Spark aligners are clear, removable orthodontic trays made by Ormco from a material called TruGEN. They straighten teeth in the same way as Invisalign, through a series of trays worn around 22 hours a day. At our Islington practice Dr Vishal Patel plans Spark cases from an iTero scan, and compares them with Invisalign at a free consultation.
Dental & Wellness London is at 222 Essex Road, Islington, London N1 3AP, two minutes from Essex Road station and one stop from Highbury & Islington. Buses 38, 56, 73, 341 and 476 stop nearby, and Angel is a 15 to 20 minute walk. We are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm (Tuesday from 9am), by appointment.
Each part lasts differently. Whitening typically needs a top-up every year or two, composite bonding and veneers often last around five to seven years, and porcelain veneers commonly ten to fifteen years or more. Straightened teeth stay in place only with retainers. Regular hygiene visits and reviews help every element last longer. Results vary between people.
The consultation is £65. It includes a discussion of your goals, an examination of teeth, gums and bite, photographs, a digital scan and, where useful, a digital preview of the proposed changes. If your plan starts with Invisalign, the orthodontic consultation is free. You then receive a written plan with costs.
Not always, but straightening first often gives a better and more conservative result. Moving teeth into a good position means less needs to be added or removed with bonding or veneers. Where crowding or spacing is mild, bonding alone may be enough. We show you both routes at consultation and explain the trade-offs.
A simple makeover with whitening and bonding can take a few weeks. Plans with composite or porcelain veneers take a little longer, and those that begin with Invisalign usually run over several months. We wait around two weeks after whitening before matching restorations, so the shade has settled. Your written plan shows the timing of every stage.
There is no single price, because each smile makeover is built from the treatments you need. Our published fees include whitening at £450 or £780, composite bonding from £175 per tooth, composite veneers £350 to £500 per tooth and porcelain veneers from £750 per tooth. Your complete plan is quoted in writing after assessment, with 0% APR finance over 12 months via Tabeo, subject to status.
A smile makeover is a planned combination of cosmetic dental treatments, such as straightening, whitening, bonding, veneers and gum reshaping, carried out in a deliberate order. Rather than treating one tooth or concern at a time, it looks at the whole smile and your face together. At Dental & Wellness London each plan is designed and delivered by Dr Vishal Patel.
We are at 222 Essex Road, Islington, London N1 3AP, two minutes from Essex Road station and one stop from Highbury & Islington. The 38, 56, 73, 341 and 476 buses stop nearby, Angel is 15–20 minutes' walk, and Dalston is about ten minutes by Lime or Forest e-bike. We are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 7pm (Tuesday from 9am), by appointment.
Yes, sedation can be arranged for anxious patients or longer procedures where appropriate, and is discussed at your assessment. Our sleep dentistry itself is about how the teeth, jaw and airway behave at night. If dental anxiety is what keeps you away, we offer longer, unhurried appointments, explain each step before we begin and agree a signal to pause. Many nervous patients find that a calm, unrushed approach makes treatment manageable.
It can. Grinding and clenching are often linked with lighter, more disturbed sleep, stress, and sometimes breathing problems at night. Many people wake with a sore jaw, headaches or sensitive teeth. A hard splint protects the teeth, and looking at stress and sleep habits, with your GP where needed, addresses what sits behind it.
Start with your GP, especially if anyone has noticed you stop breathing, you wake gasping or you are very sleepy in the day. Your GP can assess for sleep apnoea and arrange a sleep study. Once that is done, a dentist can check whether a custom anti-snoring device is suitable for your teeth and jaw.
At Dental & Wellness London, a Davies hard occlusal splint for grinding is £495. You start with a 30-minute dental examination (£65), or a dental problem assessment (£75) if you have jaw pain. 0% APR finance over 12 months via Tabeo is available, subject to status, and every fee is confirmed in writing before treatment.
Sleep apnoea is diagnosed and managed by your GP or a sleep physician, not a dentist. For some diagnosed patients, a sleep physician recommends an oral appliance as part of their care, and a dentist can make and fit it to that recommendation. The medical management, including any follow-up sleep study, stays with the sleep team.
A dentist with an interest in sleep looks for the dental signs of night-time problems: tooth wear from grinding, jaw tension, mouth breathing and possible breathing issues. They can make hard splints for grinding and custom snoring devices once medical advice is in place, and refer to a GP where the cause may be medical. They do not diagnose sleep apnoea.
Dentists are trained and registered in the same way. The difference is in time, choice and planning: private appointments are longer, treatments the NHS does not fund are available, and plans are itemised in writing. NHS care is the sensible option for many people needing routine treatment. We are fully private and do not offer NHS treatment.
Fees vary between clinics, so compare published prices. At our clinic a 30-minute dental examination is £65, a children's examination £45 and a 30-minute hygiene appointment £85. Composite bonding starts at £175, crowns are £750 to £1,200 and implants start from £2,200 including the crown. Everything is confirmed in writing before treatment.
Usually two main treatment visits about two to three weeks apart, after an initial consultation. At the first, teeth are prepared, scanned and fitted with temporaries; at the second, the final veneers are tried in, checked with you and bonded. A short review appointment follows to confirm the bite and gum health.
No. A thin layer of enamel is usually removed to make room for the ceramic, and that enamel does not grow back, so the tooth will always need a veneer or similar restoration. That is why we keep preparation minimal and suggest more conservative options, such as whitening, bonding or alignment, wherever they would meet your goals.
Sometimes, but grinding must be assessed and managed first, because it is the most common cause of chipped or debonded ceramic. We look at wear patterns and the bite, may recommend a stronger ceramic such as Emax, and usually provide a night guard to protect the veneers while you sleep.
Porcelain veneers are made in a laboratory over two visits, resist staining and often last 10 to 15 years or more. Composite veneers are sculpted directly in one visit, with little or no enamel removed, cost £350 to £500 per tooth and usually need maintenance within five to seven years. We explain which suits your teeth at consultation.
Preparation is carried out under local anaesthetic, so most people feel pressure rather than pain. Some sensitivity to cold is common for a few days to a few weeks afterwards, while the teeth settle under the temporaries and new veneers. If sensitivity persists or the bite feels high, we see you to adjust it.
Porcelain veneers often last 10 to 15 years, and many last longer. Results vary with the health of the underlying teeth, the bond, your bite and whether you grind. Twice-daily brushing, cleaning between the teeth, regular 30-minute hygiene visits and a night guard where advised all help them last.
At our Islington clinic, porcelain veneers cost £750 to £1,050 per tooth and Emax veneers £1,050 to £1,500 per tooth. The total depends on how many teeth are involved and whether whitening or alignment is needed first. Every figure is confirmed in a written plan after your £65 consultation, and 0% APR finance over 12 months via Tabeo is available, subject to status.
They are cheaper, but there is no in-person examination, no X-rays and limited supervision, so decay, gum disease or bite problems can be missed and moved along with the teeth. We recommend any orthodontic treatment begins with an in-person assessment by a trained clinician, which our free consultation provides.