“My smile used to embarrass me, now I jump at the chance to do a cheesy grin”

I’ve been embarrassed by my teeth for years. I hated my smile. 

In my day to day life I was always worried when meeting new people. It made it that much harder to make a good first impression at interviews and especially on dates.

I was very resistant to being in photos, and the ones I am in, I don’t even look happy because I’m not properly smiling. I feel like I’ve missed out on cementing so many fun memories, all because of my wonky teeth.

It was really starting to affect my confidence, but what choice did I have? 

As an adult it’d be beyond embarrassing to have metal braces. 

How could I get my direct reports to respect me, or senior stakeholders to take me seriously if I had the face that just screamed ‘teenager’. 

So I just accepted that my smile would always be a disappointment. I often joked that the one benefit of getting old would be that I could finally have straight teeth when I got dentures.

Then one of my colleagues got invisible braces. I sat next to this guy for months and didn’t realise until he took them out in front of me. 

I couldn’t believe it, there was finally a way to fix my teeth discreetly!

And just in time too. I’d recently gotten engaged, and beneath the surface of excitement, was the worry of hating my wedding photos. 

But the clock was ticking, we’d already set a date. I had 12 months to get results. 

I immediately started looking online. But it was so confusing. 

Every dental clinic was saying something different and they were all very vague about pricing. Most of them wanted me to pay £25 - £80 for a consultation to even tell me the price.

Talk about poor customer service!

And the prices I could find were extortionate. I was planning a wedding, so money was tighter than ever before. And a lot of places weren’t generous with their finance plans. 

I was beginning to lose hope that I could get a great smile in time. 

At a wedding fair, of all places, I came across a stand by Smile White, a clear aligner brand I’d not heard of before. 

On their banner they had their pricing written clear as day, and it was significantly cheaper than anything I’d seen. 

And what was even better was the “results in as little as 4-6 months” printed next to the prices. 

It seemed too good to be true, so I just had to go over and talk to them. They were absolutely lovely to talk to, they had all the time in the world for me. 

Turns out I hadn’t heard of them because they were a relatively new brand. They’ve developed a new material for aligners that enables them to deliver fast results at a great price. 

On top of that, they offer very reasonable payment plans, where you can spread the cost over 60 months - which was a lifesaver for a bride to be!

And I wouldn’t need to pay for a clinic visit to get a quote. They actually offer a free e-consultation, so I could get the process started quickly, which I desperately needed to do. 

I booked an appointment with them then and there for a few days later. After providing some pictures and explaining what I wanted to change, they gave me a quote. 

After all the initial stress of looking around online, I was so pleased to get a quote so easily and at a price that I could afford, I signed the deal that day!

After a quick full mouth scan at my local dentist, my aligners were in the process of being made.

I had been told I would need 10 sets of aligners, each worn for 10 days. So in total it would only take 4 months to straighten my teeth, much faster than I was expecting.

My sister had metal braces when she was a teenager, and I saw all the pain she went through, so I was preparing myself for the worst. 

But I was pleasantly surprised again. For the first few days of each new aligner set my teeth were a little achy, but honestly it wasn’t bad at all. I barely noticed it. 

The aligners were easy to take in and out, and came with a case to keep them in, which was super helpful when I was out and about. 

I did find it a bit annoying to have to take them out to drink tea and coffee. But I am a cautious person, and I didn’t want to risk staining the aligner and making my teeth look brown! As you change aligners so frequently it’s not the end of the world to have a bit of discolouring for a day or two.

After the first few sets, there had already been a noticeable shift in my teeth, and I was already feeling so much better about my smile. I started taking a lot more pictures! 

And true to Smile White’s prediction, after 10 sets of aligners my teeth had moved into a lovely straight smile. I was beyond happy with the results. 

It definitely helped me become more confident and outgoing, and the wedding photos turned out great!

I can’t recommend them enough, and I’m not the only one. Smile White are now the highest rated clear aligner brand in the UK on Trustpilot!