SmileDirectClub

I started my initial 7-month treatment last year and had no issues. Due to one tooth not moving enough, I requested a reevaluation and received aligners for an additional three months.

I had no issues until the last month. It appeared from the last 3D picture of my treatment plan that my teeth were being moved quite a bit in the last month versus the prior months. For the first time, I began having pain due to two teeth hitting on top of each other when I bit down - the upper left and lower left central incisors.

I finished treatment with Smile Direct Club (SDC) and my teeth are straight, but the same teeth are still causing pain. I have been wearing my retainer 22 hours a day, but I still have this pain when I am not wearing the retainers.

I contacted SDC and was told to ask my dentist to perform an occlusal equilibration procedure. When I visited my dentist, she indicated that this procedure would not help and SDC screwed up my bite. She was unwilling to assist in this situation and told me that this section of teeth on the front, the left side of my mouth were now hitting each other directly and this was the cause of my pain. She told me that SDC would need to fix this issue.

I sent pictures to SDC and they told me "your Doctor has determined that no further movement can occur on your teeth with SDC protocols," and that I should continue wearing my retainer.

Since their latest response, I have sent follow-up notes to their Dental Team asking for them to help resolve this matter and have not received any response. I have told them that the last month of aligners appears to have gone too far (straight teeth are great, but not when it causes pain when you bite down) and requested additional aligners to reverse this month. Since I followed the plan put in place by SDC, provided the requested information throughout my treatment to SDC, and pinpointed that the issue is primarily focused on two teeth, and when the issue started, I expect a response that was more help than "keep wearing your retainers."

Within this 2018 blog from the SDC website (https://blog.smiledirectclub.com/doctors-behind-your-smile/) I found the following quotes from their Lead Dentist:

“An individual who is requesting treatment by using SmileDirectClub’s aligners is receiving the same level of care from a treating dentist or orthodontist as an individual visiting a traditional orthodontist or dentist for treatment. The teledentistry platform allows for more convenient access and flexibility for individuals who may not have access to local care,” says Jeffrey Sulitzer, DMD, Lead Dentist at SmileDirectClub.

“We define quality as the intersection of customer satisfaction and the Standards of Care. Our affiliated network will always do their absolute best to make customers happy with the results of their smile. We utilize the Standards of Care established by the dental professional community,” says Dr. Sulitzer.

I find it hard to believe that a dentist or orthodontist would simply stop responding to your communications and tell you to go somewhere else to resolve the issue they created. These quotes from their website simply do not reflect the level of service and standard of care that I have received.

I would caution anyone considering SDC to consider that if any problems occur, they are unlikely to assist you in a meaningful way. Also, due to the friction between SDC and dentists/orthodontists, you may be caught in a situation where no one is willing to help you.

One individual that had a similar experience indicated that they decided to file their own teeth. When I started with SDC, I was not expecting to be completing my treatment as my own DIY project.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

This company usually does not do what they say they are going to do. First, they don't tell you it will take nearly 6 weeks to get your aligners. Then they took nearly a week to respond to my complaint that the bottom aligners were painful before they told me I could try trimming them, so I was not able to start the aligners when I wanted. Then nearly halfway through the aligners, I was about to start a new week, and the aligner was defective and they would have to make new ones. I believe they said it would take 3-4 weeks to replace them. So my average six months treatment time just turned into seven. They told me they would expedite them, which they did not until I called them back and told them I was going to give them a bad review. At that point, they did expedite them some.

Then I ordered retainers almost three weeks before I was going to be through with the aligners. They say it takes 2-3 weeks to get the retainers. You guessed it. It's been three weeks and they are still being "manufactured." I am so frustrated with them. If I had known before I ordered from this company that it was going to take this long, I would not have ordered them. I would have gone with another company. Really tired of wearing the aligners!

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Please do not waste your time or money. Go to your dentist and get this done by professionals. I was very excited when I started with SmileDirectClub, but not after months of my aligners delivered MONTHS after the delivery date and the inconsistency of how the retainers and aligners were made were very poor.

Any time I wanted to speak to a manager, they passed me off to a "supervisor." Every supervisor I spoke to gave me the generic "oh no I am so sorry to hear about this." Never tried to make it right. They just always gave me expectations that they never met. This company has no integrity, everyone that works here says something different. Going through SmileDirectClub gave me a constant headache. I will not refer SmileDirectClub to anyone.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

My story sounds similar to those who are unhappy. I fall into the category of everything was fine until it wasn't. Giving your money to them is about the only easy part of this process. You better pray to the orthodontic gods that you never have any issues once you make a deal with the devil. My treatment plan was for five months. And I fully understand that it is not an exact science and adjustments may be needed. However, when a customer says they are unhappy with the results and no longer wish to continue, that wish should be honored by the company. Working in retail management for as long as I have, you need to do right by the customer even if it means you lose a little on the back end.

Customer service will be the death knell of this company. This isn't just money, these are people's lives you are messing with and holding up. If your product and your service is so poor that you cannot afford to honor the wishes of your customer, then perhaps it's time to reevaluate your business plan. A customer should not be forced to continue paying for a service that no longer adds value to their life or has created a hardship. In this case, I have sent several messages over the last couple of months asking that my plan be discontinued. I have one tooth that will not budge and I would rather make peace with it than continue this plan.

I am not asking for a refund. It didn't work the way it had been predicted, it is what it is. But forcing me to continue to pay by ignoring my requests is beyond unethical. Reading the reviews it would appear I am not alone in this. I guess I have no other recourse than to file a complaint with the BBB. It's a shame it has to be escalated to this degree.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I began my treatment in January 2016 and was told my treatment would take three months. Almost three YEARS later I am still dealing with them. My teeth required very little correction. I just have a gap in between my front two teeth. My first 3 months there was a slight change, but there was still a notable gap, and my side teeth are now not aligned so they grate together. I contacted SmileDirectClub and they set me up with another 2-month refinement plan. This time there was no change at all. I contacted SmileDirectClub and was approved for a refinement plan again. They lost my impressions twice, and determined that two sets of impressions were unusable even though somehow my first set was received perfectly with no problems.

Because they typically take a month to get back to you, time passed and I didn't hear anything. At this point my last set of aligners are completely broken, I have had to book an appointment to go to a Smile shop because of months of issues with impressions. When I contacted SmileDirectClub for replacement aligners until my refinement ones arrive, I was told it wasn't possible.

I asked to talk to a manager to report the terrible service; I was told one will call me. Nobody ever called me. I contacted them again and again and was told I'd be contacted - nobody ever did. I have noticed a significant decline in the quality of service as they have grown.

Furthermore, I have a friend who went in for treatment with a dentist with roughly the same level of work that I needed. Their treatment was done in 4 months and they only paid $1000 more than me. This friend started treatment more than a year after I did, and finished over a year ago. I have so many regrets about wanting to be thrifty on this. Just go to a dentist and save yourself the headache.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Pricing seems okay, but don’t expect any customer service. I won’t get their aligners based on my SmileShop experience alone. Even though I made an appointment, checked in, and spoke with two associates, I waited 50 minutes for the scan. Someone who arrived 20 minutes after me was seen first.

Oh, and if you do make a SmileShop appointment, you might be pressured to provide credit card info during booking or scanning - I just ignored this, and the "requirement" was magically waived.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

First off, I ordered their impressions kit and never received it, even though they charged me immediately. I sent several emails and never received a reply. When I called to complain, they told me a dentist said I wasn't a good fit. I have no idea how they would know this since I didn't see a dentist or send anything in (since I never received my impressions kit). I mentioned this to the person on the phone and he ignored it and said I will be getting the refund I requested. No apology for not sending my kit and no apologies for nobody sending an email in response to mine. He then said they are processing my refund, which could take several days, and then it would take about another week to actually see my refund. Horrible experience, and I didn't even get started. Horrible customer service.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

Every REAL person who has reviewed this company is disappointed in some way. I’ve mainly experienced a high number of two month "mid-course corrections" plans due to MANUFACTURING ISSUES, and one course because my two front teeth were moving outwards. This pushes back your treatment plan extremely, I was told a 6 MONTHS treatment plan and it has been A YEAR AND 2 MONTHS. When this happens, you have no choice but to wear the same trays for WEEKS, and they get very worn out, discolored, sometimes crack.

I would have reps giving me dental advice, sometimes two different reps would tell me two different things. Also, there has been a rep who never actually put my order for retainers in after a full phone call. The new order of retainers is now over 4 weeks late. I can’t believe their website has 5,000 perfect reviews, I’m definitely going to be looking at bank statements because with how badly this company is ran, I DO NOT TRUST THEM.

If you are looking to straighten your smile, it’s so true that you need to be constantly checked. My smile is straighter, but I have had my trays out for only a few hours and teeth shifted because when I put trays in they were so tight, this is concerning. I think my teeth could look better. You get what you pay for (cheapness). I think it’s a great concept but should not have its costumers be test dummies for a company that needs to be HIGHLY readjusted.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I want a refund from my two SmileDirect kits I ordered. They only processed one and told me I needed to purchase another one at a cost of $49.00 because my impressions weren't good enough. The second one NEVER even got accepted! I ordered them off Groupon...stay clear people.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

I've been scanned seven times, went downtown seven times and I live 45 minutes away. I was sent trays that were bubbled or cracked, wouldn't fit my teeth, made my gums bleed, and I spent a ton to not have my teeth straight. They charge my card but don't send the correct product trays that work. So what is the point to waste peoples time and money? My mistake by not going to a real Orthodontist, but I guess I'll have to pay a real one to get the job done because this company is incapable of doing so. I have pictures and my trays if anyone wants to see before you buy.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend

There isn't enough space here for my full story. First, I went in for the "free consult" and then was charged for aligners I did not purchase. Customer service was TERRIBLE. First they said my aligners were already out and would be delivered in three weeks, then they said that I could still cancel my order since I didn't actually purchase them in the first place. So I canceled my order and still got charged, then they sent my aligners to the wrong address.

Finally two months later I got them and figured I'd try. Now, I went to a real orthodontist right before using the first aligner, and I had two mildly crooked teeth and zero overbite issues or dental health issues. After using the aligners for a few months - I noticed problems with my bite, bleeding, loose teeth. I went back to the orthodontist and had all sorts of problems from "malocclusion" to overcrowding and gum issues (from moving my teeth improperly). What should have been an easy fix has now become a major problem; I will now need about five thousand dollars and two years to fix this problem, and I have compromised my oral health for the rest of my life. And SmileDirect is still charging me every month.

Do yourself a favor, DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY or any of these "cheap, quick fixes" for your teeth. THEY ARE NOT WORTH IT and will cause more damage than good. Teeth can simply not be moved without regular orthodontist visits or assessed by sending in selfies to a customer service rep with a high school education. Their "licensed dental professionals" are simply customer service people; they are NOT actual dentists, orthodontists, or medical professionals. They also conveniently send you correspondence without an actual order number to make it harder to look up your information (probably because they wrongly charge people and find excuses not to fix it). Again, do not use this company - please, please, please, go the real route and use a real orthodontist, don't cut corners.

Bottom Line: No, I would not recommend this to a friend