Ever since they hit the market, at-home clear aligners have harnessed new technology to provide more convenient and affordable teeth straightening treatment. And Straight Teeth Direct uses some of the industry’s most innovative tech to improve safety and effectiveness, all without a single trip to the dentist’s office.
Of course, Straight Teeth Direct is just one of several home aligner companies on the UK market, and each provider has its unique advantages and drawbacks. Whether it’s the right one for you depends on a few factors. Fortunately, that’s what we’re here to discuss. Read on for a deep dive into the pros and cons of using Straight Teeth Direct.
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Straight Teeth Direct: Our #1 Recommendation
Anyone looking for consistent oversight and strong guarantees might be a great fit for Straight Teeth Direct. Their affordable sticker price includes remote dentist monitoring for your entire treatment and extra aligners to perfect your smile, if your initial set doesn’t achieve the intended results.
What is Straight Teeth Direct?
In 2009, Dr. Aalok Y Shukla and Lucie Marchelot Shukla set out to establish a dental practice that used state-of-the-art technology to craft and maintain gorgeous smiles, which included an innovative online assessment system. As home aligners started gaining popularity, the Shuklas realized that this assessment system was a perfect fit, and they founded Straight Teeth Direct.
Since then, they developed specialized apps, 3D printing, and data analysis, becoming one of the very first companies to offer home-based aligner treatment. In fact, for a couple of years, they were the only company to offer this kind of service throughout Europe. However, Straight Teeth Direct has since attracted healthy competition. Several other companies have now joined them in offering affordable and convenient aligner treatment in the UK, including industry stalwarts like SmileDirectClub.
But Straight Teeth Direct still stands out. They’re one of the only companies that offers remote monitoring and a satisfaction guarantee that covers up to five extra months of treatment beyond your initial plan. And at £1,650, it won’t break the bank either.
Like other home aligner treatments, Straight Teeth Direct is mainly for mild and moderate cases of crowding and spacing. They can also treat certain cases of overjet, overbite, crossbite, and reverse bite, but this depends on the specific condition. If Straight Teeth Direct cannot treat your case, they’ll let you know at the e-consultation stage. It’s possible to get rejected depending on the severity of your case, your dental health, or your specific smile goals.
How Does Straight Teeth Direct Work?
Before you can start wearing your aligners, you’ll need to complete a free e-consultation with a dentist to determine your suitability. If you’re among the 80% of customers they can treat, you’ll order their SmileBox impression kit (or visit their central London scanning partner), which provides Straight Teeth Direct’s dentists with impressions/images of your teeth. At this stage, they’ll assign you to a dentist who will develop a preview that shows a digital treatment progression as a video and a detailed orthodontic report for you to review and approve.
If everything looks good, give the O.K. and they’ll manufacture and send your aligners, which you’ll wear for 22+ hours per day (only removing them to eat, drink, brush, and floss) over the next several months to shift your teeth into their new positions.
Throughout the process, you’ll upload monthly photos of your teeth so that Straight Teeth Direct’s dentists can ensure that your treatment is progressing as planned and make adjustments, if necessary.
Pros & Cons of Straight Teeth Direct
This probably all sounds great so far, but remember that no aligner company is perfect. Each company has its advantages and disadvantages — it’s all about finding the one that best fits your circumstances.
We’ve been across the Internet and back researching Straight Teeth Direct, and we’ve distilled our findings into a simple pros and cons list:
Pros
- During Straight Teeth Direct treatment, you’ll use an app for monthly digital check-ins with your assigned dentist, who can adjust your treatment and aligners to match your progress. It’s a more streamlined oversight model than the office visits that in-person treatments require.
- Straight Teeth Direct’s sticker price will cover all the aligners for your planned treatment, plus five extra months when needed, so you likely won’t pay for any refinements.
- Straight Teeth Direct offers multiple payment plans, two of which do not require a credit check.
- A large majority of StraightTeethDirect’s online reviews are excellent, specifically highlighting their treatment effectiveness and customer support.
- Straight Teeth Direct isn’t the cheapest service on the market, but they’re more affordable than many of their competitors, especially in-office treatments like Invisalign.
Cons
- Straight Teeth Direct only partners with one physical location (in London) where you can get your teeth scanned. Other companies have locations in multiple cities, making it easier for customers to get started.
- Like other at-home aligners, Straight Teeth Direct can’t correct severe misalignments and bite issues like traditional in-office options can. They’re usually limited to milder cases of crowding and spacing.
- Straight Teeth Direct doesn’t have a treatment plan that lets you wear your aligners only at night like some other at-home providers do.
So, Do the Pros Outweigh the Cons?
Yes! Straight Teeth Direct provides effective, dentist-directed home aligner treatment backed by leading technology and exceptional satisfaction guarantees.
Effectiveness
A home aligner company can talk about technology and affordability all day, but it won’t do any good unless they can deliver the desired results. Straight Teeth Direct goes further than most of their competitors to ensure that you get the smile you want.
We should note again that Straight Teeth Direct, like other home aligner treatments, is limited to treating minor and moderate cases of crowding and spacing. If your e-consultation reveals that you have a more severe tooth or jaw misalignment, their orthodontists will explain that you are not suitable and recommend that you consider in-office treatment instead.
But, overall, Straight Teeth Direct strives to deliver safe, consistent, and effective results for every customer.
Straight Teeth Direct uses a team of licensed dentists and orthodontists to create and monitor your treatment.
Straight Teeth Direct maintains a team of licensed dentists and orthodontists who evaluate dental impressions, design aligner treatments, and monitor your progress. Every month, you’ll use their app to upload photos of your teeth so that your assigned dentist can make sure you’re still on track and adjust your aligner plan if necessary.
This isn’t as robust as the hands-on care you’ll get every 4–8 weeks with Invisalign and other in-office options, but it’s still comforting to know that a team of experts oversees your treatment.
Rather than outsourcing manufacturing, Straight Teeth Direct produces their aligners in-house to better control their product quality.
Some aligner companies partner with dental product manufacturing companies to produce their aligners. Typically, these partnerships provide the company with fast production and consistent products.
However, Straight Teeth Direct claims that high order numbers require outsourcing to multiple facilities, which can lead to inconsistencies in quality and materials. For this reason, Straight Teeth Direct produces all their aligners in-house for greater control over the process. Their facilities are right here in the UK, while most competitors import their aligners from other countries.
In addition, Straight Teeth Direct focuses on producing aligners specifically for at-home applications. The labs many of their competitors use usually produce aligners for in-office and at-home use, so their products might not be as effective for home treatment as Straight Teeth Direct’s aligners.
Straight Teeth Direct stands behind their results and will produce up to five extra months of aligners to get them.
When you pay Straight Teeth Direct’s £1,650 price, it covers all the aligners needed to complete your initial treatment plan plus five extra months. So, if you get to the end of treatment and your teeth don’t look like the preview model, you have some wiggle room.
With the help of Straight Teeth Direct’s expert dental team and their commitment to delivering your ideal smile, you can trust you’ll get the results you’re after.
Affordability
Whether you have a tight budget or just like jumping on a good deal, home aligners are an affordable option. Since they cut out office visits and hands-on treatment, they’re much more budget-friendly than Invisalign and other traditional options. And even among home aligner companies, Straight Teeth Direct is one of the easiest on your wallet.
Straight Teeth Direct isn’t the cheapest option out there, but they’re close. They offer multiple financing plans and great value for what you pay.
At £1,650, Straight Teeth Direct is more affordable than most of their competitors.
Here’s what that price gets you:
- All the aligners for your original plan plus refinements.
- One set of aftercare retainers.
- Remote monitoring throughout your treatment.
That’s a pretty good value. Keep in mind that if you cannot visit their London location for a teeth scan (£79), you will need to purchase a SmileBox (dental impression kit) for £69. Even so, this is still cheaper than many other at-home options, and often thousands less than in-office alternatives like Invisalign.
Straight Teeth Direct offers multiple payment plans, including some with no credit check.
It’s totally fine if you don’t have £1,650 in your back pocket to drop on aligner treatment. Straight Teeth Direct can help with that. They provide four different payment plans, so you can choose the one that best fits your budget.
If you’re not confident in your credit score, you might opt for one of their two in-house plans. The first requires a £589 down payment, and then two more payments of £589 — one two months later, and then one two months after that. The second is £499 down, then £169/month for eight months.
But anyone who has a solid credit score can reduce their monthly payment even further with Straight Teeth Direct’s third-party financing options through Humm. With Humm’s first option, there’s no down payment; you’ll simply pay £147.17/month for twelve months. The second option is to make a £25 down payment followed by £49.14/month for 36 months.
These options each include interest and end up costing more than the initial sticker price, so it’s cheaper to pay one lump sum if you can swing it.
Between their low sticker price and flexible financing options, Straight Teeth Direct has made treatment accessible for a wide variety of customers.
Convenience
Some people value their time even more than their money, and home aligner treatment can save you plenty of time as well. The lack of monthly office visits already makes Straight Teeth Direct more convenient than Invisalign or braces. Plus, because they often treat milder misalignments, they’re faster: 5–9 months compared to the 12–18 that in-office options require.
However, compared to other home aligner services, Straight Teeth Direct doesn’t necessarily stand out in this area.
Straight Teeth Direct provides easy dental scans, but only at one location.
Impression kits can be tricky. They require you to bite down perfectly on a putty mixture to create molds of your teeth. This can be difficult if you’ve never done it before — and most people haven’t.
The good news is that Straight Teeth Direct provides another option. You can visit a scanning facility in central London, where a professional will scan your teeth and send the scans directly to Straight Teeth Direct’s dental team for just £79. The bad news is that they only partner with this one location, so if you can’t get to London, you’ll need to order an impression kit for £69.
On average, treatment takes 5–9 months.
Your exact treatment time depends on a couple of factors, primarily your condition severity and your wear schedule. More severe cases may take over 12 months, while minor ones could only take around five.
Comparatively, in-office options often take 12 months or more, but that’s usually because they take on more severe misalignments, which take longer to correct. And some at-home competitors say they can achieve results in as little as four months.
Straight Teeth Direct’s app makes it easy to stay on top of your treatment.
All home aligner companies provide a schedule for your treatment, often through an online account. Straight Teeth Direct takes it to the next level, though. Their app facilitates monthly photo uploads so their dental team can monitor progress and adjust your treatment schedule.
This allows you to keep track of your aligner plan and know when to switch to the next step. And it provides direct access to dentists and customer service, so you can address questions and concerns quickly.
Straight Teeth Direct doesn’t offer a nighttime-only treatment plan, so you’ll need to wear your aligners all day.
Some at-home aligner companies offer an alternative, nighttime-only treatment plan that requires ten hours of continuous daily wear instead of the usual 22 (taking them out for meals). However, Straight Teeth Direct isn’t one of them, so you’ll need to wear your aligners all day, only removing them to eat, drink, brush, and floss.
Appearance
Clear aligners have an undeniable advantage over braces in the appearance category, but when you’re comparing multiple clear aligner brands, the differences become a lot less noticeable. All at-home aligners use transparent, BPA-free plastic, but each brand looks slightly different because of variations in materials and manufacturing processes.
Aligners from Straight Teeth Direct are completely smooth and transparent.
The clearer the aligners, the less visible they’ll be, right? Not exactly. Smooth, 100% clear aligners don’t match the surface of your teeth, which is naturally textured. This means that Straight Teeth Direct’s aligners can look artificially shiny.
But this is often a matter of personal preference. Some people like shinier aligners because they make their teeth “gleam.” Others like the more natural look of textured aligners.
Straight Teeth Direct takes a unique approach to trimming their aligners.
Most brands sell aligners that are either “straight” (cut straight across the top) or “scalloped” (trimmed to match your gum line), but Straight Teeth Direct does something different. Rather than simply doing a straight or scalloped cut, they tailor each set of aligners to the needs of the individual to ensure the correct movement, force profile, and comfort.
Straight-cut aligners are typically more effective, while scalloped ones are less noticeable. Straight Teeth Direct aims to give you the best of both worlds. They design their aligners to extend beyond the teeth onto the tissue above to exert more force (just like straight-cut ones) but have a rounded finish so they are more comfortable to wear. This gives users the benefit of both effectiveness and comfort. However, this cut is still slightly more visible than purely scalloped aligners.
Straight Teeth Direct aligners cannot incorporate attachments, maintaining their low profile.
When administering Invisalign, a dentist can affix elastics and special attachments to the teeth that help their scalloped aligners make more intricate teeth movements. Attachments make the aligners more effective, but also increase their visibility.
Since home aligners like Straight Teeth Direct don’t involve in-person office visits, these attachments are not possible. But that also means there are no extra bumps or hardware on your teeth.
You should take out your aligners before eating and drinking to avoid stains.
All clear aligners are susceptible to stains from food and beverages — that’s why it’s important to remove them before eating or drinking anything other than plain water. Our current understanding is that Straight Teeth Direct’s aligners are reasonably resistant to staining, although we certainly wouldn’t recommend drinking coffee or red wine while wearing them.
Customer Experience
When completing treatment at home, you’re bound to have questions. And it’s comforting to know that there’s a responsive, helpful person on the other end. And if anything goes wrong, quality customer care is even more important.
Straight Teeth Direct has implemented responsive, caring customer support and extensive satisfaction guarantees, but as a fully remote treatment, it can’t match the personalization and hands-on care of in-office alternatives.
They don’t have traditional contact avenues, but their app provides responsive customer service.
If you need to contact Straight Teeth Direct before beginning treatment, you’ll do so by emailing them or messaging them on social media. They don’t have an official phone number listed on their website.
At first, this might be off-putting, until you realize that their app provides direct messaging to the customer support team seven days a week. Online reviewers offer consistently high praise for Straight Teeth Direct’s customer support, so we assume the app is an easy and responsive method, potentially even easier than traditional phone or email.
Straight Teeth Direct’s satisfaction guarantee inspires confidence.
One major reservation many people have about home aligner treatment is uncertainty about the results. Without constant oversight, how can you know it will work as expected? It’s a valid concern, and one that Straight Teeth Direct addresses.
When you purchase the full treatment, it includes as many aligners as you need for your treatment plan, plus one round of refinements. So, if you’re not quite there by the time you finish your plan, Straight Teeth Direct will make you more aligners at no cost. If you want more refinements after that, you can pay for another three-month round of refinements for £299.
Go with Straight Teeth Direct and you can be confident that you’ll receive exceptional customer support from day one until your treatment is complete.
What Are Straight Teeth Direct Customers Saying?
When we review a company like Straight Teeth Direct, our first move is to dig through customer reviews to understand common customer issues and desires.
Thousands of customers have tried Straight Teeth Direct and a lot of them aren’t shy with their praises. The company has received consistently excellent reviews for years. Customers often note how much they appreciate the constant oversight and check-ins, and how easy it is to use the app. They also frequently report satisfaction with their final results.
The only negative reviews we could find seemed to apply to those customers’ highly specific situations. Overall, it appears that Straight Teeth Direct facilitates an exemplary customer experience.
Straight Teeth Direct vs. Invisalign
One of the main differences between at-home clear aligners like Straight Teeth Direct and in-office ones like Invisalign is cost. Invisalign is, on average, about 2–4 times as expensive as Straight Teeth Direct. That said, there’s another important difference to keep in mind: Invisalign is able to correct much more severe cases of misalignment than Straight Teeth Direct.
With Invisalign, you’ll receive hands-on care. This means your dentist can incorporate elastics and other attachments to achieve more advanced and intricate teeth movements. Unfortunately, this isn’t possible with Straight Teeth Direct.
For severe cases of crowding, spacing, or bite issues, in-person care can’t be beat. But if you’re simply looking to correct a mild-to-moderate dental misalignment, an affordable at-home provider like Straight Teeth Direct can achieve the results you’re after.
Straight Teeth Direct vs. Other At-Home Clear Aligners
While Straight Teeth Direct is a reputable and affordable brand, there are a few other home teeth straightening companies worth considering before settling on a provider. Let’s see how Straight Teeth Direct stacks up compared to some other top-ranked home teeth aligners:
Straight Teeth Direct vs. Virtuoso
The same company owns both Straight Teeth Direct and Virtuoso, but their treatments are different. While Straight Teeth Direct is entirely remote, Virtuoso is a hybrid treatment that incorporates one or more in-person appointments with a local dentist. At £1,999, Virtuoso is pricier, but if you want like their combination of remote and in-office treatment, it might be worth it.
Interested? Read through our complete Virtuoso review.
Straight Teeth Direct vs. SmileDirectClub
SmileDirectClub has treated more than 1.5 million customers globally since 2014. Unlike Straight Teeth Direct, they have numerous scanning locations (SmileShops). Combined with their nighttime-only treatment option, SmileDirectClub makes treatment as convenient as possible. Priced at £1,739, SmileDirectClub costs a bit more than Straight Teeth Direct.
Straight Teeth Direct vs. NewSmile
Though Straight Teeth Direct offers affordable treatment, NewSmile’s £1,395 price tag is more affordable. NewSmile only recently joined the UK clear aligner market, but they’re quickly making a name for themselves with their value-driven treatments and flexible nighttime-only treatment option.
To learn more about NewSmile, be sure to check out our full-length review.
Summary - Is Straight Teeth Direct Right for You?
Looking for consistent dentist oversight, a solid warranty, and superb customer service? You’ll love Straight Teeth Direct.
Their app gives you constant access to their support team, as well as routine check-ins to keep you on track. That, combined with an affordable price tag and their five extra months of aligners, makes Straight Teeth Direct a top-notch option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Straight Teeth Direct offer discounts?
If you’re looking for discounts on the entire aligner treatment, they don’t come around very often. If you complete the free e-consultation and keep an eye out on the newsletter, you may get lucky, though. Straight Teeth Direct also sometimes launches special offers for the SmileBox, whitening products and other oral care products via their social media channels on Instagram and Facebook.
Can Straight Teeth Direct correct my condition?
It depends. Straight Teeth Direct is extremely effective in treating mild and moderate cases of crowding and spacing, but it might not be able to correct jaw misalignments like overbite, underbite, crossbite, etc. The only way to know for sure is to complete the free e-consultation and receive an evaluation from one of their dentists. After evaluating your teeth, Straight Teeth Direct’s dental team will let you know if their aligners can make the necessary shifts.
How much will I end up paying?
Their standard price is £1,650 for aligner treatment and £69 for the SmileBox impression kit or £79 for a dental scan at their scanning facility in London. Although if you sign on for a payment plan, you’ll end up paying more in the long run.
How do I get started?
To determine your treatment candidacy and develop your aligner plan, Straight Teeth Direct’s dental team will need to analyze your teeth. To get started, you first need to complete the free e-consultation via their website, which will allow a dentist to evaluate your suitability.
If you’re suitable, you can order the SmileBox impression kit or go for a dental scan at their central London location. After receiving the impressions or scans of your teeth, their dentists and orthodontists will create a treatment plan and smile preview for you to review, showing every step of the process before you agree to go ahead with the treatment.
How long will it take?
In most cases, Straight Teeth Direct treatment takes 5–9 months to deliver the desired results. This depends primarily on the severity of your case and how diligently you follow the prescribed wear schedule.
Does insurance cover Straight Teeth Direct’s treatment?
The UK’s public healthcare rarely covers orthodontic care for adults. It may provide coverage if the treatment is medically necessary, but that’s rarely the case for home aligners. If you have private insurance, you may receive partial coverage, but you’ll need to check with your provider to find out.
What is the most effective clear aligner company?
It’s tough to beat the power and versatility of in-office options like Invisalign, ClearCorrect, SureSmile, and 3M Clarity Aligners. They can all treat severe misalignments and even bite issues.
What about Invisalign?
The clear aligner originator has its own set of unique benefits, most notably in-person care. During regular face-to-face checkups, your dentist or orthodontist can make adjustments to your treatment and add attachments that allow Invisalign to treat a wider scope of cases. Home aligners might be faster and less expensive, but Invisalign is a great option if your condition is severe or you’d prefer to meet with your dentist in person.
Do clear aligners hurt?
When you switch to a new aligner set every two weeks, you might experience some discomfort for a couple of days, but after that, you’ll hardly notice them.
Is home aligner treatment safe?
Yes! While administering treatment from home might seem daunting, the process is very safe. Home aligner companies use licensed dentists and orthodontists to create your treatment plan and design your aligners.
Even though you won’t meet with them in-person, each company offers robust customer support services if something doesn’t feel quite right. Straight Teeth Direct’s regular virtual check-ins help to prevent any complications or issues throughout treatment.
Luke Jones says
I want to state firstly that this is a 100% honest and real review.
I started my journey with straightteethdirect in August 2019. I was super excited to start after much research and thinking it was real value for money.
About 2-3 months in I could feel that my teeth were misaligned and that eating had become difficult. I was told that this perfectly normal and that as the treatment continued things would improve. I carried on wearing my aligners expecting the situation to improve. 5-6 months in my teeth were so misaligned that they were squeeking as I ate because they would not fit together anymore. I again voice my concerns and this time they told me that it was an existing problem that I’d had even before I had started the treatment. I felt I had no choice but to carry on with the treatment as I had already paid them my money.
I persevered until the end of the treatment and was very disciplined making sure to wear them 22hours a day. At the end of the treatment I was extremely disappointed with the cosmetic results on top of the misalignment and they agreed to extend the the treatment, so I continued hoping for some kind of improvement. We are now in December 2021 and I am still wearing the retainers 22 hours a day. I’ve had them in for so long that now it is extremely uncomfortable when I don’t have them in to speak or eat, they have completely destroyed the alignment of my teeth. I pleaded for them to refund my money and sent various emails but they have since ignored me. I recently sent them a private message on instagram but they just blocked me.
My message to everyone that wants straight teeth and a beautiful smile is to do it properly with a professional orthodontist. This company has ruined my teeth and then blocked me and run away. If I can save someone from going through the nightmare that I have then it would have been worth writing this review.
Smile Prep says
Note to our readers: we reached out to Luke and verified that he is indeed a real customer of Straight Teeth Direct. Our current understanding is that Luke’s experience is not typical, and that most Straight Teeth Direct customers have a more positive experience. However, we do certainly understand his sense of frustration and disappointment, and felt it only fair to share his experience with our readers.