If you’re an adult in the UK thinking about straightening your teeth, the choice usually comes down to two things: clear aligners such as Invisalign, or fixed braces. Both work. Both have their place. The right one depends on your teeth and the way you live, not on which one a clinic happens to sell.
So I’ll be upfront. Here at the practice we straighten teeth with Invisalign. If I think fixed braces would get you a better result, I’ll say so and refer you to a specialist orthodontist. A good result matters more to me than which system gets you there.
How each one works
Fixed braces are small brackets bonded to the front of your teeth and joined by a wire, which is adjusted every few weeks. Most people picture metal, but tooth-coloured ceramic brackets are available, and so are lingual braces, which sit behind the teeth.
Invisalign uses a series of clear, removable trays made for your mouth. You move on to a new set every week or two, and each one shifts your teeth a small amount. Small tooth-coloured bumps called attachments are usually bonded to a few teeth to give the aligners something to grip.
The things I’d weigh up if I were choosing
How they look
This is why most adults ask about Invisalign. Aligners are very hard to spot in conversation, which matters if you deal with clients all day or simply don’t fancy looking fourteen again. Ceramic braces are subtler than metal ones, but people will still notice them.
Day-to-day life
Aligners come out when you eat or drink anything other than water, so there’s no list of foods to avoid. The catch is that they only work when they’re in, and that means 20 to 22 hours a day. If you know you’re the sort of person who’ll wrap them in a napkin at lunch and forget them, be honest with yourself. You can’t forget fixed braces, and for some people that’s exactly the point.
Keeping your teeth clean
With aligners you brush and floss as normal. Braces make cleaning harder, and plaque that sits around the brackets can leave permanent marks on the enamel. I spend a lot of my working life on gum health, so I like the fact that aligners don’t get between you and your toothbrush.
Comfort
Both cause some pressure for a day or two after each change. Braces can rub on the inside of your cheeks and lips, and a broken bracket means an extra trip to the dentist. Aligners tend to feel smoother, though your speech may take a few days to adjust.
What each can treat
Invisalign deals well with crowding, gaps and many bite problems, and it has come on a long way in the last decade. Fixed braces still have the edge in some complex cases, particularly badly rotated teeth, larger bite corrections, or when teeth need to move a long way. This is where an honest assessment matters more than personal preference.
How long it takes
For mild to moderate cases, treatment times are often similar, typically somewhere between six months and two years. Nobody can give you a realistic figure until they’ve examined your teeth.
Cost
Invisalign at our practice starts from £2,748, and an orthodontic consultation is £62. The cost of private fixed braces varies a lot depending on who provides them and how complex your case is, so ask for a written quote rather than relying on figures you find online. If it helps to spread the cost, we offer 0% finance over 3 to 12 months through Tabeo (subject to a credit check).
What about the NHS?
NHS orthodontic treatment is mainly for under-18s whose teeth meet a set level of need, and it is almost always fixed braces from a specialist orthodontist. Adults rarely qualify, so for most grown-ups either option will be private.
Retainers: the part nobody mentions
Whichever you choose, teeth have a memory and will try to drift back to where they started. You’ll need retainers afterwards, and realistically for the long term. That might be a thin wire bonded behind your front teeth (from £924 with us), clear removable retainers worn at night, or both. Budget for this from the start so it isn’t a surprise at the end.
How we get started
At your consultation we’ll check that your teeth and gums are healthy enough to be moved. Straightening teeth on top of untreated gum disease is asking for trouble, so if anything needs sorting first, we’ll tell you. We’ll then take a 3D scan with our iTero scanner and can show you a simulation of how your teeth could move. It isn’t a promise of the final result, but most people find it makes the decision much easier.
If you’re weighing it up, read more about Invisalign or book a consultation, and we’ll give you a straight answer on which option suits your teeth.
Dr Naresh Hirani, Principal Dentist at Chalfont Dentist & Implant Centre, Chalfont St Peter.