Updated on August 27, 2024
11 min read
Dr. Smile Review (2024)
NewMouth is reader supported. We may earn a commission if you purchase something using one of our links. Advertising Disclosure.
In this article
Notice: PlusDent was founded as SunshineSmile aligners (2017) before it was rebranded (2019). The Straumman Group acquired PlusDent in 2022 and merged it with Dr. Smile, now responsible for its customers.
PlusDent (now Dr. Smile) is a hybrid aligner treatment, which means you can get started by seeing a local dentist or orthodontist for an assessment. The brand is partnered with over 400+ dental providers registered under the General Dental Council (GDC), so finding one should be easy.
You can complete your treatment at home, and your progress is monitored remotely through the Dr. Smile app. This is more convenient than Invisalign UK, which requires frequent dental visits.At NewMouth, we want to help you decide if PlusDent is the right choice for your teeth. So our team of smile experts investigated its pros, cons, and costs and looked into hundreds of PlusDent and Dr. Smile reviews. We also compared PlusDent with other clear aligners in the UK.
We tried PlusDent UK and gave it a score of 3.6⭐ in five categories:
Below is a summary of PlusDent’s pros and cons based on user reviews.
PlusDent corrects mild to complex teeth alignment issues (malocclusions) and some bite issues in adults. These include:
When you visit a PlusDent provider, they’ll see if you’re a good candidate on your first appointment. Generally, you need to have good oral health and no dental problems to qualify for the treatment.
PlusDent aligners can give you straighter teeth in 4 to 12 months, depending on your condition and whether you wear the trays as prescribed.
However, you should start seeing results after a few weeks of beginning treatment. Mild cases usually take 4 to 6 months to straighten, while moderate to complex cases can take anywhere from 6 to 12 months.
PlusDent (Dr. Smile UK) offers three treatments at different price points. Their cost depends on the complexity of your teeth misalignment. You can pay for your aligners upfront or with a monthly payment plan:
| PlusDent Treatable Cases | Upfront Treatment Costs | Monthly Payment Plans |
| Easy | £1,390 | £116/12 mos |
| Moderate | £1,790 | £149/12 mos |
| Complex | £2,090 | £174/12 mos |
Treatment costs include your initial appointment with a PlusDent provider, a 3D scan of your teeth, your customised treatment plan, remote monitoring, and extra refinements if you’re not satisfied with the results.
Other dental procedures that may help you qualify—like interproximal reductions (IPR) or attachments—will add to the total cost. You also need to consider the cost of post-treatment retainers. PlusDent offers two:
| PlusDent Retainers | Cost Per Jaw | Cost for Both Jaws |
| Removable retainers | £99 | £198 |
| Permanent retainers | £350 | £490 |
The company offers a 2-year guarantee for damaged and loose retainers that need to be replaced or reattached.
PlusDent treatments aren’t typically covered by the National Health Service (NHS). However, some people may get approved.
The NHS only covers dental care treatments necessary for maintaining oral health. Unfortunately, PlusDent and Dr. Smile are cosmetic treatments.
If you request to be covered, the NHS will use the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) to grade your case on a scale of 1 to 5. It will help them determine your coverage:
It depends. If you’re privately insured, your insurance company may cover the cost. It’s best to ask them about your aligner treatment coverage.
Now that PlusDent is Dr. Smile UK, the two companies follow a similar treatment process. Here’s a step-by-step of the clear aligner treatment:
Note: PlusDent customers should stop using the PlusDent app and switch to the Dr. Smile app. It will notify you when to change to the next aligner.
Many UK locals were happy with PlusDent. Dr. Smile always had mixed reviews, with an average rating of 3.3 out of 5⭐ in Germany, Poland, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. Below are customer reviews that highlight the users’ overall experience with PlusDent:
Garner was a PlusDent customer. In her Trustpilot review, she talks about her experience with the company shortly after Dr. Smile acquired it:
Updated 02/01/2023: “Patience was a virtue”
“… Received communication about the acquisition by Dr. Smile. Although promised I would receive emails regarding [the] next steps, this was not the case. My treatment came to an end, and I’ve been wearing my final aligner for 6 weeks to avoid any movement, which is obviously the logical thing to do.”
“It was initially difficult to contact Dr. Smile, I assume while they were setting up operations in the UK. As of this week, I have managed to book in for a scan for a refinement to finish my treatment.”
Updated 02/08/2023: “I managed to go for my scan and I’m awaiting a response from Dr. Smile, which could take up to 3 weeks according to the dental practice I went to.”
Updated 02/14/2023: “I received an email to say my treatment/refinement plan was ready and I have now successfully ordered my aligners and have been given access to the Dr. Smile app to track my order progress.”
Updated 03/06/2023: “Finally, my refinement is being shipped. Unfortunately, in the process of waiting, some of my teeth have moved slightly, but I’m optimistic that this new refinement will work as expected.”
Lomax needed interproximal reduction (IPR) to qualify for the treatment. It shaves some parts of the tooth enamel and prepares the teeth for movement.
Below, she talks about her experience with PlusDent’s dental treatment:
Updated 06/05/2023: “I finally started my teeth straightening journey but was really nervous about having IPR… It was painless, and I’m so glad I didn’t let it put me off starting treatment. My appointments at Liverpool clinic have been great with staff being attentive, reassuring, and happy to answer any questions.”
Jack left a 3⭐ rating on PlusDent after it failed to completely fix his teeth. While it improved his smile at the beginning, he wasn’t satisfied with the results:
Updated 08/01/2022: “Fixed my teeth to about 90% what they claimed.”
“Ordered my alignment treatment in Dec 2021 after going to some dodgy dental practice in Birmingham. I did not wear my aligners after having braces, so a few of my teeth had turned back to where they were when I was a child. Nothing [too] bad but enough to make me want to fix it as an adult.”
“The kit was pretty good and over the 16 weeks, it mostly corrected my teeth.
Unfortunately, I did not get as good as a result as they claimed, so I emailed them. They said go back a few retainers and that will do it. Well, I am at the end again and it is just the same.”
“My bite is also a bit off. My rear teeth clamp down but where the retainers have been, there is a gap. So my teeth no longer bite down correctly. Now they have been taken over by Dr. Smile so I can not get in touch with them. Going to see what Dr. Smile and my dentist say and will update [my review].”
Myers was a former PlusDent customer who was initially satisfied with the results. Since it was acquired, she had trouble reaching Dr. Smile for support:
Updated 01/21/2023: “Same story as everyone else. Former PlusDent customer, finished my treatment, but [the] results were satisfactory, so referred to Dr.Smile. The last correspondence was in November [2022], and I’m still waiting for a call. Have sent 6 emails, tried the chatbot, and there is no way of contacting these people.”
An anonymous reviewer claims to have had a negative experience with PlusDent’s customer support after its acquisition by Dr. Smile:
Updated 03/04/2023: “I started my treatment with PlusDent and to be fair, they were ok. Since Dr. Smile has taken over, one start is flattering the service. My treatment was supposed to take 24 weeks. 15 months later, and my treatment still isn’t complete. The customer service is a joke. There is no contact by phone as apparently don’t have the staff to man the phone lines.
Communication by [email] is pointless as you receive the same response, a response that has nothing to do with the issues raised.”
Here is a quick comparison of PlusDent (Dr. Smile) with the top clear aligners in the United Kingdom:
| Clear Aligner Brand | Treated Cases | Average Treatment Time | How To Start Treatment | Treatment Monitoring | Treatment Cost |
| Dr. Smile | Mild to complex | 4 to 7 months | In-person visit | Remote | £1,390 to £2,090 |
| Invisalign | Mild to complex | 6 to 18 months | In-person visit | In-person | £3,500 to £5,500 |
| NewSmile | Mild to moderate | 4 to 10 months | Impression kit | Remote | £1,849 to £1,949 |
| SmileWhite | Mild to complex | 2 to 7 months | Online consultation and in-person | In-person | £1,695 |
| Straight Teeth Direct | Mild to moderate | 5 to 9 months | Online consultation or impression kit | Remote | £1,790 |
| Virtuoso | Mild to complex | 6 to 9 months | Online consultation and in-person | Remote and in-person | £1,999 |
PlusDent (Dr. Smile UK) is a hybrid clear aligner treatment that’s more convenient and affordable than Invisalign and braces. Unlike at-home aligners, it can treat most teeth misalignments, including complex cases.
If your results don’t match your custom treatment plan, the company may cover the cost of any additional aligners you’ll need.Since Dr. Smile only works with dental professionals, they can help you decide if PlusDent is a good choice or if you need traditional orthodontic treatments for a straighter smile.
We have a dedicated team of medical writers, expert researchers, licensed dental professionals, and medical reviewers who curate and approve content for NewMouth.
Before publishing this comprehensive review, our team:
We had in-house writers undergo PlusDent’s clear aligner therapy. While testing its invisible teeth aligners, our team assessed and scored them based on five traits:
Each trait was assigned a “weight” so we could calculate their individual rating and weighted average scores on a scale of five.
In this article
