Online teeth straightening for the modern generation – Ben’s testimonial

Hi, my name is Ben, I live in the south east of England and today I’m going to give you a bit of insight into my experience of online teeth straightening in the hope that it will help you out, too! I currently work as a Business Analyst at a financial services company, which means I have regular contact face to face with internal stakeholders within the company, as well as with external clients, so my teeth are on display all day, which leads me to the beginning of my online teeth straightening journey…

#1 How it all began

My teeth were never in an appalling state but I had noticed towards the end of my 20’s my teeth were moving out of alignment, pushing forward and overlapping. This was a subtle change that happened over about 3 years. Most of my friends said they never even noticed, but it was definitely becoming more prominent and one of my front bottom teeth started to turn sideways and become sharp on my tongue. 

That was the turning point when I said I wanted to get this sorted, but I knew I wasn’t going to have braces. I managed to avoid these growing up and I didn’t want them now in my 30’s!

#2 Discovering invisible aligners and Straight Teeth Direct™

I began to research my options, spoke to friends about it and one of them said he had come across clear aligners, which I didn’t realise they were a thing. My issue was that he had spent over £5,500 on teeth straightening at a clinic. He had to take trips to London for the consultation, to take impressions, and to see if he was a suitable candidate for the treatment. I wanted to straighten my teeth using aligners but I couldn’t warrant a £5,500 price tag. 

I continued researching online about how the aligners work and I was happy that this was a less invasive corrective procedure than having train tracks on my teeth. Straight Teeth Direct™ was one of the companies I came across during my research. I didn’t know anyone who had tried this company before, so I was going to be taking a leap of faith. The website is laid out very well, looks very professional, but I still didn’t know what to expect from online teeth straightening.

#3 Straighter teeth on my terms

The great thing about how this works is you start with a SmileBox™, which costs a one time fee of £42 / 47€, and contains all the materials you need to take impressions at home in your own time and then send them back to the lab.

These impressions are then processed, which is where the lab team work their magic and send you a video of how your teeth will be straightened, as well as a treatment plan explaining what current issues your teeth have and how they will correct them. I liked the fact this was emailed to me. There was no hard sales text, no one saying “you need to sign up now”. In fact, that is also what made me happier about the situation: it was on my terms. If I wanted to walk away after the consultation and didn’t want the aligners, I could have. Obviously I didn’t, or you wouldn’t be reading this 😉

#4 The new generation of cosmetic orthodontics

When I weighed up the cost of £5,500 from their competitors to Straight Teeth Direct™’s £1,350 I was amazed. There are slight differences in the services. The main one being that the competition requires visits to see their dental professionals (normally in London). Straight Teeth Direct™ have catered for the online, connected generation. A similar service is provided to other methods, as you still have a dental professional checking in on your progress and assessing your aligners or answering any questions or concerns you may have, but it’s all done via their web based app. Same professional support, less hassle.

I know you might be thinking “how does that work”, because I did as well, but trust me it does. I didn’t want to be taking the costly trips on the train to London for checkups, as it would also mean taking time off work. With the Straight Teeth Direct™ app, I regularly update my dental professional, providing pictures of my progress. These pictures are like the online teeth straightening equivalent to in clinic check ups, so my progress can be monitored to sure everything is going according to plan. 

#5 My online teeth straightening journey so far

I am now around 85% into my 10 month personalised alignment plan and I am really noticing a difference in my teeth alignment. I still have a bit to go, but I feel happy knowing that my teeth are improving. 

So, the question you’re probably asking yourself is “how do the aligners feel?”. In the beginning: weird. This is in the same way that a piercing feels weird for the first few days, or wearing a wedding band when you first get married. It’s something different and your body doesn’t know what to do. The great thing is they feel pretty normal after a few days or maybe even up to a week depending on how adaptable you are! 

#6 What to expect from your online teeth straightening journey

Here’s the low down on what to expect. When you first put them in, they feel tight, slightly pushing on individual teeth in order to promote subtle movement. This is the whole purpose of the aligners, so you need to expect this. Personally, they felt large over my teeth, I was salivating more and I also started to talk a bit differently. While all of this was going on in my head, my friends and family were none the wiser. They didn’t notice a change or that I was wearing them until I pointed it out.

If you commit to online teeth straightening, you do need to have some self discipline. You can’t leave them in while eating or drinking, unless it’s water. If you fancy a beer, cider, fizzy drink or red wine you need to take them out. If, like me, you smoke, you’ll also want to take them out for a cigarette. If you leave them in while smoking they will stain. What has this meant for me? I still smoke, but just not as much. 

Wearing aligners has made me healthier. I brush my teeth after every meal, drink or cigarette. I pop the aligners back in and use the chewie, which is a small rubber tube you chew on for about 3 minutes to help the aligners fit back into place and supports your teeth in moving where they need to go. I realise this sounds like a lot of stuff to remember, but don’t let that put you off because you get used to it pretty quickly. I have a whole new routine and my oral hygiene improved drastically!

#7 Should I, should I not…

If you’re on the fence about whether or not you should give this a go, all I can say is this:

I thought the same and I’m glad I went for it. 

I would recommend getting the free e-consultation, as you’ll get a dentists evaluation and know for sure if this treatment will work for you – without spending anything! I also suggest getting the SmileBox™ impression kit and seeing what your assigned orthodontist recommends in your personalised treatment plan. When you get the results, you can make your decision from there, it’s entirely on your terms. For me, the cost of the impression box was the same I would have spent on a night out drinking. 

My friends didn’t even notice I had aligners until I told them, and when I explained what the process involved, they also became interested. Now a couple of my friends have their own aligners from Straight Teeth Direct™! 

#8 Last but not least

I’m looking forward to seeing the end result once I finish my treatment and my teeth are in complete alignment. I plan on using the teeth whitening kit at the end of my treatment, which will help my slightly stained teeth (from smoking) and I am most likely going to take up the aftercare plan where I will get a set of retainers to wear at night to stop the teeth moving back. I had been told by my dentist in the past that I grind my teeth in my sleep, which was wearing them down, and now the aligners double as protection by stopping me causing more damage to them. Yet another perk of the treatment!

That pretty much wraps up my experience so far. Hopefully this has been helpful in giving a bit more insight into what you can expect from this treatment!

All the best on your journey whatever you decide,

Ben