“Invisalign or braces?” is one of the most common questions we hear from adults considering orthodontic treatment. The honest answer is: it depends on the case, the timeline, the budget, and your personality. Both work. Both have been used successfully on millions of patients. But the right choice for you depends on five or six specific factors, and a marketing-led answer usually picks the wrong one.
This post is the comparison we’d give you at a consultation, in writing.
The headline differences
| Fixed braces | Invisalign |
|---|
| Visible? | Metal or ceramic, attached to teeth | Near-invisible clear plastic aligners |
| Removable? | No — they stay on throughout | Yes — for eating, drinking (except water), brushing |
| Wear time | Continuous (24/7) | 20–22 hours per day, taken out for meals |
| Hygiene | Harder — food traps, harder to brush | Easy — take out and brush normally |
| Diet restrictions | Yes — hard or sticky foods can damage brackets | No — anything, while aligners are out |
| Pain/comfort | Initial soreness; soft-tissue irritation possible | Pressure for first 1–2 days of each new aligner |
| Treatment time | Typically 12–24 months | Typically 6–18 months (case-dependent) |
| Effective for | Complex cases including severe rotations, impacted teeth, jaw discrepancies | Mild-to-moderate alignment, gap closure, crowding |
| Compliance dependent | No — works whatever you do | Yes — only works if you wear them as instructed |
| Cost at Campos Dental | From £1,500 | From £1,600 |
Fixed braces
- Visible?
- Metal or ceramic, attached to teeth
- Removable?
- No — they stay on throughout
- Wear time
- Continuous (24/7)
- Hygiene
- Harder — food traps, harder to brush
- Diet restrictions
- Yes — hard or sticky foods can damage brackets
- Pain/comfort
- Initial soreness; soft-tissue irritation possible
- Treatment time
- Typically 12–24 months
- Effective for
- Complex cases including severe rotations, impacted teeth, jaw discrepancies
- Compliance dependent
- No — works whatever you do
- Cost at Campos Dental
- From £1,500
Invisalign
- Visible?
- Near-invisible clear plastic aligners
- Removable?
- Yes — for eating, drinking (except water), brushing
- Wear time
- 20–22 hours per day, taken out for meals
- Hygiene
- Easy — take out and brush normally
- Diet restrictions
- No — anything, while aligners are out
- Pain/comfort
- Pressure for first 1–2 days of each new aligner
- Treatment time
- Typically 6–18 months (case-dependent)
- Effective for
- Mild-to-moderate alignment, gap closure, crowding
- Compliance dependent
- Yes — only works if you wear them as instructed
- Cost at Campos Dental
- From £1,600
The compliance point is the single most important factor and the one that ultimately decides which is right for many patients.
When fixed braces are the better choice
We’d recommend fixed braces when:
- The case has significant complexity — severe rotations, deep bite, large overjet, impacted canines, skeletal-class issues. Modern fixed brackets are extraordinarily precise and predictable for the difficult cases.
- You suspect you might not wear aligners consistently. Invisalign only works if it’s in your mouth 20–22 hours a day, every day, for 6–18 months. If that sounds onerous, fixed braces — which work whatever you do — are the more reliable option.
- You’re a teenager. Compliance with aligners varies widely with teenagers; fixed braces don’t depend on it. (We do treat teen Invisalign cases successfully, but with frank conversations about what’s required.)
- Cost is the deciding factor. Fixed braces start from £1,500, slightly below the typical Invisalign starting point.
Fixed braces are not the old metal-tracks-and-elastics image many patients have in their head. Modern ceramic brackets blend in with the tooth, and the wires themselves are reasonably discreet. For most adult patients, the visibility is far less than they expect.
When Invisalign is the better choice
We’d recommend Invisalign when:
- The case is mild to moderate. Crowding, spacing, mild bite correction, post-relapse cases where teeth have moved back after teenage orthodontics. The technology has improved substantially over the last decade and handles considerably more than it used to — but very complex skeletal cases are still better suited to fixed.
- Appearance during treatment matters significantly. Professionals in client-facing roles, wedding photographs, public-speaking — Invisalign is genuinely close to invisible.
- You play contact sports where a bracket on the inside of the lip is a problem.
- Your hygiene is excellent and you’re disciplined. Aligners are a discipline test. Patients who can build a 20-hour-a-day routine reliably get excellent results. Patients who can’t, don’t.
- You want to know the outcome before starting. With Invisalign we plan the entire treatment digitally on a 3D model (the ClinCheck) before treatment starts. You’ll see exactly what your teeth will look like at the end of the case before committing.
Invisalign at Campos Dental starts from £1,600 for shorter Express cases and is typically £2,500–£4,500 for full Comprehensive cases, depending on duration. The treatment is supplied directly by Align Technology and is only available through Invisalign-certified providers; Dr Jacqueline Jacobs is a certified provider.
What the consultation involves
For either treatment route, the consultation includes:
- Examination and bite assessment — checking the teeth, the jaws and the existing occlusion.
- Photographs and impressions (or digital scan) — to plan the case.
- CBCT scan if indicated — for complex cases where 3D root and bone information changes the plan. See our CBCT post.
- Treatment plan in writing — both options where appropriate, with timing and full cost.
- For Invisalign — a free ClinCheck preview. We send your impressions to Align, they produce the 3D treatment simulation, you come back and see exactly what we’d be aiming for.
The consultation itself for orthodontic treatment is included in our standard new-patient or routine examination fee — there’s no separate orthodontic consultation charge.
Retention — the part both options have in common
The unglamorous truth about orthodontics: teeth move back if you let them. After any orthodontic treatment — fixed braces or Invisalign — you need retainers, indefinitely.
We typically recommend:
- A fixed lingual retainer (a fine wire bonded to the back of the front teeth, invisible from the front) — passive, no compliance required
- Plus a removable Essix retainer (clear plastic, looks like an aligner) worn nightly for the first year, then a few nights a week thereafter
Both retainers are included in the orthodontic treatment fee at Campos Dental. The lingual retainer typically lasts 5–10 years before needing review.
The cost picture
| Treatment | Price from |
|---|
| Orthodontic consultation | Included in routine exam (£50) |
| Fixed braces (per arch / both arches as case requires) | from £1,500 |
| Invisalign Express (3–6 months) | from £1,600 |
| Invisalign Comprehensive (12+ months) | typically £2,500–£4,500 |
| Retainers (fixed + removable) | Included with treatment |
| Whitening top-up at end of treatment | from £350 if desired |
Price from
- Orthodontic consultation
- Included in routine exam (£50)
- Fixed braces (per arch / both arches as case requires)
- from £1,500
- Invisalign Express (3–6 months)
- from £1,600
- Invisalign Comprehensive (12+ months)
- typically £2,500–£4,500
- Retainers (fixed + removable)
- Included with treatment
- Whitening top-up at end of treatment
- from £350 if desired
Orthodontic cases over £350 can be spread at 0% APR over 12 months via Chrysalis Finance, or longer terms at 9.9% APR representative.
Frequently asked
Which is faster?
Invisalign is generally faster for mild-to-moderate cases (often 6–12 months); fixed braces are competitive on complex cases where Invisalign would need a longer Comprehensive plan. Don’t choose Invisalign because it’s “faster” without understanding what your specific case requires — we’ll be honest at the consultation.
Which hurts more?
Both produce mild pressure-soreness for 24–72 hours after each adjustment (braces) or each new aligner (Invisalign, every 1–2 weeks). Fixed braces additionally cause soft-tissue irritation from the brackets rubbing against the cheek — relieved with wax. Invisalign is generally more comfortable in the soft tissues, but the pressure on the teeth is similar.
Can adults still have braces?
Yes — adults are now the majority of orthodontic patients in the UK. We treat patients from teenage years up to 80s. There’s no upper age limit; the only question is whether the gum and bone support are healthy enough.
Will I need to wear elastics with Invisalign?
Sometimes. For cases involving bite correction (overbite, underbite, crossbite), small button attachments are bonded to certain teeth and elastics are stretched between them, worn over the aligners. We’d explain this at the ClinCheck stage so you know before committing.
What if I lose an aligner?
Order the next one early and pop it in. If it’s a few days out from when you’d switch anyway, it’s fine. If it’s a significant gap, we’ll re-scan and re-order. Don’t panic.
Does Invisalign cost more because it’s “premium”?
A bit, yes — but the bigger reason it costs more is the laboratory cost. Each set of aligners is custom-manufactured for your treatment plan; that’s not free. For mild cases (Express), Invisalign is very close to fixed-brace pricing. For complex Comprehensive cases, fixed braces become noticeably cheaper.
If you’d like an honest opinion on which would suit your case, get in touch and we’ll book you in for a check-up — including an Invisalign ClinCheck preview if it’s likely to be the right option.
— Dr Jacqueline Jacobs
