Smile Direct offers a convenient and affordable option for straightening teeth at home without the need for an in-person evaluation or direct supervision by a dentist or orthodontist. The program uses digital treatment planning, allowing customers to upload scans or order impression kits for their own use at home. Then a licensed dentist or orthodontist analyzes the information and creates a customized treatment plan. After the plan is finalized, the customer receives clear aligners by mail and has regular remote check-ins with a dental professional.
Some customers are still getting their refunds if they can prove their aligners didn’t work, but others aren’t. NBC HEALTH spoke with one of those unhappy customers to get his story.
Benefits
The company focuses on correcting mild misalignments, such as crooked or crowded teeth, gaps, and minor bite issues. However, many orthodontic professionals say that a personal consultation with an orthodontist can achieve better results and address more serious problems.
Pricing
Smile Direct Club’s cheaper prices are a result of their remote treatment model and standardized process that bypasses costly in-office visits. They also don’t need to provide expensive orthodontic equipment like impression kits, which dentists use to make an accurate mold of a patient’s teeth.
However, the company was not profitable and filed for bankruptcy in September with nearly $900 million of debt, according to financial statements and court filings. The company’s failure followed a scandal that saw lawmakers send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission demanding an investigation into its deceptive marketing and business practices.
The company apologized for the closure and urged customers to contact their local dentist or orthodontist for future treatment. Those that had paid through Smile Pay are expected to continue making payments, but the “Lifetime Smile Guarantee” no longer exists. Many existing customers were left in limbo, and some have expressed frustration online.
Treatment Time
Like traditional braces, clear aligners use metal brackets bonded to the teeth and connected by wires that apply pressure to shift the alignment of the teeth. However, a major difference is that Smile Direct doesn’t require an initial in-person evaluation or any visits to a dentist’s office before starting treatment.
The company uses remote teledentistry to monitor the progress of its patients. The patients are assigned to a dental professional who checks in with them via their customer account every 90 days. In a statement to NBC News, Smile Direct says they only approve a patient’s plan after evaluating their scan and that 95 percent of the patients they review are approved for treatment.
But the company’s sudden shutdown leaves many customers in the lurch. While the company says it will provide more information on its bankruptcy process in the future, for now, it’s asking existing customers to consult their local dentists. For those customers still on a payment plan, they’ll need to continue to pay their monthly installments until the situation is resolved.
Customer Service
With the company’s collapse in December, it is unclear when or if existing customers will get their money back. It will depend on how the bankruptcy process determines which creditors are paid first.
HFD is collecting monthly installment payments from nearly all SmileDirectClub’s customers enrolled in their SmilePay installment payment plan in USA and Canada. This includes customers who have a completed treatment with SmileDirectClub as well as those who still need to complete their treatment.
Smile Direct Club is a company that revolutionized teeth straightening with invisible aligners for a fraction of the cost of competitors. Their first flagship store is located on Fifth Avenue in NYC. The space was designed by retail architects to be intuitive and inviting for all audiences. The center of the store features a custom information desk where visitors can speak to a smiling Smile Direct team member before being guided further into the space towards the scanning stations. Six foot tall millwork elements divide this area into individual booths, offering privacy while providing shared access to storage and displays.