Both can. In the UK, any GDC-registered dentist who has completed Align Technology’s provider training can prescribe Invisalign; an orthodontist has a further three years of postgraduate orthodontic training. Mild to moderate cases suit a dentist, skeletal or surgical cases an orthodontist. At Toothi in Edgware, dentist-led Invisalign starts at £1,495. Neither title on its own tells you who should treat you. It depends on how complex your case is. Mild to moderate crowding, spacing and relapse after braces are routinely treated by dentist-providers. Skeletal problems, severe crowding, impacted teeth and anything that might need extractions or jaw surgery belong with an orthodontist.

Below we cover what the rules say, which cases suit which clinician, and the questions to ask anyone before you start, including us. How we treat Invisalign is on our Invisalign in Edgware page.

Yes, if they’re GDC-registered, trained and competent. In the UK, moving teeth is dentistry, and dentistry can only legally be carried out by someone registered with the General Dental Council. Any registered dentist may provide orthodontic treatment, including clear aligners, as long as they’re trained, competent and work within the limits of their skill. The GDC’s standards require every dentist to recognise those limits and refer on when a case is beyond them. There’s no separate licence for Invisalign. The training requirement comes from Align Technology, which only accepts cases from clinicians who have completed its provider certification.

The word “orthodontist” is different. It’s a protected title that only dentists registered by the GDC in orthodontics may use, after a three-year full-time training programme. A dentist who provides a lot of Invisalign is still a dentist and must describe themselves that way. That’s why you see “special interest in Invisalign” on practice websites like ours.

A dental degree, GDC registration and Align’s provider certification, with every case planned digitally in ClinCheck.

• ✓  A dental degree and GDC registration. Five years of training covering tooth movement, bite, jaw growth and how teeth move through bone.
• ✓  Align provider certification. A structured course in case selection, aligner biomechanics, attachments, interproximal reduction and treatment planning, completed before Align will accept a first case.
• ✓  ClinCheck planning. Every case is planned digitally. The dentist takes the iTero scan, sets the goals and adjusts a 3D simulation of each stage until the plan is right, all before any aligner is made; see how Invisalign works and Invisalign ClinCheck.
• ✓  Planning support from Align. Align’s technicians prepare the initial ClinCheck set-up for each case to the dentist’s instructions. Final responsibility for the plan and the patient always rests with the treating dentist.
• ✓  Scope by product range. The Invisalign Go range, which Toothi provides, is intended for mild to moderate movement of the front and premolar teeth. More extensive movement sits in Align’s comprehensive range.

When the jaws are in proportion and the problem is the alignment of the teeth. In orthodontic terms, a lot of adult aligner cases are straightforward: the back teeth bite together properly and the front teeth need tidying. That’s what the Go range was created for.

• ✓  Mild to moderate crowding. Overlapping or rotated front teeth; see Invisalign for crowded teeth.
• ✓  Spacing. A gap between the front teeth or small spaces across the smile line; see Invisalign for gaps.
• ✓  Relapse after braces. Teeth that have drifted since a retainer was lost, usually a short case; see Invisalign relapse.
• ✓  Cosmetic alignment where the bite is fine. Often combined with whitening or edge bonding at the end.
• ✓  Mild bite problems caused by the teeth. A mild overbite, a single-tooth crossbite or a dental underbite, where the scan confirms the jaws are not the cause.

There are practical advantages too: check-up, X-rays, fillings, hygiene, aligners, retainers and whitening all under one roof. The Toothi packages are built around that.

When the jaws, extractions, impacted teeth or surgery are involved.

• ✓  Skeletal problems. A lower jaw that sits forward or back, a narrow upper jaw, a marked open bite or deep bite. Aligners move teeth; they can’t move jaws.
• ✓  Severe crowding needing extractions. Closing extraction spaces and controlling roots over large distances is comprehensive orthodontics.
• ✓  Impacted or missing teeth. A buried canine, or spaces to be opened or closed for an implant or bridge.
• ✓  Jaw surgery. An orthodontist works with a maxillofacial surgeon before and after.
• ✓  Under-18s. Growth changes the plan. Toothi treats adults only.

These cases need more than a mild aligner system can deliver, so the right answer is a referral.

Refer it on. A good dentist-provider isn’t judged by how many cases they take, but by how reliably they spot the ones they shouldn’t. At Toothi the process is the same for everyone: a free consultation with a check-up and X-rays, an iTero 3D scan, and a straight assessment. If the scan shows a case within the Go range, you see the predicted result on screen and leave with a fixed written price. If it shows a skeletal problem, a need for extractions or movement beyond the Go Plus scope, we refer you on to an orthodontist with your records, at no charge. See also Invisalign alternatives and Invisalign vs braces.

Their GDC number, their aligner experience, exactly what’s included, and what they’d refer on.

The same questions apply to an orthodontist, a dentist-provider and a remote aligner company; see also our guide to low-priced aligner offers.

From £1,495, with everything included. Toothi is a dentist-provider. Invisalign is provided by our principal dentist, who has a special interest in Invisalign and is an Invisalign Go Plus provider. Cases up to the Go Plus scope are treated in house, and anything beyond it is referred on to an orthodontist. Scans are taken on our in-house iTero Lumina, so you see the predicted result on screen at your first visit, and the three packages are published as fixed prices.

Included in every Invisalign package: iTero 3D scan and ClinCheck · all review appointments · refinement aligners if needed · removable and fixed retainers · Airflow hygiene clean · Boutique teeth whitening. There are no add-ons. Full detail on our fees page and in our Invisalign cost guide. 0% finance over up to 10 months is available on treatment over £250.