A new smile with Your Smile Direct: Part 1

Craig visits the Your Smile Direct clinic for phase one of a new smile

When I was nine years old I was playing football at school. The ball was kicked from the other end of the pitch, it was mine! I watched the ball sale through the sky and ran backwards down the pitch to get control of it. I wasn't able to run fast enough and the ball came down directly above me. I kicked upwards with force and my right knee hit me square in the mouth breaking off an incisor at the root.

A football accident left me with a gap in my lower teeth

I was taken to the dentist, the root was removed and the Dentist asked my Mother if she wanted him to fit a brace in order to close the gap "no" she said "It'll be okay" Well, you can see that a few years on it isn't okay. I'm left with a gap and as a result of that gap, the rest of my lower teeth have leaned in and also twisted slightly. It's unsightly and I'm not a fan, so it was time to do something about it!

This is where the people at Your Smile Direct comes in, as they offer a non surgical and unobtrusive solution to crooked teeth. The first step for me was to visit their scan clinic in Long Acre, Covent Garden, London to have a three dimensional scan of your teeth.

If you're not near London they also have a scan clinic in Manchester, as well as in other parts of Europe, in France, Spain, Ireland and Italy.

The reception of Your Smile Direct at 22 Long Acre, Covent Garden, London

Ready for the first step towards a straighter smile

After meeting with my dental Nurse Saba Mahmood and filling out a simple form, Saba explained the process and set to work taking the 3D images to begin my smile journey.

A lip retainer is inserted into the mouth to make things easier. While it looks very strange it's totally comfortable.

A fine powder is sprayed onto the teeth

The teeth are sprayed with a fine powder and then a small pen-like device is run around your teeth. This pen transfers the images it takes to a screen where it's then possible to move the image around with your fingertips.

A three dimensional image is taken of my teeth

The results are displayed on screen before being sent to America

And that's it! my visit lasted less than an hour and after a quick rinse to remove the powder, I was free to leave.

The images that were taken are now with one of their ortho team, where they will be assessed. I'll then receive an email with a link showing me a video of how my smile will improve with the treatment. If I'm happy with the video of my treatment plan, they will then put my clear aligners in to production. Each set will be worn for two weeks, for twenty two hours a day. They say you should only take them out if you are eating, drinking any other liquids than water, smoking or playing any high intensity sports.

Clear plastic aligners are created just for you using 3D printing

Depending upon the severity of misalignment the treatment usually takes 16 weeks to complete. When your teeth are delightfully straight you get a whitening kit free of charge and a retainer to help keep your teeth sparkly white and straight.

That's it! Simple, painless and efficient!

Yours truly looking at the 3D images of my teeth

So, while I'm on my first step to straighter teeth, I'll share my experience further in future posts. In the meantime, check out Your Smile Direct and see how they could improve your smile! 

Treatment costs £1,299 which you can pay for in one full single payment, or have the option to pay using finance where there is a £185 deposit and monthly payments of £35 over 38 months.