If you’re anything like me, you had expensive orthodontics as a child and then promptly lost your retainers, causing your teeth to shift slightly out of place. You now want a quick fix for them.
As an adult, I became self-conscious about smiling big in pictures because I didn’t want the light to catch my one tooth that had begun to sag behind the others.
Invisalign, like those braces your parents paid for, turns out to be prohibitively expensive. SmileDirectClub, on the other hand, offers a possible solution to your dental woes for half to one-third the cost of Invisalign and in a quarter of the time. So, when I was given the opportunity to try SDC’s aligners a year before my wedding, I jumped at the chance.
Remember to always consult with your own dentist before committing to the service. But, if you’re thinking about joining SmileDirectClub, here’s how it went for me.
Pros and Cons of SmileDirectClub vs. Traditional Braces
Before you decide where and how to fix your smile, you should understand your choices. In deciding between SmileDirectClub and a traditional orthodontist and braces, consider these pros and cons.
Pros
It’s less expensive. The company claims its treatment costs up to 60 percent less than traditional braces, which could mean the difference for many people between treated and untreated dental misalignment.
- It doesn’t require in-person visits to the orthodontist.
- It provides an option for those who don’t want the look or feel of traditional braces.
- Clear aligners are less noticeable than traditional braces.
- The company’s dental teams are available for consultation by phone, email, video, and social media 24 hours a day.
- It offers a Lifetime Smile Guarantee.
Cons
- It doesn’t work for everyone. SmileDirectClub is suitable only for those with mild to moderate dental misalignment.
- It can make some people’s dental situations worse, according to some SmileDirectClub reviews and criticism from orthodontic advocates.
- The company offers no regular, in-person consultation with an orthodontist to monitor progress and problems.
- In order to receive the free touch-ups under the Lifetime Smile Guarantee, users must maintain a paid subscription for retainers.
In 2019, the American Dental Association said the company may be misleading consumers and causing harm to patients, and warned of possible “changed bites, gum damage, and tooth loss” associated with the service. SmileDirectClub responded by saying that hundreds of dentists support its technology.
Concerns with SmileDirectClub, right off the bat:
Dental professionals have been concerned about the teledentistry industry since its inception. For starters, they rarely assess a person’s oral health in its entirety before prescribing treatment; SmileDirectClub and others, such as Candid, do not use X-rays, so they cannot account for the nerves, blood supply, or bone structure beneath your gums, which may affect your treatment (which is why I highly recommend talking to your dentist or orthodontist before starting with the service).
Another source of concern has arisen in the form of a formal lawsuit filed by a group of orthodontists and consumers who claim that SmileDirectClub has financially harmed dental businesses by illegally practicing dentistry and misleading consumers. SmileDirectClub, based in Nashville, maintains that it follows the law and has denied the suit’s claims.
In terms of customer complaints, the Nashville Business Journal reported in October 2019 that, according to a press release from SmileDirectClub, “SmileDirectClub has received over 56,500 reviews in the last three months across nine review channels, including Yelp and the Better Business Bureau… with over 49,000 — or 86.9 percent — being positive. The company claims that each of the 1,216 complaints it received through the BBB over the last five years was resolved, and that 47 of them were clinical in nature.”
It’s up to you whether you want to pursue treatment, but my personal opinion is that SmileDirectClub is probably best for someone who only needs minor adjustments. I had a positive experience with the service, but my modifications were minor. If you’d like to learn more about the service, I’ve outlined everything you need to know below.
Step 1: Getting started with SmileDirectClub
The first step is to complete a brief survey on the brand’s website, which asks if you’ve ever had braces, what you want to correct (crowding, overbite, spacing, etc.), and how severe those issues are. You’ll get an instant response on whether you’re a good fit for the program, and then you’ll have the option of signing up for an in-person consultation if you live near an outpost, or an at-home impression kit that you’ll administer yourself.
The consultations and kits are $45 each, but if you’re not a candidate based on what they find, you’ll get a full refund. Regardless of how extensive your corrections are, the full treatment plan costs $1,950 (plus $99 for retainers).
It’s important to note that SmileDirectClub does not use X-rays of your teeth to determine if you’re a candidate. While each treatment plan is reviewed by a dental professional, you should still consult with your dentist to discuss any potential drawbacks of a treatment, such as possible spacing or bite-alignment issues.
Step 2: The consultation process
The consultation process will differ depending on whether you visit a SmileDirectClub office or complete the impression kit at home. I went to an in-person appointment, so I can only speak for myself, but the impression kit entails filling two trays with putty, biting into them to leave an impression of your top and bottom teeth, and taking photos of your mouth with a very funny tool that tucks into your cheeks and holds your mouth open. I had to do it in the office as well so that the imaging wand could fit all the way around my mouth.
The appointment was brief and painless. The dental professional used a wand to take pictures of my teeth, which were then converted into a model of my smile using advanced imaging technology.
Step 3: The plan
SmileDirectClub will use a digital 3-D rendering to show you how your teeth will change over time. You’ll be able to confirm your satisfaction with the plan and arrange for the delivery of your aligners. My course lasted five months, but it varies depending on the individual.
In addition, if you have a permanent retainer that has yet to be removed, SDC will design your aligners to fit without it based on the 3-D imaging or impression kit. I have a permanent retainer on my bottom set of teeth, and while I have decided not to have it removed for the time being, if I ever decide to, I can go through the bottom aligner course. This time, I only treated my top set of teeth.
Treating only the upper or lower set of teeth can result in long-term alignment issues, but this was not an issue for me because my changes were minor. It’s definitely worth talking to your dentist about it ahead of time.
Step 4: Receiving the aligners
The aligners will be delivered all at once in a box that also contains tools to assist you in fitting them as well as an LED whitening kit to keep your teeth nice and bright.
I do wish the little baggies that the aligners came in were a little more organized. They come in a long, connected string of bags labeled in order that can be torn off and thrown away once your aligners are in place. However, because I could only treat the top set of teeth due to my permanent retainer, it was difficult to keep the bottom halves in their bags and not misplace any of them. Candid’s aligner box setup appears to be slightly more user-friendly.
Step 5: Wearing the aligners
Over the course of one month, you’ll wear three different sets of aligners: the first set for one week, the second set for one week, and the third set for two weeks. This allows your teeth to settle into place, and by the end of the month, you won’t feel any pressure from the aligners.
You also can’t see them when you’re wearing them — no one knew I was wearing them!
SmileDirectClub recommends brushing your teeth after every meal and limiting your time without your retainers to no more than two hours per day. To be honest, neither of these rules were followed by me. At work, I’d frequently take them out in the bathroom to eat my breakfast and then forget to put them back in until after lunch, and my teeth were fine. However, I recommend that you do as SmileDirectClub advised rather than as I did. Because your saliva gets into the retainers, it’s a clumsy process to remove them, so I highly recommend finding a private place to pull them out when you’re at work or out for dinner.
When people found out I was wearing SmileDirectClub aligners, they all asked me the same question: Does it hurt? The answer is no, it does not hurt, but it can be unpleasant at times. I had to use the metal file on my Swiss Army knife a couple of times to sand down little sharp bits that dug into my gums, but that was about it.
Of course, the aligners will be slightly tight for the first few days of each week or two-week course, but this is to be expected. These are nothing like the agonizing process of tightening braces that you probably remember as a child.
I’ve also gotten a lot of inquiries about whether or not my bite was harmed. I haven’t noticed any difference in my alignment, which is probably due to the fact that my correction course was so brief.
Step 6: Finishing your course and getting your retainers
After you’ve completed your aligner treatment, you’ll want to get a set of retainers to keep your new smile in place. They are thicker than aligners but only need to be worn at night, with the exception of the first two weeks when you are supposed to wear them all day to get used to them.
The retainers are $99 each and should be replaced every six months.
I was able to keep my retainers for about a year before they became pretty chewed up from nighttime grinding, so you may not need to replace yours as frequently as suggested. It simply depends on how aggressively, if at all, you grind your teeth.
Customer Service and Satisfaction
The brand has received mixed reviews online. The club received an overall score of 8.9 out of 10 from Best Company, with nearly 2,800 customer reviews rating the company 4.2 stars out of 5.
Despite receiving over 2,700 complaints, the Better Business Bureau gives SmileDirectClub an A+ rating. That could be because, as the BBB points out, customer reviews are not used to determine the rating.
Poor quality, ill-fitting liners, dental problems caused by the liners, and unresponsive customer service are all alleged in the complaints. The company appears to respond to BBB complaints, with some customers requesting that their cases be closed after the company addressed their concerns. Frequently, the resolution entailed a refund. Other customers were dissatisfied with the proposed solutions.
If the liners aren’t right for you, the company will refund the cost of your impression kit or scan. It also provides a full refund to patients who are dissatisfied with their treatment plans for any reason within the first 30 days.
SmileDirectClub provides a lifetime guarantee, promising annual touch-ups as needed, as long as you maintain a subscription that includes purchasing retainers every six months for $99 each set and using the retainers as directed.
How much SmileDirectClub costs
Everyone pays $1,950 for a set of SmileDirectClub aligners, regardless of course length. This is true even if you only want to straighten the tops or bottoms; every order will include aligners for both sets. In comparison, that price is only $5 less than Candid (which we also reviewed), but it is about $1,600 less than the cheapest average Invisalign treatment, which can cost up to $8,000. The difference is that Invisalign is administered by your dentist’s office and, in some cases, is covered by dental insurance.
SmileDirectClub does not accept dental insurance directly, but depending on your plan, your insurance provider may partially reimburse you for your treatment. They accept HSA, FSA, and CareCredit payments, and they also have a monthly payment plan with a $250 down payment and $89 monthly payments for 24 months. Just keep in mind that this will cost you an additional $400 in the long run.
The bottom line
Overall, I had a fantastic time with SmileDirectClub. I’m pleased with how my teeth turned out, and I’m looking forward to seeing myself smile in photos now. Granted, my changes were minor, so I can only speak from the perspective of someone who did not go through a major transformation, but I’m pleased with how quick and easy the process was.
I recommend looking into SmileDirectClub, but only after you’ve checked with your dentist to ensure you’re in the clear.