Six Month Smiles

Price

Six Month Smiles does not publish patient prices; your dentist sets the fee and the lab charge is the dentist's cost. Three UK practices that publish fees for Six Month Smiles braces:

Checked 26 October 2026. Three practices are a sample, not an average, and none published a separate fee for Six Month Smiles aligners, so ask for that quote directly.

At Bamboo, which also lists Invisalign, both-arch Six Month Smiles braces cost £2,970 against £3,550 for Invisalign Lite and £4,439 for Invisalign Comprehensive. Finance varies: The Gentle Dental offers 0% over 12 months and longer terms at interest, quoting 14.9% APR over 24 months, and Glasgow Dental Care offers 0% over 12 months. Check the APR and the total amount repayable. Our cost guide explains what usually sits inside a quote.

Personal quoteQuote from your practice

Offers and discount codes

We have no verified current offer from Six Month Smiles. That does not mean there is no promotion: we list one only after checking it. The prices in this review are Six Month Smiles's prices without any promotion.

If Six Month Smiles shows a discount or a code when you visit, check its end date and terms on Six Month Smiles's own site before you rely on it, and compare the total you would pay. We list an offer only after checking it on the provider's site and recording its terms, including any end date the provider gives.

All current deals

How treatment works

1. Consultation and records. Your dentist examines you and takes impressions or a scan, X-rays and photos, and checks that any decay or gum problems are treated first. This is also when you should discuss your bite and whether short-term treatment suits you.
2. Plan. UK impressions go to a UK intake centre and the case is made by the Six Month Smiles lab in the USA. For aligners, the lab sends a 3D plan that your dentist reviews and can show you.
3. Waiting for the appliance. The braces kit or aligners are made and sent to the practice. This wait comes before treatment starts, so ask how long it usually takes.
4. Fitting. For braces, clear brackets are bonded to your teeth using a tray made by the lab. For aligners, small tooth-coloured attachments may be bonded to help them grip.
5. Active treatment. With braces you return about every four weeks for wire adjustments; The Gentle Dental expects 3 to 7 adjustments and an average of 4 to 9 months. With aligners you change trays about every two weeks and the company suggests visits every two to four weeks.
6. Retainers. At the end the braces are removed or the last aligner is worn, and you move to retainers.

Brackets can come loose and wires can dig in; contact the practice rather than trying to fix them yourself. Our guides cover teeth straightening options and what aligners can and cannot fix.

Braces, aligners or both

The company's standard aligner case includes two refinements within two years, and it says it will switch a case to braces at no extra charge if braces would give a better result. Both are terms between the lab and your dentist. Ask whether your fee includes refinements and whether it changes if the plan moves to braces.

What we like

• Often lower fees than comprehensive treatment

  Published fees for both arches start around £3,000, below Invisalign Comprehensive at the same practice.

• Fixed braces option

  Braces work without relying on you wearing aligners all day.

• Treated by your own dentist

  Many general dental practices offer it, so you may not need to change practice.

What to be aware of

• It usually does not correct the bite

  The British Orthodontic Society warns the bite can stay the same or get worse.

• Six months is an average

  Practices quote 4 to 9 months for braces; ask about your own case.

• Retainers vary by practice

  Check which retainers your fee includes and what replacements cost.

Clinical oversight

Your dentist is responsible for your treatment. Six Month Smiles trains general dentists, and the company says aligner plans are set up by specialists and overseen by orthodontists, but your dentist approves the plan and treats you. You can check any dentist on the General Dental Council register.

The British Orthodontic Society says limited treatment of this kind can suit an adult's cosmetic concerns if it is offered alongside the other options after a full assessment. It warns that a bite left uncorrected can lead to problems such as tooth wear or damage to fillings and crowns over time, and that not everyone is suitable. It recommends seeing an orthodontist or a dentist who also offers conventional treatment, so you can compare.

Ask your dentist what the treatment will and will not change, and whether your bite will be affected.

For problems with appointments or billing, your contact is the practice. If a complaint about private treatment is not resolved by the practice, the Dental Complaints Service can help.

Retainers, refinements and refunds

You will need retainers after treatment to stop your teeth moving back, and your dentist may recommend a fixed retainer behind the teeth as well as a removable one. Wearing retainers is part of treatment; paying for a retainer plan is a separate choice. Two of the three practices above include retainers in their fees; the third does not list them. Ask which retainers are included and what replacements cost.

Refinements, refunds, cancellation and what happens if you move are set by the practice, so ask for those terms in writing before you pay a deposit.

Alternatives worth comparing

If you want removable treatment and your case is mild, an aligner provider may cost about the same. If your bite needs work, compare with an orthodontist before choosing any short-term option.

What the evidence shows

The six-month figure is the company's average, and practices quote 4 to 9 months for braces.

Short treatment times come partly from limiting what is moved: the company and the British Orthodontic Society both describe it as focusing on the front teeth rather than the whole bite.

The company's comparisons of its aligners with other brands are its own and are written for dentists.

Practice reviews describe the practice rather than the system, so read reviews of the dentist you are considering. We have not treated patients with Six Month Smiles or surveyed its customers.

Who this may suit

Six Month Smiles suits an adult who wants to straighten the front teeth for appearance, whose bite is healthy, who prefers to be treated by their own dentist and who accepts that the bite will not be the focus. Fixed braces suit people who would struggle to wear aligners 22 hours a day.

If your bite needs correcting, or another clinician has called your case complex, see an orthodontist for comparison first.

Questions worth asking before paying

• Am I being offered braces or aligners, and why?
• What will this treatment change, and what will it leave as it is, including my bite?
• What would comprehensive treatment involve and cost for me?
• Are retainers included, fixed or removable, and what do replacements cost?
• If I have aligners, are refinements included, and does the fee change if the plan moves to braces?
• If I use finance, what is the APR and the total amount repayable?

Bottom line

Six Month Smiles is a quicker, appearance-focused option from your own dentist, with braces fees often below comprehensive treatment. It suits straightening the front teeth when your bite is healthy. Ask what it will not change, compare with an orthodontist if your bite needs work, and get retainers listed in writing.