Easy Align
For minor gaps, slight crowding or relapse after previous treatment. Typically up to four months of aligners, with refinements included for two years and whitening gel for use in the trays. Retainers are purchased separately.
£2,000
Orthodontics · Wimpole Street, Marylebone
Invisible braces in Marylebone: clear aligners planned and supervised by a dentist
Clear aligners are a series of thin, transparent trays, each shaped a fraction differently from the last, that nudge teeth along a route mapped out on a 3D scan before anything is made. Worn for around twenty-two hours a day and swapped every one to two weeks, they can close gaps, unravel crowding and correct many bite problems without brackets or wires. Wimpole Street will offer three tiers of our own ProAligners system, from £2,000 for minor corrections to £5,980 for the most complex cases, each including refinements and progress reviews with the dentist who planned the case. This page sets out who aligners suit, what the tiers contain, how long treatment tends to take and where the honest limits lie.
- From £2,000
- Three plan tiers
- Reviews every 6–8 weeks
Suitability
Is it right for you?
A good fit when
- Mild to moderate crowding, where teeth overlap because there is not quite enough room in the arch.
- Gaps between teeth, including a single central gap or spacing spread across several teeth.
- Teeth that have drifted after braces worn years ago, when the retainer was lost or abandoned.
- An overbite, overjet or crossbite that a scan shows can be corrected by moving teeth rather than jaws.
- Adults who need treatment to be discreet at work and are prepared to wear trays for most of the day.
- Anyone planning veneers or bonding who would rather straighten first and disguise less.
Think twice, or choose another route, when
- Severe skeletal discrepancies where the jaws themselves are mismatched; fixed appliances or surgery may be needed.
- Active gum disease or untreated decay, which must be stabilised before any tooth is moved.
- Patients who know they will not manage twenty-two hours of wear; the trays only work while they are in.
- Teeth that need to be rotated a long way or moved vertically by large amounts, where fixed braces retain an advantage.
- Children whose adult teeth have not all erupted; growth and eruption are usually allowed to finish first.
The process
How it works at Wimpole Street
- 01
Consultation and scan
A dentist examines the teeth, gums and bite and takes a digital scan, so there are no impression trays to hold. The scan produces a simulation of how the teeth could move and roughly how many aligners that would take.
- 02
Plan approval
You see the projected end position before committing. The dentist checks each stage of the simulation, adjusts anything that looks clinically unwise, and confirms which tier your case falls into and the fee.
- 03
Fitting
Your first aligners are fitted and small tooth-coloured attachments may be bonded to certain teeth to give the trays something to push against. Occasionally tiny amounts of enamel are polished between teeth to make room.
- 04
Wearing the series
Trays are worn day and night and come out for meals, for any drink except plain water and for brushing. You move to the next aligner every one to two weeks as instructed.
- 05
Progress reviews
Short appointments every six to eight weeks confirm the teeth are tracking with the plan. If a tooth lags, a new scan and a refinement set of aligners brings it back on course.
- 06
Retention
Once the final tray has done its work, retainers hold the result. Smart and Ultimate plans include two sets; a fixed wire behind the front teeth is available at £450 per arch for anyone who prefers not to rely on nightly wear.
Choices
Options & materials
Smart Align
Moderate crowding, spacing and bite corrections involving most of the arch. Up to around seventeen months, refinements covered for five years, two sets of retainers and whitening gel included.
£4,000
Ultimate Align
Comprehensive correction for complex cases that may run beyond twenty months. Five years of refinements, two sets of retainers, whitening gel and extended aftercare support.
£5,980
Fees
What it costs
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
Aligner consultation with 3D scan Suitability assessment and simulated outcome. | Complimentary |
Easy Align Minor corrections, up to about 4 months; refinements for 2 years. | £2,000 |
Smart Align Moderate cases, up to about 17 months; refinements for 5 years; 2 retainer sets. | £4,000 |
Ultimate Align Complex cases, 20+ months; refinements for 5 years; 2 retainer sets. | £5,980 |
Fixed retainer Bonded wire behind the front teeth as an alternative to removable retainers. | £450 per arch |
New patient examination Only if you are not already registered; usual fee £95. | £30 |
Indicative Wimpole Street fees, the same as at South Kensington and St Paul's. A written plan with the exact figure is agreed before anything is started.
Outcomes
What the result looks like
A well-planned aligner case ends with teeth that sit in a smooth arch, meet evenly and are easier to clean, and because whitening gel is included in every tier many patients finish with a brighter shade as well. The change is gradual, which tends to suit people who would rather colleagues noticed nothing at all.
Aligners cannot change the shape of the jaws, and they rely on wear time. Published reviews suggest they match fixed braces for mild and moderate problems but are less predictable for large rotations, vertical movements and severe bites; the simulation is a projection, not a promise.
Afterwards
Looking after the result
- Wear retainers exactly as instructed, nightly at first and long term thereafter; teeth drift for life without them.
- Brush before putting trays back in, and rinse the aligners in cool water rather than hot, which warps them.
- Keep the previous aligner as a spare in case the current one is lost or cracked.
- Book hygiene visits during treatment; plaque trapped under a tray sits against enamel for hours.
- Report a tray that stops seating fully within a few days rather than waiting for the next review.
Informed consent
Risks and honest limitations
Every treatment has trade-offs. These are the ones we discuss at the consultation so that a decision is made with full information rather than after the fact.
- Relapse if retainers are not worn. This is the commonest reason orthodontic results are lost, and it applies to every method of straightening.
- Teeth that do not track. A proportion of cases need one or more refinement sets, which is why they are built into each tier.
- Root shortening, seen on radiographs in a minority of orthodontic patients and usually of no consequence, but occasionally significant.
- Temporary speech changes, tenderness for a day or two after each new tray and, rarely, an allergic response to the plastic.
- Decay or gum inflammation if hygiene slips, since the trays hold anything left on the teeth against them.
- Timelines are estimates. Biology, wear time and the complexity discovered along the way can all extend them.
FAQ
Questions patients ask
It depends on how far the teeth need to travel. Minor cases may finish within about four months, most moderate cases run between eight and seventeen months, and complex corrections can go past twenty. You receive an estimate after the scan.
Yes. Aligners only move teeth while they are in place, and wear time is the single biggest factor in staying on schedule. Trays that spend the afternoon in a pocket add weeks to the plan.
The aligner series, fitting, attachments, reviews every six to eight weeks, refinements within the plan period and whitening gel. Smart and Ultimate also include two sets of retainers. A £30 new patient examination applies only if you are not yet registered.
The mechanics are the same: clear medical-grade plastic applying small, staged forces. The difference is that the case is planned and adjusted by the dentist treating you rather than a remote technician, and there is no brand licensing fee built into the price.
A slight lisp during the initial day or two is usual while the tongue adjusts. Most people speak normally within a few days.
Yes. The scan and first aligners can be done at South Kensington or St Paul’s now at the same fee, with reviews moving to Marylebone after 1 October 2026.
Marylebone, W1
Invisible braces at Wimpole Street from 1 October 2026
Register your interest and we will contact you as soon as the Marylebone diary is live. If you would rather start sooner, the same clinicians already see patients in South Kensington and at St Paul’s.
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.
South Kensington
- 20 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3DL
- Open seven days a week
- 020 7183 2362
St Paul's, City of London
- 5 Ave Maria Lane, London EC4M 7AQ
- Open Monday to Friday
- 020 7183 3709
