For many adults who value discretion, yes: clear aligners are removable and far less noticeable across a typical treatment of 12–24 months. For pure cost minimisation, fixed braces may be less expensive, and for complex skeletal cases braces, or referral to a specialist orthodontist, may still be the more appropriate answer. The honest answer depends on what your case needs and what matters most to you.
We aim for no surprises. Express and Moderate each include one refinement, and Unlimited covers refinements as the case requires, with multi-year aligner cover (terms and conditions apply). Retainers are quoted in writing with your treatment plan. Elsewhere, "from £X" quotes can add substantially to the headline figure, so ask specifically about refinements, retainers, IPR and review appointments.
Invisalign Express, at £2,200 with one refinement, is our most accessible plan and suits milder movement. Moderate is £3,400 with one refinement, and Unlimited is £4,500–£4,900 for more complex cases. Direct-to-consumer aligners are cheaper still but carry clinical trade-offs that can cost more later. Your free orthodontic consultation confirms which plan fits.
Many UK private dental policies cover some orthodontic cost, within annual limits that vary widely by insurer. Some employer plans include orthodontics; many do not. Check your policy. For any balance, we offer 0% APR finance over 12 months via Tabeo, subject to status.
Without retainers, yes — teeth gradually drift back toward their original positions through life. With consistent retainer wear (full-time for the first 6 months, then nights-only long term), most patients maintain alignment lifelong. Retainers are part of the treatment, not optional aftercare.
Less commonly than historically. Modern aligner therapy combined with IPR (small enamel reductions between specific teeth) handles many cases that previously required extraction. Severe cases may still require extraction; the decision is made carefully on a case-by-case basis at the planning stage.
Lower front crowding often increases gradually through life regardless of wisdom tooth status. This is one reason orthodontists recommend lifelong retainer wear after any alignment treatment. Treatment now prevents the cumulative drift over the following decades.
Treatment time depends on severity. Mild crowding: often 4-6 months with Invisalign Express. Moderate: commonly 6-12 months with Express or Moderate. Significant: 12-24 months, usually with Unlimited. Composite bonding camouflage of mild aesthetic crowding can often be completed in a single visit. Results and timelines vary, and are confirmed after your iTero scan and ClinCheck plan.
For most adult crowding, Invisalign clear aligners are the most common alternative — invisible during treatment, removable for eating, effective for the majority of crowding patterns. Composite bonding can camouflage very mild aesthetic crowding without moving teeth. For mild lower front crowding only, the Inman aligner is another option. Severe crowding generally needs aligner therapy or fixed braces.
We offer the full range of clinician-prescribed whitening systems: Philips Zoom (in-chair fast whitening), Enlighten Evolution (the gold-standard combined system — in-chair + at-home for predictable B1 shade), Boutique Whitening (custom-tray at-home), Pola, Opalescence, and traditional custom-tray gels. The right choice depends on starting shade, sensitivity history, and your timeline. We discuss options at the consultation and recommend what suits your case — not what gives us the highest margin.
Most patients see results last 1-3 years depending on diet and lifestyle. Heavy coffee, tea, red wine, smoking, and dark berries are the main re-staining factors. With custom take-home trays (included in DWL whitening plans), top-ups every 6-12 months maintain the shade indefinitely. In-chair Zoom whitening gives the fastest result but the maintained shade comes from the at-home trays — that's why our Signature Diamond plan combines both. Whitening doesn't change the natural colour of teeth; it removes the staining layer that's accumulated over time.
At Dental & Wellness London, whitening is £450 for a single arch system, £780 for a combination (in-chair plus take-home), or £495 for internal whitening of a single dark tooth. We use Opalescence, Enlighten, Philips Zoom and laser whitening, chosen to suit you. Every whitening patient needs a dental examination first (£65), as whitening is only provided for a fit, clean and healthy mouth; the whitening fees do not include the examination. Some staining does not respond to bleaching and needs a different approach, which we will explain at assessment.
Invisalign causes mild pressure and tooth tenderness, not pain. Most patients describe it as a dull ache for the first 2-3 days of each new aligner — the teeth are being moved, so some discomfort is expected. The sensation settles within a week. Over-the-counter pain relief is rarely needed. The smooth plastic of the aligners is much gentler on cheeks and gums than the brackets and wires of fixed braces, so the soft-tissue discomfort patients report with braces (cuts, ulcers) is unusual with Invisalign. If pain is sharp, persistent, or focused on one tooth, that's not normal Invisalign behaviour — get in touch.
For melasma yes — sun exposure is the single largest trigger and undoes treatment progress quickly. For other pigmentation types, sun exposure causes new pigmentation rather than necessarily undoing treated areas.
It will soften the appearance of fine horizontal neck lines and improve skin quality around them, but it won't erase set deep horizontal lines. The mechanism is skin quality improvement, not line erasure. Patients with significant set neck lines often benefit from combined approaches; we discuss at consultation.
Variable. Compliance indicators help verify wear. Some teens highly compliant; some not. Honest at consultation about compliance requirements.
Possible for patients with reduced skin elasticity. Combined plans (Onda + Lynton skin tightening) avoid this. We assess at consultation and recommend combined approach where indicated.
With appropriate conservative dosing, no — the goal is normalisation of overactive muscle bulk, not reduction below natural baseline. Excessive dosing elsewhere can cause gaunt appearance; we use conservative doses specifically to preserve natural facial structure. If your masseter is at natural baseline, we'd say no to treatment.
If your bite is currently acceptable, treating one arch is fine. If bite is involved in the concern, dual-arch needed.
At appropriate doses, no — normal chewing function remains intact. The aesthetic medicine reduces parafunctional overactivity (chronic clenching) without affecting active chewing strength. Patients can eat normally throughout treatment. Excessive doses elsewhere can affect chewing temporarily; we use appropriate conservative doses to preserve function.