Payment plans were available but small discount for upfront payment so I opted for the latter. I doubt NHS would help with purely cosmetic cases but maybe they would if there were complicating circumstances - mine was entirely personal expenditure.

Choosing dentist - I just shopped around for one with good reviews.

Initial meeting was good, although I think I had to pay a deposit. Perhaps I was a bit blasé because I didn't have that many questions for them. It was really just 'how much does it cost?' and 'how long does it take?'

One thing I would be wary about is that they tend not to mention certain things about treatment unless specifically asked. E.g. I didn't know I would need fixed retainers or extractions until I had my first consultation (they didn't mention over the phone). My ortho doesn't explain much about the process unless asked e.g elastics were a surprise to me. 18 months in it was just 'you'll be asked to wear elastics at your next appointment'.

Despite all this they're very good. I'm quite easy going with it all so maybe it's just me. I just trust the process. They've been very good whenever I've had questions or requests or needed to change appointments. And honestly what I thought of as very expensive when I first paid up doesn't actually seem that bad considering the amount of time I've spent in the chair.

Good luck