As technology advances, new opportunities arise and new ways of doing all kinds of things become possible. This is also true in dentistry and some forms of treatment are increasingly being offered remotely, including orthodontics.

New forms of treatment can bring real benefits to patients, especially when costs are lowered and access is improved. But new ways of doing things must not risk patient safety.

Here we give you some information to help you think about whether aligners or braces sent directly to your home are right and safe for you.

As with all dental care, if there's a problem with treatment you have already had, we recommend that you speak to the treating dentist in the first instance. If that doesn’t fix the problem, or you feel it’s important we know about something that’s gone wrong, you can raise a concern with us. We provide more information about this in our Concerns section.

The professionals involved in this type of treatment are called dentists or orthodontists. Here though, we just refer to dentists.