had brilliant results!
I was very close to going ahead but the thing that made me re-think was a consultant at an NHS dental hospital said they had a lot of patients being referred due to teeth falling out after undergoing treatment with Insvisalign. He said that from a dental perspective fixed braces are the better option.
Invisalign clearly works for a lot of people and I'm certainly not trying to put anyone off - I may even go ahead with it myself at some point. I just wanted to mention what I was told.
Despite how much I now hate my teeth, I'd be a lot more stressed if some fell out. I do wish I had the confidence to smile how I used to but I'm made up for those of you who have gone ahead and had brilliant results!
toffeejelly
Well-known member
Has anyone had Invisalign and if so would you recommend? If so, did you go to your usual dentist or did you shop around?
I have been to two different dentists.
1) Advised the treatment would take 9 weeks, and would cost around £2300
2) Advised there are two treatment options depending on what the impressions looked like once received. A 7 week treatment course which would be around £2400 or the 14 week treatment which would be around £3400.
I have a third appointment booked at another dentist so I can compare the three.
Crazy money! Just want to make sure I'd be making the right choice if I do decide to go ahead.
I have been to two different dentists.
1) Advised the treatment would take 9 weeks, and would cost around £2300
2) Advised there are two treatment options depending on what the impressions looked like once received. A 7 week treatment course which would be around £2400 or the 14 week treatment which would be around £3400.
I have a third appointment booked at another dentist so I can compare the three.
Crazy money! Just want to make sure I'd be making the right choice if I do decide to go ahead.
I have bite problems too and want to correct it. I went over some medical/dentist journals, to see which one is the better option (Invisalign or braces) to correct a deep bite/overbite. The conclusion is you will get better results with fixed braces. And I think I read you will get even better results with lingual braces, those are more expensive though.
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GossipMongoose
VIP Member
I‘m not an SD mole, not quite sure why you’re being so aggressive to me for asking a question.
However, I appreciate you answering and stating that there are no checks in place to ensure suitability or compliance. On that subject, do they advise that patients should have the all-clear via xrays and check ups with their dentists prior to commencement of SD treatment but don’t check that it has been done, just take the client’s word for it? Or is it just not mentioned at all? If it’s the former, is it really 100% Smile Club’s fault if the patient/client has structural issues that are exacerbated by the wearing of a clear retainer? Please note, i‘m not denying that some responsibility has to be taken by smile direct in that scenario, as regular face to face examination (not provided by the SD system*) is much more likely to pick up on problems early and take steps to resolve them before they become something significant. Surely some responsibility must be borne by the grown adult wearing the braces too, if they are cutting corners and are not adhering to the pre-treatment advice? Obviously if it’s the latter and SD don’t even mention X-rays and dental health check ups then there’s a bigger problem and the potential for patient harm is considerable.
*The website talks about their own dentists checking the retainers against your plan and then a network of ‘assigned dentists’ guiding treatment, suggesting there is some treatment support from professionals (although it does state that it is teledentistry so the support is provided ‘remotely’, not sure how helpful that actually is).
Lola UK
VIP Member
The picture should be exactly how your own teeth turn out. It’s all done from a computer and they send out the retainers to the dentist. If you aren’t happy with the result, they will send out more retainers!
I had the same problem, I had braces as a child, perfect teeth, didn’t wear retainer and they all went back crooked
I also had the offer of whitening and fixed retainer! I would tell EVERYONE to get a fixed retainer after ortho work
I had the same problem, I had braces as a child, perfect teeth, didn’t wear retainer and they all went back crooked
I also had the offer of whitening and fixed retainer! I would tell EVERYONE to get a fixed retainer after ortho work
Gembo
VIP Member
Thank you. I actually spoke to my dentist about it this week as I had my routine check up that was cancelled in June. She said that we can do it if I want but that it will be in the region if £3k or more and that I will have to commit to a retainer for the rest of my life, although she did say that after a while that doesn’t have to be every night but most nights. I’m kind of on the fence about it. I feel my tooth really shows in pictures, it’s not actually crooked or going in the wrong direction it just seems to be more further forward than my other teeth. If it was £1k I’d seriously consider doing it but I’m not sure I’m self conscious enough to spend £3k
she did also say a cheaper option would be braces but I’d need to wear them for 6-12 months, I don’t think I fancy that! 
I’m really glad it worked for you though and you’re so pleased you did it
GossipMongoose
VIP Member
Smile Direct Club are Invisalign without the middleman. Has anyone used them and can offer informed advice on how the two systems compare? Smile Direct is considerably cheaper than Invisalign but are there big differences in what they offer and the risks involved? They look like the same thing, clear retainers but are they?