South Kensington
- 20 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3DL
- Open seven days a week
- 020 7183 2362
Treatment comparison · Wimpole Street, Marylebone
Veneers or invisible braces: disguise crooked teeth or move them?
Teeth that overlap, tilt or sit slightly out of line can be dealt with in two quite different ways. Veneers leave the teeth where they are and build a new, straighter-looking front surface over them, so the smile appears aligned within a few weeks. Invisible braces, a series of clear removable aligners, actually move the teeth into a better position over several months and change nothing about the teeth themselves. One is a cosmetic disguise with a shelf life; the other is a structural correction that lasts as long as you wear your retainer. Which suits you depends on how far the teeth are out of line, whether you also want to change their colour or shape, and how patient you are prepared to be.
Decision guide
Which is right for you?
Choose Veneers if…
- The irregularity is slight and mostly a matter of appearance from the front.
- You want to change colour, worn edges or tooth proportions at the same time.
- You need a visible result within weeks rather than months.
- You accept that veneers will need replacing in the future.
Choose Invisible braces if…
- Crowding, spacing or rotation is the issue and the teeth are otherwise healthy.
- You want to keep your enamel untouched and avoid anything irreversible.
- Your bite is affected as well as the appearance.
- You can commit to wearing aligners for 20 to 22 hours a day and a retainer afterwards.
At a glance
Side by side
| Feature | Veneers | Invisible braces |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | New ceramic or resin surface bonded over the existing tooth | Sequence of clear trays that shift the teeth in small steps |
| What changes | Appearance of shape, colour and apparent alignment | The actual position of the teeth and, where needed, the bite |
| Time to result | One to three visits over two to four weeks | Around 4 to 20 months or more depending on complexity |
| Tooth preparation | Minimal for composite; a thin layer of enamel for porcelain | None |
| Fee at Wimpole Street | From £595 (composite) or £1,095 (porcelain) per tooth | From £2,000 (mild), £4,000 (moderate) or £5,980 (complex) |
| How long it lasts | Composite around 5 to 7 years; porcelain 15 to 20 years | Indefinitely, provided retainers are worn |
| Daily effort | None beyond ordinary care | Aligners worn 20 to 22 hours a day; removed to eat |
| Reversible | Composite largely; porcelain no | Yes in principle; teeth drift back without retainers |
| Best suited to | Mild irregularity with colour or shape concerns | Mild to moderate crowding, spacing or rotation |
In the chair
What the treatment involves
Veneers
The dentist first checks that the misalignment is small enough to be masked without over-thinning any tooth or over-bulking another. A scan and photographs are taken and a mock-up shows the proposed shapes in your mouth. Composite veneers are sculpted directly onto the teeth in one appointment, with more resin added where a tooth sits back and less where it stands forward, so the finished surfaces line up. Porcelain veneers involve a preparation visit under local anaesthetic, in which slightly more enamel is removed from prominent teeth and less from recessed ones, followed by temporaries and a fitting visit one to two weeks later. Whitening, if wanted, is completed beforehand so the veneers are matched to the lighter shade.
Invisible braces
Treatment begins with a digital scan, photographs and X-rays, from which a virtual plan shows the intended movement of each tooth and the number of aligners required. Small tooth-coloured attachments are bonded to some teeth to give the trays grip, and occasionally a fraction of enamel is polished between teeth to create space. You wear each aligner for around a week, removing it only to eat, drink anything other than water and brush, before moving to the next. Check-ups every six to ten weeks confirm the teeth are tracking as planned; mild cases finish in a few months, complex ones can take well over a year. When the movement is complete the attachments are removed and retainers, fixed, removable or both, hold the new positions.
Fees
Cost and longevity at Wimpole Street
Veneers at Wimpole Street will start from £595 per tooth in composite and £1,095 per tooth in porcelain. Invisible braces will start from £2,000 for mild cases, £4,000 for moderate ones and £5,980 for complex treatment, with retainers included in the plan.
For a single slightly rotated tooth a veneer is the cheaper fix; for six or eight teeth the sums converge, and a porcelain set can exceed a course of aligners. The longer view favours orthodontics: aligner results hold for life with retainer wear, whereas composite veneers need replacing after around 5 to 7 years and porcelain after 15 to 20. Many patients choose both in sequence, using aligners to correct position and then a smaller number of veneers, or simply whitening, to finish the appearance.
All prices are indicative and are confirmed in a written treatment plan at your consultation. Fees are the same at every Medical & Dental clinic.
Weighing it up
Strengths and trade-offs
Veneers
Strengths
- Result visible within weeks
- Changes colour and shape as well as apparent alignment
- No daily wear or compliance required
- Porcelain resists staining for years
- Good for teeth that whitening cannot lighten
Trade-offs
- Teeth stay in their original positions
- Porcelain requires irreversible enamel removal
- Uneven preparation needed to mask crooked teeth
- Will need replacing in time
- Unsuitable where the bite is significantly wrong
Invisible braces
Strengths
- Corrects the actual position of the teeth
- No enamel removed or bonded surfaces
- Almost invisible in wear
- Can improve the bite as well as the look
- Results last as long as retainers are worn
Trade-offs
- Months rather than weeks
- Relies on you wearing the trays 20 to 22 hours a day
- Does not change colour, chips or shape
- Retainers are needed indefinitely
- Severe cases may need fixed braces instead
FAQ
Common questions
If a tooth sits more than a millimetre or two out of line, masking it means removing a great deal of enamel from the prominent tooth or making a very thick veneer on the recessed one. Beyond that point the dentist will usually suggest moving the teeth first, either fully or just enough to make veneers conservative.
No. Aligners move teeth and nothing else. Colour is addressed with whitening, which is often done during the last few aligners using the trays themselves, and chips are repaired with bonding or a veneer once the teeth are in their final positions.
Teeth have a tendency to drift back towards where they started, most noticeably in the first year or two but continuing gradually for life. Wearing a retainer at night, or having a thin fixed wire behind the front teeth, keeps them where the aligners left them.
Not usually. The veneers would alter the shape the aligners were designed around and interfere with tracking. Veneers are fitted after the final aligner, with the new tooth positions scanned so the design matches.
They are small bumps of tooth-coloured composite and are visible at close range but rarely noticed in conversation. They are polished away at the end of treatment without harming the enamel.
Yes. Scans, planning and aligner fitting are available now at South Kensington and St Paul’s with the same clinicians and fees. Review appointments and any finishing veneers can move to Wimpole Street once it opens.
Marylebone, W1
Wimpole Street opens 1 October 2026
Register your interest and we will contact you when the Marylebone diary opens. If you would rather not wait, the same clinicians can see you at South Kensington or St Paul's now.
Related treatments at Wimpole Street
Opening 1 October 2026
Wimpole Street is not yet seeing patients. Until then, please book or call our South Kensington clinic on 020 7183 2362 or our St Paul's clinic on 020 7183 3709. Questions about the new clinic: wimpolestreet@md.co.uk.
Until we open
Need an appointment before 1 October 2026?
The same clinical team already works from two other Medical & Dental clinics. Book at either one now and, if you prefer, move your ongoing care to Wimpole Street once the doors open.
St Paul's, City of London
- 5 Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7AQ
- Open Monday to Friday
- 020 7183 3709
