---
title: "How We Compile Our Orthodontic Information"
url: https://virtualconsultant.online/about/methodology
description: "Where our orthodontic data comes from, how distances, drive times and visit counts are calculated, who writes our pages and what we do not do."
updated: 2026-10-15T00:00:00Z
publisher: Virtual Consultant Online
---

# How We Compile Our Information

Where our numbers come from, how we calculate them, who writes our pages and what we do not do. Read this before you rely on anything on this site.

## Who writes and maintains these pages

The public pages on this site are compiled and maintained by the Virtual Consultant Online editorial team. They are not individually reviewed by a registered clinician, and nothing on them is clinical advice. Where a page states a health fact, it links to the NHS, the General Dental Council or another primary source so you can read the original.

If we add clinical review in future, we will say who the reviewer is and which pages they cover. Until then, decisions about your teeth should be made with a GDC-registered dentist or orthodontist who has examined you. You can read about the people behind the platform on [our team page](https://virtualconsultant.online/about/team).

Virtual Consultant Online Ltd is registered in England and Wales, company number 16533406.

## Where the data comes from

The town, postcode and practice pages are built from the sources below. Each page names the sources it uses at the foot of its facts table.

| Source | What we use it for | Coverage and limits |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Our orthodontic practice register | Practices, addresses, which treatments and services each mentions, and the practices near a place. | Built from public registers and practices' own published information. Not exhaustive; thinner outside England. |
| ONS Census 2021, via NOMIS | Residents, age bands, households without a car, daily activities limited by health, and population density for the neighbourhood around a place. | England and Wales only. Measured for the census neighbourhood around the place, not the whole town. |
| Department for Education, Get Information About Schools | The nearest secondary schools and how many pupils are within three miles. | England only. |
| OHID Fingertips | Children's dental decay for the local health area. | Reported for the local ICB, not the individual town. |
| ONS geography and postcodes.io | Council area, health body, rural or urban class, deprivation and the census area a place falls in. | Open data; boundaries change over time. |
| NHS dental charge schedules | NHS orthodontic charges for each UK nation. | Charges are devolved and change each April. |
| UK university dental hospitals | The nearest hospital orthodontic department, where complex cases are often referred. | A fixed list of university dental hospitals. |
| Public Google ratings | The rating and review count shown beside a practice. | The practice's own public rating, shown as published. |

## How we calculate

These are the rules behind the figures that appear on many pages, so you can check them.

| Figure | How it is worked out |
| --- | --- |
| Distances | Straight-line distance between the centre of a place and a practice. Not a travel time. |
| Estimated drive | Straight-line distance plus 30% for roads, at an average of 35 mph, rounded to the nearest five minutes. An estimate, not a route. |
| Visits in a course of treatment | Typical counts: for fixed braces a consultation, a fitting, 7 to 17 adjustments, a removal and retainer checks; for clear aligners fewer. Your practice gives the real schedule. |
| Running cost of the journey | Return miles at 45p a mile, the HMRC rate for business driving. Rounded to the nearest £5. |
| Rank within a county | Places in the county are ordered by distance to their nearest practice. Counties with fewer than five places are not ranked. |
| Rank within a nation | The share of places in the same nation with fewer practices within five miles, or further from a practice. Nations with too few places are not ranked. |
| Private price ranges | Typical ranges for private treatment compiled from published practice fees. They are a guide, not a quote: your fee depends on your case and the practice. |

## What our practice register can and cannot tell you

The register is built from public sources and each practice's own published information. It is not exhaustive: some practices are missing, and the register is thinner in rural areas, Scotland and Northern Ireland than in English towns. When a table says a practice does not list a treatment, that means it is not mentioned in the information we hold, which does not mean it is not offered. Ask the practice.

Being listed is not an endorsement. We do not rank practices by quality, and a Google rating shown beside a practice is that practice's own public rating, not our assessment.

## What we do not do

Diagnose, or tell you which treatment suits your teeth. Only a clinician who has examined you can.

Give medical advice. Health statements link to their source so you can read it.

Rank practices by clinical quality, or recommend one practice over another.

Claim a clinical reviewer or credential we do not have.

## How we earn money

Virtual Consultant Online provides software and a photo-based assessment service to orthodontic practices and patients. That is how the business is funded. Where a page invites you to start a photo assessment or request a quote, that is our own service.

## Corrections and updates

Our pages are regenerated from the data above, so a corrected source or register entry flows through to every page that uses it. If you find something wrong, such as a practice that has closed, an address that has changed or a figure that does not match its source, email [hello@virtualconsultant.online](mailto:hello@virtualconsultant.online) with the page address and we will correct it. Each page shows when it was last updated.

[Orthodontic access data](https://virtualconsultant.online/data/orthodontic-access-uk)

[Our team](https://virtualconsultant.online/about/team)

[Orthodontic FAQs](https://virtualconsultant.online/orthodontic-faqs)

### Frequently asked questions

Who writes the pages on this site?

The Virtual Consultant Online editorial team compiles every public page from the sources listed on this page. The pages are not individually reviewed by a registered clinician and are not clinical advice, so any decision about your own teeth should be made with a dentist or orthodontist who has examined you in person.

Does being listed mean a practice is recommended?

No. Practices are listed from public sources and from information the practice publishes itself. Being listed is not an endorsement, and Virtual Consultant Online does not rank practices by clinical quality or recommend one practice over another, so you should still check a clinician's registration with the General Dental Council.

Why do some towns have fewer facts than others?

Some data exists for only part of the UK. The census neighbourhood facts cover England and Wales, and the schools data covers England only. Pages for other areas show the facts we do have, such as distances to practices, and say clearly where a figure is not available for that nation.

How do I report a mistake?

Email hello@virtualconsultant.online with the address of the page. Errors in a source or in our practice register are corrected at the source, and the change then flows to every page that uses it, so one correction can fix many pages at once rather than only the page you reported.

How are drive times and distances worked out?

Distances are the straight-line distance between the centre of a place and a practice, not a travel time. The estimated drive adds 30% to that distance for roads, assumes an average of 35 mph and rounds to the nearest five minutes, so it is an estimate rather than a route and real journeys will vary.

Are the private price ranges a quote?

No. Private price ranges are typical figures compiled from published practice fees and are a guide only. Your own fee depends on your case, the appliance and the practice, so you should always ask for a written quote that sets out what is included before you agree to any orthodontic treatment.

## Want an opinion on your own teeth?

Upload guided photos and a registered clinician at a participating practice reviews your case. It is free to start, and nothing on this site replaces an examination.

[Start a free photo assessment](https://virtualconsultant.online/evaluations/quote) [See the access data](https://virtualconsultant.online/data/orthodontic-access-uk)

Citation details

Title How We Compile Our Orthodontic Information

Publisher Virtual Consultant Online

Published 2026-10-15

Updated 2026-10-15

URL [https://staging.virtualconsultant.online/about/methodology](https://staging.virtualconsultant.online/about/methodology)