The main alternatives to Invisalign are fixed metal, ceramic or lingual braces, other dentist-supervised clear aligners, mail-order aligners, and composite bonding when the issue is tooth shape rather than position. At Toothi in Edgware, Invisalign starts at £1,495 all-inclusive, edge bonding is £195 per tooth, and complex cases are referred on to an orthodontist. Fixed braces handle the widest range of movements and are the usual route for complex cases. Clear aligners of any brand suit adults with mild to moderate crowding, spacing or bite issues who will wear them 22 hours a day. Bonding changes the shape and edges of the teeth without moving them, and sometimes that’s exactly what someone is after.

Here’s how each option works and who it suits, so you can see where Invisalign fits and whether something else would do the job better. Toothi London offers Invisalign in Edgware and composite bonding. Where fixed braces are the right answer, we’ll tell you and refer you on to an orthodontist.

Braces, other aligners and bonding each suit a different kind of problem. Here’s how they compare.

Fees for treatment elsewhere vary by clinician and case, so ask any provider for a written, all-inclusive quote. Toothi’s fees are fixed and published on our fees page.

For complex cases, often yes. Fixed braces are still the most capable tool in orthodontics. The brackets are bonded on and the wire applies continuous force, so an orthodontist can make movements that aligners manage less predictably. That includes large rotations of canines and premolars, pulling teeth down or pushing them up, closing extraction spaces, and correcting significant overbites, underbites and crossbites. They don’t rely on you remembering to wear them, and they’re the NHS option for under-18s who qualify. On the other hand, they’re visible, harder to clean around, come with food restrictions, and adjustments can leave teeth tender for a day or two.

Ceramic braces use the same mechanics with brackets that match the tooth colour. They’re less obvious than metal, though the wire and elastic ties still show and the ties pick up stain between appointments. The brackets are bulkier and more brittle, so treatment sometimes takes a little longer.

Lingual braces are custom brackets bonded to the inside surfaces of the teeth, so they really can’t be seen from the front. They need a highly trained orthodontist, take longer to fit and adjust, and most people lisp for a few weeks while they get used to them. For an adult who needs full fixed-brace movements and won’t accept anything visible, they’re the answer. For a case that aligners can handle, they’re more than you need. Our Invisalign vs braces page goes deeper, and braces for adults covers the broader adult options.

Mainly in material, planning software and attachments, and above all in the dentist using them. Invisalign is the original and still the largest clear aligner system, but several manufacturers now supply aligners planned from a digital scan and monitored in clinic. For a mild case, the brand matters less than the dentist planning it. For moderate cases, the differences start to count.

• ✓  Aligner material. Invisalign uses SmartTrack, a multi-layer plastic developed to apply a gentler, more constant force than single-layer materials and to hold its shape over the wear period. Material affects comfort, grip on attachments and how predictably teeth track.
• ✓  Treatment planning. Invisalign’s ClinCheck software lets the dentist adjust each tooth’s movement stage by stage before anything is made. Other platforms vary. The plan is where most of the skill sits.
• ✓  Attachments. Invisalign has a large standardised library of attachment shapes for specific movements. Systems with fewer options can struggle with rotations and vertical movements.
• ✓  The dentist’s experience. This matters more than the rest put together. Ask how long they’ve treated with aligners, whether you’ll see the plan before committing, and what happens if teeth don’t finish where planned. At Toothi, our principal dentist, who has a special interest in Invisalign, plans every case personally, and refinement aligners are included.

If you’re comparing quotes from clinics using different systems, compare the whole package: scan, plan, reviews, refinements, retainers and whitening. Toothi’s published packages include all of these. A brand-by-brand example is in Angel Aligners vs Invisalign, and how aligner pricing works is explained in why is Invisalign so expensive?.

They cut back on clinical safeguards, so there’s more risk. Remote aligner companies sell straightening directly to the public: impressions at home or a scanning shop, aligners by post, progress monitored by photos in an app. It’s easy to see the appeal. The concerns are about how the model works rather than any one company, and the General Dental Council has published guidance on these points.

• ✓  No in-person examination. Nobody has checked your gums, taken X-rays or looked for decay before putting force on your teeth. Moving teeth with active gum disease can loosen them. Every Toothi Invisalign patient has a check-up and X-rays first, included.
• ✓  Limited movements. Without attachments, interproximal reduction or a dentist watching the bite, remote systems are mostly limited to tipping front teeth.
• ✓  Nobody chairside when it goes wrong. An aligner that stops tracking, a tooth that becomes tender, a bite that opens at the back: these need someone to look in your mouth.
• ✓  Accountability. In the UK, the dentist prescribing your treatment must be GDC-registered and able to justify the plan. Ask any remote provider who the named prescribing dentist is.

Plenty of very mild remote cases do fine. The point is that the safeguards are reduced, and from the outside you can’t tell whether yours is a case where that matters. More in our page on low-priced aligner offers and in Invisalign dentist or orthodontist?.

When the problem is tooth shape, not tooth position. Sometimes what bothers someone is a chipped corner, edges worn to different lengths, a front tooth narrower than its partner, or a small triangular gap at the gum line. Aligners can’t fix any of that, because the teeth are already in the right place. Composite bonding can, in a single visit, by sculpting tooth-coloured resin onto the tooth and polishing it to match. At Toothi, edge bonding is £195 per tooth and a composite veneer, covering the whole front surface, is £295 per tooth. Porcelain veneers at £895 per tooth are the lab-made version. See composite bonding in Edgware.

Bonding isn’t a substitute for straightening teeth that are genuinely crowded or rotated. Resin built onto a crooked tooth to make it look straight ends up bulky, traps plaque and chips. In those cases the right order is often aligners first, then a little bonding on the edges, which is why we offer both under one roof. The full comparison is in Invisalign vs composite bonding, and real cases are in our before and after gallery.

Whichever way you lean, the sensible first step is a proper look at your teeth. Our consultation and iTero 3D scan are free, there’s no obligation, and if fixed braces with an orthodontist would serve you better, we’ll tell you.