If picture day is next
year, start this year.
Straightening teeth averages about a year and a half. That is the whole reason this page is aimed at juniors rather than seniors — the options worth having take time, and the ones that don’t are the ones you rush.
Tell us what you actually don’t like.
Gaps, crooked teeth, staining, a tooth that is a different shape from the one next to it — there are usually several ways to address most of it.
We start with an examination and X-rays, talk through the timeframe we are working with, and then present the options to you and your parents together so the decision gets made properly.
Some options have hard time constraints, so the earlier you come in, the more of them are actually open to you.
A photo deadline is a bad reason to rush a permanent decision
Some cosmetic treatments are reversible. Some are not — anything that removes enamel is permanent, and enamel does not grow back.
At seventeen you have decades of dentistry ahead of you. We will always show you the conservative option first, and we will tell you plainly when something can wait.
Ordered by how much they change permanently.
Whitening
If staining is the main thing, this is the cheapest and least invasive answer — one appointment, with visible improvement before you leave.
We take older teens case by case, with your parents part of the conversation. Your teeth are examined first to make sure they are healthy enough.
Bonding
Tooth-coloured composite shaped onto the tooth to fix a chip, close a small gap, or even up a tooth that is a different size from its neighbour.
One visit, and for purely cosmetic cases no drilling — so essentially nothing is lost. If bonding will do the job, it is the right tool at your age.
Invisalign
The answer if your teeth are crooked and you would rather not have metal braces. Clear aligners that surround the teeth completely and move them gradually.
Nothing permanent is removed — the teeth are moved, not cut.
About a year and a half.
That is our average treatment time, which is exactly why junior year is when to start. We will examine you and give you a figure for your own teeth rather than an average.
And here is the honest part: if your teeth are not perfectly straight by picture day, they will at least be straighter, and your smile better than it is now. Progress counts.
The aligners are removable, so you simply take them out for the photos — and for sports, and for a school dance.
How it works day to day
- The aligners look like a full plastic retainer and surround your teeth completely
- They put pressure on specific teeth to move them into position gradually
- Each aligner is worn about two weeks, then swapped for the next in the series
- You change them at home, so you spend less time at the office than with braces
- Out for eating, drinking anything but water, and brushing
- At least 20 hours a day keeps treatment on schedule — that part is entirely down to you
You are in control of the treatment, which is the appeal and also the catch. Aligners in a case do nothing.
Available, but think hard.
Veneers are thin porcelain shells bonded to the front of prepared teeth, and they can transform a smile. They are also the least reversible thing on this page.
Preparing a tooth means removing a small amount of enamel — typically 0.3 to 0.5mm. That is permanent. From then on, that tooth will always need a veneer or similar covering, for the rest of your life.
For a photograph you will look at fondly and occasionally, that is a significant trade. Often whitening and bonding get most of the way there while leaving your teeth intact, and we would rather show you that first.
If veneers genuinely are the right answer for your case, we will say so — and it is a conversation for you and your parents together, without a picture-day deadline pushing it.
One order that matters
Whitening has to come before any bonding or veneers. Whitening works only on natural enamel and does nothing to composite or porcelain.
Get it the wrong way round and your new front teeth are matched to your current shade permanently — which is a genuinely annoying thing to discover afterwards.
And before any of it
Cavities, infection and gum disease get treated before any cosmetic work. Not to slow you down — cosmetic treatment over an untreated problem is money wasted and can make the problem worse.
Answered honestly.
My pictures are in three months. What can I actually do?
Am I too young for whitening?
Will Invisalign affect playing sports or an instrument?
Will my parents need to be involved?
What does it cost?
What if I only want one tooth fixed?
Come in during junior year.
An examination, X-rays, and an honest conversation with you and your parents about what is possible in the time you have — and what is better left until later.