You are right it is very difficult to give you a diagnosis without seeing you. Orthodontics in any form can improve the alignment of your teeth prior to veneers. It is a great option prior to veneers as it can greatly help improve the final outcome. Orthodontics in any form can take as little as 6 weeks to 6 months to straighten your teeth. Veneers can be placed on there own without orthodontics but often the teeth would have to be more aggressively prepared or you would have to have top and bottom teeth treated.
I hope this helps you.