Braces, aligners, bonding and veneers solve overlapping problems at very different costs and with very different permanence. This advisor explains what each one actually does, what it cannot fix, and what the parts nobody mentions - retention, sensitivity, enamel - really involve. It is not dental advice and it will not assess your teeth.
Fixed braces move teeth in every direction and handle complex rotation, bite correction and extraction cases that aligners struggle with. Clear aligners are removable, far less visible and often faster for mild crowding or relapse, but they only work as well as the hours you actually wear them - around twenty-two a day. Cost overlaps more than people expect; the real difference is usually case complexity and discipline.
This is the part that surprises people. Teeth drift back for the rest of your life, so every orthodontic treatment ends in retainers - a bonded wire, a night-time plate, or both - permanently. Anyone quoting a treatment without asking about retention is quoting half a treatment.
Whitening changes colour and nothing else, and its effect on bonding and existing fillings matters. Bonding adds material and is reversible-ish and replaceable. Veneers remove healthy enamel permanently and commit you to replacing them every ten to twenty years for the rest of your life. That difference deserves far more weight than it usually gets in the marketing.
Will it tell me which treatment I need?
No. It explains the options so the consultation makes sense; only an orthodontist who has examined and x-rayed you can recommend a treatment.
Are mail-order aligners a good idea?
The advisor lays out the trade-off honestly: no in-person examination, no x-rays and no supervision of root movement is a meaningful risk, and professional bodies in several countries have said so.
How much does treatment cost?
It gives typical ranges by country and treatment type so a quote is not a shock, but the real figure depends on complexity and practitioner.
Is it free?
Yes, no signup.