Having aligned teeth and the correct bite can help to make your smile perfect, and braces, once seen the epitome of nerdiness, are today’s new trend, with more adults than ever seeking a discreet way to fix their smile imperfections.
Deciding what type of braces to go for can feel like a big deal. Whether it’s choosing between fixed brackets and clear retainers, or simply understanding all the pros and cons, I’m told that elleven Dental Wellness can help at every step of the journey to a healthy smile, with minimal disruption to daily life guaranteed.
After an initial consultation at elleven with clinical director Dr Sameer Patel, in which he put together an optimal treatment plan completely bespoke to my needs, my facial structure and health, I opted for fixed white ceramic braces. These are slightly more expensive than their metal equivalent, but being tooth-coloured makes them far more discreet – dentistry so good you hardly know it’s there.
Clients at elleven see experts specialised in different areas of dentistry at each step, rather than generalised practitioners, so my next appointment was with Dr Shivani Patel, elleven Dental’s multi-award-winning orthodontic consultant, who would fit and adjust my braces in the many months to come. Her friendly, passionate and attentive approach put me instantly at ease from the moment I walked into her room – an important thing to consider when you will be seeing this person every 4-6 weeks over the next 1-2 years (treatment times vary depending on case). The expert fitting was pain free, but the first couple of weeks with my new brace still took a lot of getting used to. My teeth felt tender and foods that I had eaten for years suddenly became off limits in order not to discolour or break my brace. The good news is this struggle was just temporary and, after an initial two weeks, I hardly experienced any discomfort, except for the couple of days after every adjustment, which is to be expected.
I started seeing promising results after just a couple of months, and after the full 14 months (most of this spent at home due to COVID-19) Dr Shivani declared my smile complete. The results are incredible. A few months on, I’ve never been happier, and the whole experience has been truly transformative. I’m confident in my smile, knowing that it’s not only wide, straight and healthy, but that it’s also insured for life – the best investment I’ve ever made.
For prices and to book an initial consultation, call 020 3885 1420. 11 Devonshire Place, W1G (ellevendental.com)
