Straight Teeth Direct

Straight Teeth Direct offers completely home-based dental aligner treatments. By operating without clinics for regular appointments, with their associated costs, they claim they are one of the lowest-priced providers of dental correction services.

Have you considered your options? There are less expensive and better available alternatives to Straight Teeth Direct. See them here

Could Straight Teeth Direct be the affordable, convenient choice for you?

First Glance

Straight Teeth Direct provides transparent dental aligners at a fixed price. These work to slowly move your front teeth to improve your smile.

You’ll complete an online e-consultation. Then, if suitable, your first set of dental aligners will be 3D printed and sent to your home.

Pros

• More affordable than some clinic-based treatments
• One dentist will track your treatment from start to finish
• Everything is produced in-house
• No fees to replace lost or broken aligners

Cons

• Only one clinic (in London)
• Primarily app-based service, which some people won’t like

Who is behind Straight Teeth Direct?

Straight Teeth Direct was launched back in 2009 by co-founders Dr Aalok Y Shukla and Lucie Marchelot Shukla.

Based in the UK primarily but with offices across Europe, they offer shipping to “pretty much everywhere”, although notable exceptions include the USA, Spain, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Straight Teeth Direct, unlike some competitors, do not have clinics in many major cities. One is available in London, though this is offered more as a novelty – allowing you to experience the technology at work – rather than somewhere you’re encouraged to visit. Instead, you’re expected to download the app and manage your treatment on your smartphone.

Optional teeth whitening products can be added on to your treatment, for an additional cost.

Who can use aligners from Straight Teeth Direct?

The dental aligners provided by Straight Teeth Direct are designed for people with overcrowded teeth, too much space between their teeth or protruding teeth. They’re more suited to mild to moderate cases, and may not work in the most severe cases.

If you’re interested in dental aligners from Straight Teeth Direct, you should be aged 18 or over and be in good dental health.

If you need any dental treatment carrying out, it’s recommended that you do this before starting your e-consultation. Also if you have any crowns, veneers or dental implants, you may not be suitable for treatment.

Most people who don’t have any current dental issues such as cavities, and who don’t have excessive overbites or spacing, will be able to use dental aligners.

The free e-consultation, with photos that you’ll take of your mouth as directed, will allow for a professional dentist to decide if you can undergo treatment.

How are the dental aligners made?

You’ll start with a free online consultation. You’ll be asked to take five clear photos of your teeth, and there’ll be a few short questions to answer. Once you’ve provided this information, your assigned dentist will be able to confirm that you’re suitable for treatment.

If you’re a suitable candidate then you’ll be a sent a SmileBox, which is your home impression kit. You’ll need to use this to make a mould of your teeth, following the included instructions. There will also be a medical history form to fill out, as well as the option to provide your recent dental records. It’s not essential that you provide dental records, but can help to improve your treatment experience.

If you would rather not use your SmileBox, you do have the option to visit the clinic in London. This option is not really promoted or encouraged, which means that most people just make impressions at home. This is the only stage of your treatment where you can get one-to-one support in person, if you choose to visit the clinic.

Once your moulds or scan are complete and returned, your assigned orthodontist will compile a personalised report including your current smile, predicted results, any potential limitations you should be aware of, and how long treatment should last.

After this you’ll be sent your first StraightBox, which will include your personalised transparent aligners that have been 3D printed in-house to your specifications. During your treatment, you’ll be asked to provide updates using the Straight Teeth Direct app, which can be used to adjust treatment if it’s needed.

What treatment options are available?

Once you’ve completed your moulds, you’ll be sent dental aligners that have been custom-printed to fit and adjust your mouth.

These should be worn for 22 hours every day. The only time you should remove them is when eating, brushing your teeth or flossing. You should brush and floss after every meal, otherwise, you risk your aligners trapping food and drink against your teeth. You’ll receive a new set of aligners approximately every two weeks.

Clean your aligners regularly, along with your teeth. Use your standard toothbrush and toothpaste.

Once you’ve completed your treatment, which can be for up to 9 months in most cases but sometimes longer, you’ll receive a retainer to make sure that your teeth stay in place. You can then choose to opt-in for the additional maintenance plan, which gives you fresh retainers every six months at an additional cost.

How long does Straight Teeth Direct treatment take?

As treatment is bespoke, the time it takes will depend on the position of your teeth. You’ll be told in your Straight Teeth Plan how long you should need to treat your smile, but most treatments take between 5 and 9 months in total.

You should receive your first set of aligners between 4-6 weeks after you’ve sent off your initial photos. Going to the London clinic may delay the start of your treatment.

Are there any other steps to take?

Once you’ve started treatment, you’ll receive your new aligners every couple of weeks. Make sure you swap them over, but keep your old set – if you lose or damage a set, your dentist may recommend temporarily wearing the previous set to help maintain your treatment.

During the treatment, you may be asked to provide photo updates through the app. This will allow your orthodontist to monitor your smile and make any corrections to your aligners as needed.

How much does Straight Teeth Direct treatment cost?

Straight Teeth Direct’s biggest claim is that it’s the most affordable aligner treatment available. They offer a fixed fee for treatment, with optional extras available. Your initial e-consultation is completely free.

Impression kit or 3D scan

Whether you decide to use the SmileBox to create a mould of your teeth at home, or you wish to travel to London for a 3D scan, you’ll pay an initial fee of £42. This price also includes your personalised plan from your assigned orthodontist.

Treatment

If you decide to proceed with treatment, you will pay a set fee of £1,350.

Replacements

Replacement aligners may be offered free of charge. This is the case whether your aligners are broken or lost.

A £99 charge may be added for subsequent replacements, if it’s believed that you’re being careless and losing or damaging aligners too frequently.

Whitening

If you wish to include a professional whitening kit with your aligner treatment, you can pay an additional £269. The whitening kit will be delivered to your door.

Retainers

Your StraightBox plan includes your first set of retainers. These are provided completely free of charge when you reach the end of your treatment.

You can choose to upgrade to the Maintainer plan, with new retainers delivered to your house roughly every six months. Over time, without the use of a retainer, your teeth may start to shift back. Signing up to the Maintainer plan provides a long-term supply of retainers, as well as extending your guarantee against tooth movement. The plan costs £139 per year.

Are payment options available?

If you choose to pay by instalments, there is an initial deposit of £500 to get started on your clear aligner treatment. You will then pay an additional £500 in months 2 and 4 of your treatment plan. The total cost for this option is £1,500.

Alternatively, you can break this down to a monthly payment plan. You’ll pay a £399 deposit, followed by eight monthly payments of £150. The total cost of this option is £1,599.

Finally, you may be eligible for a finance plan if you wish to have the lowest monthly payments. These are available from £40 per month over a period of 36 months, with a total cost starting at £1,440. The cost of finance will depend on your credit rating and history.

Is a warranty or guarantee available?

Straight Teeth Direct offer a ‘Results Agreement Guarantee’ as part of their service.

Your initial consultation will show you what to expect, based on your current smile. If you follow the treatment plan and you don’t achieve these results, then you will continue to receive aligners until you reach the ‘optimum possible outcome’ for your mouth. These are sometimes called ‘refinements’ with other aligner treatment companies, but with Straight Teeth Direct they’re included in your plan.

Be aware that you will need to demonstrate that you’ve followed every instruction within your plan. If you are found to have not given an accurate mould, or you can’t show that you’ve been wearing your aligners for the required time, then your guarantee will no longer be valid. Providing regular in-app photographs is the very best way to protect your guarantee rights.

If you choose to join the Maintainer plan at the end of your treatment, you’ll be eligible for up to three new sets of aligners to readjust your teeth should they move.

How old do you have to be?

You must be at least 18 years old to be eligible for treatment with Straight Teeth Direct.

Where is Straight Teeth Direct treatment available?

You can have your aligners shipped to most major countries around the world, with the exception of the USA, Spain, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

What about customer service?

All customer service is offered through the app, which is available on Android and iOS.

Straight Teeth Direct has a presence at a London clinic, though it is expected that customers will go through their treatment from the comfort of their own home.

Straight Teeth Direct: The Verdict

Availability

Straight Teeth Direct is aimed at people that are completely comfortable with treatment at home. Their one London clinic is not widely advertised, and no other clinics are available.

Though you do have the option to visit for a 3D scan, Straight Teeth Direct would prefer their customers to make impressions using their SmileBox.

Some people will love the convenience of in-app treatment, whilst others might not be happy with the lack of face-to-face interaction. Only a small number of customers will have easy access to Straight Teeth Direct’s London clinic.

Price

Straight Teeth Direct claims to be the most affordable dental alignment treatment available. And while their own comparison statistics may be inaccurate (they claim that clinics cost £3,500 or more, which isn’t always the case), they are definitely one of the cheaper options thanks to their online-only service.

There are no hidden fees, with everything included in your initial payment, and there are flexible payment options too.

Payment plans will boost the price of your overall treatment, but this price remains low overall.

Ease of use

Most people will need to make their own impressions at home. Fortunately, if you make a mistake, you’ll get another kit free of charge.

Once you’ve made your impressions, these will be reviewed by a qualified professional. Treatment will only be approved if you’re a suitable candidate.

Options

Straight Teeth Direct offer only one option, with a standard plan for clear dental aligners. These aligners will be customised to fit only your mouth, and should be worn for 22 hours a day.

Reassurance

If your treatment doesn’t bring the promised results, Straight Teeth Direct will continue your treatment without charging for additional aligners. Treatment will continue until you get the promised results.

You can choose to join a Maintainer plan, once your aligner treatment is complete. The Maintainer plan includes regular new retainers, as well as up to three additional sets of aligners if your teeth start to shift back.

If you have any comments from first-hand experience with Straight Teeth Direct, please leave them below.

Got more questions about aligners? Check out our FAQ section