I was a patient of SmileDirectClub and then in December they went out of business. I thought they would at least send me the remaining aligners, but that hasn’t been the case. I’ve been wearing the same ones since then. What do I do? Is there another company like them?
Amanda
Dear Amanda,
Are you sure you want another company like them? The problem with SmileDirectClub, is their product only worked for some people. If it didn’t work and you complained about it, you would not get a refund unless you removed your complaint and signed a non-disclosure agreement. This, in part, is what put them out of business.
So many people had things go wrong, that eventually there was a court case that ruled they could no longer require those non-disclosure agreements, plus it released about 17,000 that were already in effect. This allowed clients to share their negative experiences and the company went into bankruptcy shortly after that.
They’ve told their clients, that they will no longer be helping them. If they’re in the middle of treatment, too bad. However, they do expect those who were on a payment plan to continue paying. Nice, right?
Any other mail order service, like SmileDirect, is going to have similar problems. The reason for this is every human body is unique. Sometimes our body’s follows the treatment plan to a tee. Most times, adjustments need to be made as we progress. When you are not under the care of a dentist, these needed adjustments get missed. That puts the health of your teeth in danger. They could even come loose.
My suggestion is to finish out your treatment, do it through an Invisalign dentist. This will give you the care you need. As a bonus, the aligners can double as teeth whitening trays, so you can save some extra money by getting some professional strength whitening gel from your dentist and having your teeth whitening done at the same time as your get your teeth straightened.
This blog is brought to you by Tulsa Dentist Dr. Ryan Noah.