You get what you pay for.

After some further Googling I came across The Dental Studio in Colchester.

http://www.the-dental-studio.com/

They advertised Clearstep, which is similar to Invisalign and - hooray! - Six Month Smiles.

I rang up to ask about Six Month Smiles. The lady I spoke to was very helpful, gave me lots of basic information and told me I would have to pay a consultation fee but that would include a full set of X Rays so that if I did want to go ahead I could proceed that day. Since I had got nothing much of use when I went for that free consultation in Chelmsford I thought "in for a penny, in for a pound" and made an appointment.

The consultation was great. The surgery is easy to get to, parking was fine, the surgery was clean and airy and the staff were friendly.

The dentist I saw was Stephen Pitt. He was very approachable, had a good look around my mouth, took loads of X Rays and confirmed I was suitable for the treatment. Given the amount of movement needed my treatment would probably take closer to 9 months than 6. Then he said that he thought I ought to have my bottom teeth done as well as the top. Groan. Here we go again.

I quizzed him about why and he explained in detail. He showed me the main area of the bottom jaw where the bite would not align once the top teeth are straightened. Instead of looking nonplussed, like the last dentist, when I demanded to know why I should care about having my bite fully aligned, he explained how it could cause problems with my jaw, and possibly with the teeth if I didn't. He said he was prepared just to do the top teeth if I wanted, but that I should be aware of the possible issues. Since it costs less than half as much again to do the bottom at the same time as the top I had a secret "in for a penny, in for a pound" moment but said I would go away and think about it so they wouldn't think I was a total pushover.

A couple of days later I came back to have impressions made of my teeth.

They put a load of purple gunk inside a tray and then press it to the teeth. The gunk feels quite cold and they have to push your lips around a bit to make sure the mould is sufficiently detailed. It doesn't hurt, or even feel uncomfortable, although you might not like it if you have a very strong gag reflex quite far forward in your palate. The gunk sets in a couple of minutes and after they have cleaned all the purple goo away from round your mouth, you're good to go. Except....


"You need to see the hygienist before we fit the braces." said Stephen. "It will be hard to clean your teeth perfectly while they are on, and you have some gum inflammation that needs to be seen to. It will take a couple of weeks for the braces to be ready, so please see the hygienist during that time."

See the hygienist? I haven't seen a hygienist in over a decade. My dentist cleans my teeth. Hygienists are all related to Ivan the Terrible or Caligula as far as I can tell. I wonder if I should back out now. Then I think, "Well, he can't make me see the hygienist, surely." I go to pay my deposit for the treatment and go home; I have been defiant and NOT made an appointment to see the resident torturer, er, I mean hygienist.