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