Smilepod

Wanted to get braces done and looked for something almost invisible (i.e. Invisalign). I went to see three practices, one of them smilepod at Covent Garden. The dentist looked at my teeth for about 5 minutes, then said it could most probably be done and all they needed to do was a more than 400£ screening to have a final decision with the opportunity that it would not be possible.
Fortunately, I went to other dentists it turned out that in my case Ivisalign or similar methods weren’t possible since I needed teeth extracted and other stuff done first. If they were a good practise they would have known that AND would have told me before charging 400£. Glad I didn’t do it there.

£65 for a hygienist treatment is not the cheapest, but then most hygienist sessions consist of someone attacking you with a torture instrument — sorry, I mean scraper — reducing your gums into a pulp, and making no discernible difference to your teeth. That’s why Smilepod is worth the £65 — because it’s quick, relatively painless, and you walk out looking as if you’d had your teeth professionally whitened.
I had my session with Cristina (the hygienists are actually dentists here, so they’re also well placed to give advice about your teeth) and she was everything you want a dentist to be; helpful, reassuring and efficient. I read some reviews on another site complaining that the sessions are over too quickly; do you really want someone scraping at your teeth for longer than necessary?! The session I had was really thorough — a few twinges, but not painful at all considering I’d not seen a hygienist in a while — they use some sort of ultrasound superscraper thing to really get at the crud. After I’d spat the yuck out of my mouth (nice) I was astonished by how much whiter the session had made my teeth, and they weren’t bad before.
So yeah: £65, not cheap, but totally worth it for the quality and convenience (you can get same-​day and walk in appointments). With the amount of coffee I drink I’m sure I’ll be back in not too long…