Love Island’s Connor Durman has a set of veneers you can see from space, courtesy of a trip to Thailand. My godmother is using a local dentist for her Invisalign treatment, costing about £3,500. I’m a student on a budget so neither option is available to me. So when I heard about an online service, Straight Teeth Direct, my curiosity was piqued. I’m not looking for Hollywood perfection, they don’t need to be blindingly white; just an even arrangement of my own teeth will suffice.

I have a small palate and my teeth are overcrowded at the front, which means I’ve had a “crooked smile’’ since I was 14. Like most kids of that age I wore my traintracks with pride for 18 months, whereupon, voila, straight teeth. Unbelievably, my dentist at the time didn’t install fixed retainers to keep them straight (a common problem, I’ve since discovered). So here I am, aged 23, with wonky teeth again.

According to the website, it’s a simple process using invisible aligners and I’m looking forward to seeing some great changes in my smile in the next nine months. The first stage of the process was to complete a simple and well-directed application form. (There’s a really nifty app for your phone or tablet, which keeps you up to date with your programme!)

The application required a set of photographs of my teeth, from different angles and showing my bite. I was also given the option of writing a message about how I hoped my smile would turn out; what changes and movements I wanted to see in my teeth. After clicking send, I heard back within 24 hours with a few questions about my teeth, specifically my left canine which protrudes. 

I knew going into this process that unless I wanted to have a fixed brace, the top left canine would not be able to move down in-line with the rest of my teeth. But, it’s my little quirk… so my Straight Teeth Direct dentist suggested it could just be set back in profile rather than brought down, which I immediately said yes to. I’ve had a few consultations with other dentists but this was the first to give me hope without a fixed brace. 

After a few messages between my dentist and I, my case was accepted and it’s been go-go-go ever since. The next step was to provide Straight Teeth Direct with more precise details of my teeth. They offer an at-home impression mould or a 3D intraoral scan. I chose to go for the 3D scan, at an imaging centre conveniently located close to uni, and watched my full smile recreated in high-definition 3D pixels. This was then sent back to Straight Teeth Direct the same day. 

The online accessibility of this company gives me flexibility and peace of mind. I’m a busy masters student, so trying to fit in an appointment can be difficult to arrange around my schedule. The ease of the messaging portal that Straight Teeth Direct offers is outstanding: I can ask questions at any time, no matter how silly they might seem, and will receive quick and personal responses. I’m always kept up to date with the next phase, promptly sent documents I need to sign, and when they need new pictures of my teeth I can simply upload them alongside my message response. There’s no “blanket’’ message, nothing computerised, so I’m in direct contact with the admin staff and my dentist whenever I need to be. 

Once Straight Teeth Direct received my 3D mouth impression, it created my Teeth Plan, which includes a comprehensive dossier detailing the process, the outcomes according to my expectations and everything I need to know about the health and safety surrounding the process. Another addition to the plan was the 3D video simulation, a little amuse bouche (literally), to get me excited about the end result. 

My first pair of aligners arrived this week. And I’m braced for the next nine months of treatment. This time it’ll be simple, with regular online check-ups and scheduled postage. All I have to do is slot the aligners on to my teeth and wait patiently for my new smile. 

Read More