Fixed Braces in Lanark – From Fitting Day to Retainers: Tooth-Coloured Braces, Step by Step
At a glance
Tooth-coloured fixed braces at Lanark Smile Studios, 72 High Street, Lanark, start from £3,500. A course runs from a free consultation through fitting and regular adjustments to removal and retainers. Ring 01555 662441 or book online.
Fixed braces get on with their work in the background: a tooth-coloured bracket on each tooth, a wire guiding them all, and a short visit every few weeks to move things on. If you're wondering what you'd actually be signing up for, this page walks through a typical course at our High Street practice, from the first appointment to the retainer you'll wear afterwards. Treatment starts from £3,500. 1
The consultation costs nothing. Braces are a private treatment here, and NHS orthodontics for adults is limited.
How a Course of Braces Runs
Seven stages, from the first conversation to the retainer. Shorter courses take a few months; bigger corrections more often run to a year or eighteen months, and you'll get an estimate for your own teeth at the consultation.
Free Consultation
We examine your teeth, gums and bite and take an iTero scan, then explain whether braces, aligners or neither would help. The fee goes in writing before you decide anything.
Getting Ready
Decay or gum problems are treated before anything moves. If your teeth need extra room, your plan explains how that space will be made.
Fitting Day
The teeth are cleaned and dried, a tooth-coloured bracket is glued to each one, and the wire is threaded through and held in place. Nothing is drilled and no injection is needed.
The First Week
Teeth ache for a few days as they start to shift, so soft food helps. Cheeks and lips toughen up quickly, and orthodontic wax covers any bracket that rubs.
Adjustment Visits
Every few weeks you call in for a short appointment to adjust the wire or swap it for a firmer one, which keeps the teeth moving towards the plan.
Coming Off
Once the teeth are where they should be, the brackets are eased away and the remaining adhesive is polished off the enamel.
Retainers
A retainer goes in at the end, worn full time at first and then at night. It's what stops the teeth sliding back.
Who Braces Suit Better
Fixed braces come into their own when a bite needs correcting or a tooth has turned or sits out of line by a long way. A canine that needs bringing down, a badly twisted front tooth or a bite where the top and bottom teeth don't meet properly are all jobs they handle predictably.
They also suit anyone who knows they'd struggle to keep aligners in for most of the day, since nothing comes out and nothing depends on remembering.
When Invisalign Suits Better
For mild to moderate crowding, small gaps and teeth that have wandered since braces years ago, clear aligners often reach the same result with fewer appointments and no food rules. You also see a 3D preview of where your teeth could finish before you commit.
Read about Invisalign in Lanark. At the consultation we'll tell you plainly which of the two would do a better job for your teeth.
Braces Prices
How much your braces cost depends on the amount of movement needed, and the total is fixed in your written plan. Dental plan discounts don't extend to orthodontic treatment. Prices checked October 2026. 1
We provide braces privately. NHS orthodontics for adults is limited; you're welcome to keep your NHS registration with us for everything else.
| Tooth-coloured fixed braces | from £3,500or £350 a month over 10 months at 0% APR 2 |
| Consultation | Free |
| Invisalign Lite, for comparison | £3,250 |
Retainers, for the Long Run
The months just after braces come off are when teeth are keenest to move back, so the retainer starts straight away. Some people have a slim wire bonded on the inner side of the front teeth, some have a removable clear retainer for the night, and some have both.
Your dentist explains which is planned for you before treatment begins. For how to wear and clean them, see our retainers guide.
Looking After Your Braces
Braces Questions
Cost, fitting, appointments and taking them off.
More on Straightening Teeth
Start with a Free Consultation
Come and see us on Lanark High Street. We'll examine your teeth and bite, explain how a course would run for you, and give you the fee in writing.