Teeth Straightening: Every Option Compared
There’s no single best way to straighten teeth. There’s a best way for your teeth, and it depends on what’s actually wrong, how quickly you want it sorted and how much visible hardware you’re willing to live with in the meantime.
This page puts the options side by side, including the ones that involve no orthodontics at all. That way you arrive at a consultation knowing roughly where you sit, rather than being sold whichever treatment the practice happens to favour.
If you live in north London, see our page on teeth straightening in Edgware for our three fixed Invisalign prices and what a free consultation includes.
The four routes
Clear aligners. Removable clear trays that move teeth gradually. At Toothi, Invisalign Go Express takes typically around 3 months, Invisalign Go typically around 6 months and Invisalign Go Plus typically around 9 months. Those are averages across the cases we treat; your own timeline is confirmed on your ClinCheck plan. Best for crowding, spacing, mild to moderate bite problems and relapse after childhood braces. They’re near-invisible, they come out for eating, and most adults choose them. They do need discipline: 20–22 hours a day, or they don’t work. £1,495–£2,995 at Toothi. More on clear aligners.
Fixed braces (metal or ceramic). Brackets bonded to the teeth and joined by a wire. More visible, but they work all the time without you having to remember anything, and they’re still the more predictable choice for severe rotations, large vertical movements and complex bite correction. Ceramic brackets are tooth-coloured and less obvious than metal.
Lingual braces. Fixed braces on the inside surfaces of the teeth. You can’t see them from the front, but they cost considerably more and your speech takes a while to adjust. Typically £4,000 and up in the UK.
Cosmetic reshaping, without moving anything. Most sites leave this one out. If the issue is a small chip, a slightly uneven edge or a narrow gap, composite bonding can reshape the tooth in a single visit from £195 per tooth. No aligners, no waiting. It changes how the tooth looks, not where it sits, so it won’t fix crowding or a bad bite. For a cosmetic problem limited to one or two front teeth, though, it’s quicker and simpler than orthodontics.
How to tell which group you’re in
A rough guide, until we’ve actually examined you:
- Mildly crowded or gappy, otherwise healthy bite: clear aligners are usually the straightforward answer.
- Teeth shifted since teenage braces: very common, usually a shorter aligner case, and normally Invisalign Go Express at the lower fee tier.
- Significant bite problems, severe rotations, jaw discrepancy: fixed appliances, and sometimes a referral to an orthodontist.
- One or two teeth that look wrong but sit in the right place: bonding, not orthodontics.
- Teeth straight but discoloured: whitening, not straightening. Worth ruling out first. Quite a few people who ask about straightening actually want whitening.
Invisalign results from our patients
A few of the smiles we’ve straightened at Toothi in Edgware.
Photos of our own patients, shared with their consent. Individual results vary.
What it costs
Across the UK, expect roughly £1,500–£5,500 for clear aligners, £2,000–£4,500 for ceramic fixed braces, and £4,000–£8,000 for lingual. Composite bonding is priced per tooth.
At Toothi, clear aligner treatment falls into one of three fixed tiers, depending on how much movement you need: Invisalign Go Express £1,495 (typically around 3 months), Invisalign Go £2,495 (typically around 6 months) and Invisalign Go Plus £2,995 (typically around 9 months). Complex cases are quoted after assessment and referred on. Edge bonding is £195 per tooth (4 teeth £695, 6 teeth £995) and a composite veneer is £295 per tooth (4 teeth £1,095, 6 teeth £1,595, 8 teeth £1,995, 10 teeth £2,395). All our prices are on the fees page, and 0% finance over up to 10 months is available on treatment over £250, subject to status.
Straightening teeth as an adult
Teeth move at any age. As long as your gums and the bone supporting them are healthy, there’s no upper age limit on orthodontic treatment, and plenty of the people we treat are in their thirties, forties and fifties. If that’s you, our page on braces for adults covers the questions that usually come up.
Finding out where you stand
The consultation and iTero 3D scan at Toothi are free. You’ll see a simulation of what your teeth could look like, we’ll tell you plainly which options suit your case and which don’t, and you leave with a written plan and a fixed price. You’re under no obligation to go ahead. Book the free scan or call 020 3148 2444.
Toothi is at 1 Handel Parade, Whitchurch Lane, Edgware, London HA8 6LD, two minutes from Edgware Station. We’re open seven days a week and rated 4.9★ on Google. Patients come to us from across north-west London and southern Hertfordshire; see areas we cover.
To see how treatment works at our clinic, visit our Invisalign in Edgware page, with packages, patient results and booking.
People also ask
What is the fastest way to straighten teeth?
If the teeth need to physically move, nothing is instant. At Toothi, Invisalign Go Express takes typically around 3 months, Invisalign Go typically around 6 months and Invisalign Go Plus typically around 9 months (averages across the cases we treat). If it’s only about how one or two teeth look rather than where they sit, composite bonding can change their appearance in a single appointment, from £195 per tooth.
How much does teeth straightening cost in the UK?
Roughly £1,500–£5,500 for clear aligners, £2,000–£4,500 for ceramic fixed braces and £4,000+ for lingual braces. At Toothi, aligner treatment is £1,495 to £2,995 depending on complexity.
How long does teeth straightening take?
At Toothi it depends on which tier your case needs: Invisalign Go Express takes typically around 3 months, Invisalign Go typically around 6 months and Invisalign Go Plus typically around 9 months. Those are averages across the cases we treat, and your own timeline is confirmed on your ClinCheck plan before you start. Complex cases are quoted after assessment and referred on.
Can teeth be straightened without braces?
Clear aligners move teeth without conventional braces. If the concern is only how a few teeth look, bonding or veneers reshape the tooth without moving it. Nothing else reliably straightens teeth, so be sceptical of anything sold as a shortcut.
Is teeth straightening available on the NHS?
NHS orthodontics is available to under-18s who meet a clinical need threshold. Adult treatment is almost always private, and cosmetic cases aren’t NHS-funded at any age. Toothi is a fully private practice and doesn’t provide NHS treatment.
Do I have to wear a retainer afterwards?
Yes, for good, and usually at night. Teeth drift back towards where they started, whichever method moved them. Retainers are included in aligner treatment at Toothi.
Toothi London, 1 Handel Parade, Whitchurch Lane, Edgware, London HA8 6LD · 020 3148 2444 · Mon–Wed & Fri 9am–6pm, Thu 9am–12pm, Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 10am–5pm (open 7 days). Dr Ali El-Kabengi GDC 270807; Dr Jeelna Shah GDC 211658. Fully private practice — no NHS treatment. Free consultation and 3D scan, 0% and longer-term finance available subject to status.
