To spend £4k on this?

Thanks for the update and sorry again for resurrecting it…. Was just being nosey! Especially because I’m approaching it from the opposite side. Have lived with my slightly crooked teeth through buying a house, having kids, other financial commitments. But I’m kinda kicking myself for not prioritising my smile sooner. Will see what the initial appointment holds tomorrow

Do you have a mortgage? I’d prioritise having enough savings to cover the mortgage and bills for 6 months, then have treatment.

I'm not saying don't get it done but if you have no savings at all I'm not sure you can afford it right now. I was in my 30s before I could afford to get my teeth straightened, I guess I had other priorities before that like travel and owning a home but I also wouldn't have taken out credit for it personally.

zombie thread

Sorry just seen this is an old thread!

If it won't be noticeable then in your financial situation no I definitely wouldn't do it. Sounds like a waste of money to me. As PP said, save the money and see if you still want it done when you have the money.

Maybe compromise and save up for a year so you have some emergency savings and then go down the road of starting this process.

You don’t need to justify why you want it. If it will make you more happy and confident that’s all that matters.

I mean this kindly but I think a better investment would be to have private therapy to improve your confidence and explore why what your teeth look like/your appearance generally is so important to you.

4k is so much money to spend on a cosmetic procedure and it sounds like even then would only make a slight difference to your appearance and you're already considering further treatments? Where does it end. Also savings are important to have.

Resurrecting an old thread for an update. Did you do it OP?

im considering it now aged 40. Kinda wishing I’d done it in my 20s!

You have no savings and you are considering spending £4000 on your teeth for a mild cosmetic improvement? Why!?

If it will boost your confidence and it makes you happy absolutely do it.

I did invisalign on 0%finance. Tbh the treatment took that long so its not much different from paying 150 to go to a dentist appointment every month as you keep going in for regular check ups and changes. I hated the first couple of days but totally adjusted to it and was really pleased with the results, much more so than I thought. I would thoroughly recommend. By the time you finish the treatment you will have pretty much finished paying... Good luck!

But surely there's a balance to be had?

Nobody is saying that they want fearsome wobbly brown pegs that look like they eat apples through the letterbox; but there's not actually anything wrong with not having Hollywood-style gleaming white gnashers, is there?

I’m so envious. I love the look of a gap between front teeth. Mine are crowded and I detest it. Why do we always want what we haven’t got?

@SirAlfredSpatchcock It's a very low bar for teeth that you can gnaw at things and enunciate.

I had extensive orthodontic treatment as a teenager. It was amazingly successful. I appreciate to this day that my parents managed to afford it for me. Over forty years later, dentists comment on the very aesthetic result the orthodontist all those years ago achieved. Sure, I could speak and chew beforehand but my teeth were a combination of Bugs Bunny and random vampire.

I have a visit to the dentist every six months for a check up and a similar visit to a dental hygienist every six month. I get the feeling that this is not the UK way.

I would spend a little on counselling instead. Most people don't have the perfect smile/teeth/face/body but most can still smile and have photos taken etc.

I suspect you've had a bad experience or two and are playing it out through your smile. I can guarantee you, a bigger smile won't make you happier. It won't help you get a partner.

£4k on a minor adjustment when you have zero savings shows you're disproportionately prioritising this.

@naran of course teeth are noticed! While people talk, smile - teeth are quite visible! I personally get put off by bad teeth but OP’s issue doesn’t sound like a case of bad teeth (or maybe I’m not picturing it right). I spent around £4K on my Invisalign but that was closing gaps and fixing rotated teeth.

I took that option because I couldn’t be dealing with retainers in and out all day, and you still have clear brackets on your teeth with retainers anyway. Also they were a little cheaper back then.

I had clear brackets, so you could see I had braces as there was a wire across my teeth but it wasn’t in your face like the traditional metal ones. I had to be careful not to eat curry or drink white wine as they stain easily.

cleaning wise no issue, brush normally and use a tipi for in between the gaps. Obviously carry a small mirror for after food in public.

For just a slight result personally I wouldn’t. If your insecure about your smile, I would rather work on self esteem and positive self talk etc for free than spend 4k on a procedure with minor results

If it won't look much different why spend £4k on it. Seems a lot for not a lot of difference

Maybe post a teeth pic and we can give honest options about your teeth and if need it

But sounds like you don't really need it if have straight teeth

If it will help with your self confidence I say yes. Just be sure you can afford the repayments. Good luck

Absolute waste of money if your teeth are already straight imo.

I can guarantee that I have never given anyone's teeth a second thought, and wouldn't do so unless they are literally all black and falling out of their head.

Reading some posts on this thread I understand why so many British people have such awful teeth.

How do you define 'awful'? If you have teeth that enable you to perfectly chew your food, are not in danger of getting infected and/or falling out and don't distort the sounds you make when you speak, they're pretty much perfect for their purpose, aren't they?

It might be nice if your features look aesthetically appealing according to modern trends, but it hardly makes them (or you) 'awful' if they just function properly and don't also look beautiful, does it? It's this kind of weird thinking that leads strange people to pay good money to have their arseholes bleached to a slightly different shade on the Dulux chart.

I would definitely get it done

If it makes you happy and more confident it's well worth it in my book.