Plenty of people decide to sort their teeth before a wedding, and it is a perfectly good reason to start. The thing that determines whether it works is not which treatment you choose. It is how much time you have left.
Eighteen months or more
You have room for anything. A full course of fixed braces or clear aligners will correct crowding, close gaps and sort the bite, and you will be out of them well before the day with time to spare for the teeth to settle.
This is the comfortable option, and if the wedding is more than a year and a half away there is no reason to compromise on what you have done.
Nine to twelve months
Still workable for most cases, though the planning matters more. Clear aligners suit this window well because they are discreet throughout, so even if you are still in treatment at an engagement party or a dress fitting, nobody is looking at your teeth.
A shorter front-teeth course such as Braces Lite is the other option here, provided your bite is already sound. It typically runs six to nine months and treats the teeth that show when you smile.
Under six months
Be realistic. There is not enough time for comprehensive treatment, and starting something you cannot finish leaves you mid-treatment on the day, which is the worst of both.
What is achievable in a short window is limited: minor alignment of the front teeth in a straightforward case, or simply whitening and a hygiene appointment with your dentist, which makes more difference to photographs than people expect.
We would rather tell you that at the consultation than take your money for something that will not be finished.
Do not forget the retainers
Whatever you do, treatment ends with retainers, and the wedding is not the finish line. Teeth drift back towards where they started if nothing holds them, and the last thing you want is the result slipping during the first year of marriage.
A clear retainer worn at night is barely noticeable and takes seconds.
Start earlier than you think you need to
The single most common thing we hear is that someone wishes they had come in six months sooner. If there is a wedding on the horizon, even a vague one, an assessment now costs you nothing in time and tells you exactly what is possible.
Book a consultation at our Dundrum clinic and we will give you a straight answer about what your timeline allows.
