Smile Str8 Dentist Dr Andy Toy advises against using direct-to-consumer (DTC) products where they send you a kit in the post. The kit contains putty to do your own impressions, which you send back to the company, which in turn sends you your aligners by mail. It might be convenient and cheap … but it can be dangerous.

Infact some DTC customers have complained of having migraines and jaw pain nine months into their treatment … not being able to properly chew, because these ill-fitting aligners shifted their teeth so much … and even developing an open bite, where their teeth no longer touched when biting down. You don’t get pre-treatment evaluation or ongoing supervision from a medical professional or access to your own Smile Str8 Advisor Donna.

The process of Invisalign Smile Str8 is actually pain-free.

The worst feeling you’ll get is like a really good scale and polish, where you get some vibration and a lot of water. At any time, you can put your hand up and Dr Toy and Donna will stop straightaway. Dr Toy hasn’t had to give an injection for the last five years, which has been a joy for him and certainly nice for his patients too. Once the aligners are fitted, the worst feeling you can get is some discomfort.

Many people actually find they prefer to wear the aligners, where at the start it was difficult to get them to try them on. Your teeth can have some sort of discomfort when they move, but because they're protected by the aligners, it's not something that bothers you on a daily basis. Invisalign are better than fixed braces in this regard, because fixed braces can be very painful.  Fixed braces can rub your lips and cheeks … and they certainly hurt your teeth when the practitioner tightens up those wires.

Invisalign treatment is specific for each patient, but we’re able to give you a really good idea before you finally commit yourself to treatment. It can be as short as three months, and it can be as long as 18 months. Most of Smile Str8 Dentist Dr Andy Toy’s patients find their treatments last about 12 months. Invisalign treatment used to take a long time, but Dr Toy was involved with research which enabled him to halve the time to put Invisalign in.

There are a number of ways of investing in your Invisalign Smile Str8 treatment. Most people give a deposit of £1,300, which is about a third of the total. You then invest about £250 per month, interest-free, for the rest of the 12 months. You can also get financing for your treatment, which brings the investment down to below £100 per month and can be spread over two, three or four years.

And £100 per month is less than what you probably spend on takeaway food … so you’ll be getting healthier and end up with a picture-perfect, straighter, whiter smile.Some people prefer to invest the total price upfront and get an investment reduction. Your investment can be anything from £2,000 for a very simple case, up to £5,000 for an extremely complex case.