Our supervised home whitening uses custom-made trays worn for a couple of weeks, usually overnight or for an hour or two each day. Most patients see a noticeable change within the first week. We take impressions at the first visit and review the shade once you’ve finished.

Typically four to seven years, depending on how much you grind, whether you smoke and how well you clean. It can be polished, repaired or added to at review visits rather than needing full replacement, and little or no healthy enamel needs to be removed to place it.

Bonding is done in a single visit, costs less and needs little or no tooth preparation, so it suits chips, small gaps and uneven edges. Porcelain veneers are laboratory-made, resist staining and hold their shine far longer, so they suit larger changes in shape or shade and cases needing a full front-tooth redesign. We show you both options at consultation.

That is exactly what we plan to avoid. Shade, length and translucency are chosen against your face and your natural teeth, and larger cases are trialled in the mouth before anything permanent is made — so you approve the look first.

Often it produces a better and more conservative result. Aligning teeth first with Invisalign or fixed braces means less tooth has to be reshaped or covered afterwards. Many of our smile makeovers combine short-term alignment, whitening and then bonding.

It depends on how many teeth are involved and which treatments are combined. Whitening is £397, veneers start from £597 per tooth, and bonding is quoted after assessment. You will always have a written plan with the total cost, and you can ask us about spreading the cost.

Regular hygiene visits, careful cleaning around the edges of restorations, moderating tea, coffee, red wine and smoking, and wearing a night guard if you grind. Whitening can be topped up occasionally with a single refill syringe.