The Start of your SmileDesigner Journey

When you register with SmileDesigner either by telephone or via our website and make your initial appointment, you will receive an email with confirmation of the date and time of your appointment. We call your first appointment your intake appointment. You may want to check what is covered by your insurance company, so you have all the relevant information at hand for your first visit.

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The Welcome Pack

Once you have registered with SmileDesigner, you will receive our welcome pack through the post.

This contains important information and some documents to sign and bring with you to your first appointment.

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The Intake Appointment

Once you have given your signed consent documents to the receptionist, please take a seat in our cosy reception area and wait to be called to the treatment room. During your first visit to SmileDesigner, our assistants will welcome you to our practice and explain our procedures.

Our assistants will make a 3D scan of your teeth and take photographs. We will draw up a treatment plan approved by the Orthodontist, and the assistant will explain the best options for you or your child. You can view the models of the different types of braces and ask questions to make sure you choose the right treatment. We will also take an X-ray to complete your patient file. Finally, we will give you an estimate of the time that you need to wear your braces and the costs involved.

At this appointment, you will get a letter to give to your dentist that lists your treatment plan. For fixed braces, we advise you to visit your hygienist every three months during treatment.

The first appointment for younger children with baby teeth may be a short consultation with our Orthodontist. If a younger child is advised to start treatment, we will make a second appointment for a 3D scan and X-ray.

Please note: our focus is on the medical treatment of patients to ensure not only the most beautiful smile, but also that your teeth are aligned and function as well as possible. With this in mind, not every treatment is available to everyone.

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The Plan

Once your appointment with the assistant is complete, you are invited to the reception to receive the printout of your estimate.

Once you sign the estimate, we can start your treatment!

Expected payments
For technical  treatment and placement of your braces, the largest payment will be drawn up at the beginning of your treatment. This invoice will be sent once you have signed the estimate. For checkups and short appointments, smaller invoices are sent after each appointment.

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Placement Appointment

Your next appointment to fit your braces will be scheduled between two and five weeks later. This is due to the time it takes for your individual, custom-made braces to be produced.

Your placing appointment can vary in length from 45 to 75 minutes depending on the type of treatment you have chosen. As the qualified assistant is fitting your braces, they will explain the procedure and share all relevant information on how to care for your braces and your teeth whilst you are wearing braces.

Lingual/fixed braces

One jaw will be fitted first, then the other a month later.

Removable braces for 8-11 year olds

Removable braces are sometimes required for younger children. The assistant makes an impression of the teeth, and your child can choose the colour of their brace.

It takes between 4 to 6 weeks for the braces to be produced in the lab, after which time you will be invited for fitting.

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Regular Checkups

Our qualified assistants will perform each of your check-up appointments. They have all the information to hand about your treatment process and will be happy to answer any of your questions. They will also consult an Orthodontist if required, but you might not see one at all of your appointments.

Regular check-up appointments are necessary to ensure that your treatment is successful. Our Orthodontists will determine if modifications are necessary.

*As you are receiving medical treatment, it is possible to make appointments during school/work time.

Invisalign

Most of your check-up appointments will be online as required, but mostly every 8-12 weeks. Some of your appointments will be in the practice.

Most treatments require more than one set of aligners to be printed to ensure the best possible custom treatment. When you are using the last aligner of the set, we will arrange an appointment with one of our assistants to make a further 3D scan. Our Orthodontist will then decide if a further set of aligners is needed.

While you are waiting for your new set of aligners, you need to wear your current set until they are fitted.

During treatment, you need to wear aligners every day!

If you don’t follow the recommendations that you are given for your treatment, this is likely to increase the time and number of aligners needed.

Lingual and Fixed Braces

At your monthly check-up appointment, our assistants will check that your braces are intact and that you have no broken brackets or wires. The assistants will also check your oral hygiene and fit new wires or elastics. The Orthodontist will advise the assistant of which adjustments are required.

If your oral hygiene is not as good as expected, the wires can be removed for a month to give you a chance to improve your oral health. When this has improved, we will replace the wires. If you don’t maintain your oral hygiene, we will discuss removing your braces or your child’s braces so there is no permanent damage to the teeth.

In most cases, we use bite ramps and/or build-ups. It can sometimes take time to adjust to the new bite or jaw position in your mouth. We need to create space in your mouth to allow your teeth to move to a better position. The braces and wires can also feel sharp and strange in the first few weeks. We know the first few days and weeks can be difficult, but we know from experience that you will quickly get used to it.

During your check-up, the Orthodontist will decide when you’ve achieved the best result and that it’s time for your braces to be removed. The more you follow the instructions, the better the results. So do listen carefully to the guidelines you are given about wearing aligners, elastics and oral hygiene.

When your braces are removed, one of our assistants will make a 3D scan. We later print the 3D model and custom make the retention wire on your model,  ready to be fitted at your next appointment.

For lingual brackets, the assistant will custom make the retention wire during your removal appointment.

Removable Braces for 8-11 year olds

Check-ups are required every three months and are always given by one of our Orthodontists.

Additional information for parents with children under 18

We invite parents to Smilestone appointments three times during treatment so you can be kept informed of your child’s progress. The first is after placement, the second in the middle of the treatment and a final appointment at the end of treatment.

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Unveiling your Smile

Your best individual result has been reached and it’s time to remove your braces. Our assistants invite you back to the chair, but not quite for the last time! At this appointment, we remove your braces and you can see your new smile for the first time.

We also fit your fixed retention wire if possible, depending on your situation. Your beautiful new smile will then need approximately four weeks for everything to settle before your next appointment.

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Ensuring your Smile remains

The month after your retention wire has been fitted, we will invite you for another appointment so that our assistants can make a final 3D scan.

We create two sets of night guards from your 3D scan, and these are fitted at our practice.

Retention control appointments should be arranged after three months, six months and a year to ensure a lifelong happy smile!

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