SmileDirectClub

The idea of not going to the dentist to get your teeth fixed was just crazy to me. Having braces in the past, I thought that was the only way to go. Smile Direct Club is a great company and I love the idea of the smile shops where you can get your 3D scans done fast and easy! The treatment plan is presented very well and the product is easy to use. I’m blown away by my results.

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I don't know why only a 2-star rating, the process has been fast easy and affordable. I have four months left of treatment, but my teeth already look amazing way straighter and way whiter. I came up with a hack to clean my aligners too, so it meshes with my lifestyle, sooo glad I did this!

Bottom Line: Yes, I would recommend this to a friend

I have had the same terrible experience. They initially said I would be receiving them within 4 to 5 weeks, so I called on the 5th week to double check and see when it would be arriving. They told me that they were backordered and that I would have to wait ANOTHER 14 days. I said fine, as long as I get them. Three days later, I got a message saying that my aligners were shipped out and got tracking info saying it would be delivered on February 20th. When that day finally arrived, there was no sign of them and so I called once again to check with them. That's when they told me they hadn't even shipped out yet, but that they would be shipping soon. I was frustrated at this point, but decided to wait AGAIN.

A couple of days later, I noticed that the tracking information was still saying PENDING, so I talked to someone on chat to see if I would be getting a new tracking number or if I should still use the old one. That's when they told me that my order had been lost and that I would have to wait another 2 to 3 weeks to get a replacement order. This company is SO disorganized and they won't contact you to let you know about delays or anything, and when you call up, every rep tells you something different. I'm going to be leaving the country for 2 months this weekend and I was hoping to have my aligners by then, but now I have to wait another 8 weeks. I'm starting to wonder if this place is a scam. This has been the most terrible experience I have ever had with a company.

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

Worst customer experience ever.

BEFORE the appointment:

I refused to provide my card info and place a deposit for my "free" consultation. I then received an appointment offer in my email to do the consultation without the deposit.

I choose to go and book an appointment for my consultation because they offered to do it without the deposit for this "free" scan.

At the appointment:

I was shuffled into a room, handed a bunch of papers and told to "just sign them." I said no and wanted more information FIRST.

We spoke and she barely answered my questions. Her lack of dental experience and knowledge didn’t help my particular case.

After talking, I decided due to the dangers associated with my personal dental situation I mentioned that I wanted to speak to MY orthodontist before I continue with anything. They would not do the scan or show me the approximate "after" pics.

The girl was extremely pushy and was trying to force me to sign and provide my visa info "in case" I change my mind.

I explained I was worried and let down that I wouldn’t see my smile and couldn’t meet the ortho taking care of my plan, without having to pay them the deposit and provide payment plan. But despite all of this I mentioned I would check my doctors and come back if the product was a suitable fit.

I took the information for my insurance and happily took all of the info papers they had.

She seemed to upset but still understood after I told her to stop pushing. She gladly offered the teeth whitening and gave me two kits (without me even asking), she apologized I couldn’t do the scans or see my after photos. Then thanked me for taking the time to come down and talk to her.

FAST FORWARD to the next day:

The company has now been calling me non stop harassing to CHARGE me for the appointment because it was marked as cancel no show. They are also trying to get me to pay for my FREE kit once I mentioned I was there 45 minutes and still received info.

I was VERY happy with the results of the BRIGHT ON and with just ONE treatment I was happy with my results. I was going to order the replacement tubes in the LARGE box and now I have decided to shop elsewhere. This is not how one should be treated for not wanting to take a MEDICAL risk with permanent long term effects.

I posted my experience to Facebook and I have had an "agent" harass me for almost 15 hours for my email, birthday and phone number. They mentioned they could not offer and help and to not contact them again unless I provided more personal information. The company has my personal info and I have gotten nothing but threats for a $190 payment of the kit and the deposit.

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

I almost didn’t do this and kind of wishing I didn’t because they seem to be a bad company. My overall experience with the aligners wasn’t as bad as some people have had, but now I have straight teeth and no retainers to keep them this way unless I go outside SDC, which I’m having to do for now because I’m supposed to be done today. I’ve been trying for weeks every method possible to get an update to the point that I got blocked on Facebook and Twitter for just sharing my dates of what I had been told when I called. I got a dozen different answers when I would try to inquire, most were "you will have tracking in 2 to 5 days" or "3 to 5 days," a few were "no later than the end of the week." Last one was 7-10 days and maybe they will have tracking.

At this point, I’m not really sure if they’ll send them so I have started the process to get some elsewhere while I wait. As far as the aligners, I was luckier than most, but after seeing all the issues and learning there were probably other options out there for the same money and monitored by a dentist office, I would have done that instead.

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

I would not recommend this. My aligner cracked, now it has been two days and my gap is back to how it was. Imagine, I was on my very last week. Now they are telling me to wait 10-14 business days, by the time they get here they not going to fit.

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

I finished my last tray and am so unhappy with the results. I did the impressions at home with the trays and think that was the worst decision. I should have driven to an actual SmileDirect location so that professionals could do my scan. Now I'm stuck with a bill and nothing to show for it.

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

SmileDirect is now more than 2 months late with my first set of aligners. I still can’t tell if this is a scam. I have called approximately 7 times within the last 2 months, getting ahold of a different customer service worker each time. Almost every single person told me something different, but all ending in "You will receive your aligners in 4-5 business days." It’s supposed to take 4-5 weeks to receive my aligners and it has now been 9 weeks. I’m devastated because I wanted my teeth to look good on my graduation date. I will update if I ever receive them. I am also a little frustrated because in the 3D scan they provide online, my teeth don’t seem to be moving as much as I wanted them. But I did more research and learned that SmileDirect is only for minor improvements. I wish that would have been more clear in the beginning.

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

Just like several comments on here, I was very excited after leaving a Smile Direct Club center for my initial consultation. The sales rep was great and I was confident this was the right decision following my consultation. The next few days, I received non-stop calls and emails until I finally decided to place an order. I was originally told my order would be received in 4-5 weeks. I'm now going on week 8 and haven't received any updates since January 18th, when I was sent an email saying my aligners were printed and now in the trimming process. I let it go for the next few weeks thinking my order would arrive, but now we're into 8 weeks and I have no idea where my aligners are. I sent 3 follow up emails in total, but no response. I called 5 days ago and was told the rep needs up to 72 hours to receive confirmation from the lab, which is pretty ridiculous. Five days later and still no response via email or phone.

Also - I was told my insurance might cover aligners from Smile Direct. I tried to coordinate with customer service immediately after placing my order, but was told to expect a response in the next 72 hours. Eight weeks and several email follow-ups later, still no response.

At this point, I feel like I've been scammed and strongly considering canceling my order all together. Overall I am disappointed with Smile Direct.

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

I started SmileDirectClub back in 2017. I did the impression kit and sent it back. Months went by and I never heard anything so I sent an email saying that I hadn’t received any updates on whether or not I was eligible for the aligners and I requested a refund for the impression kit. Once I asked for my money back, they got in gear and "good news," I was eligible, so within two weeks I had my aligners coming to me. Now I waited about 9 months to get started on them because life gets in the way.

Once I got started, everything was fine. I was on set 10 when I was told it was time to order my retainers. So I went ahead and ordered them and paid the $99. When I received the retainers, I only received the upper retainer and not the lower. About two months ago I started set 12 (out of 20 sets). When it was time for me to switch to set 13, I found out they had sent me someone else’s aligners for sets 13-20. I emailed back and forth with about 4 different customer service reps and was told to send in photos of the aligners I have. So I sent in a plethora of photos of each set. Through the emails, I was told I needed to be re-evaluated and sent a new impression kit for new aligners. I then called and spoke with a young woman on January 7th who put in an order for my retainers (both top and bottom this time) as well as my aligners for sets 13-20 and she said they were free of charge, which DUH!

Here we are on February 14th, 2019 and I haven’t received anything still. I just got off the phone with a different customer service rep who told me that the retainers were delayed due to high demand but that they were going to be shipped out with 7 business days. As far as my aligners sets 13-20, they couldn’t send them to me and they would need to re-evaluate my smile by sending the new impression kit. I asked why the lady was able to order them in the first place and he said she made a mistake. I told him I was done and I wanted a refund for sets 13-20 as well as for the retainers I paid for. He said that the refund isn’t possible because they are willing to send me the impression kit and get me my "new smile" free of charge. I told him I didn’t understand why I had to do the impression kit over again. Why couldn’t they just send me my aligners sets 13-20. He said that since I’ve been wearing my set 12 for over the recommended time, that they could crack at any moment and I’d lose my progress. He said that if I were on set 11 or 10 that they could have just sent 13-20 and I’d have been okay. It makes absolutely zero sense. I hate that I’m having to do this over again instead of getting the refund I deserve!

They are a scam. They just want money and the minute you realize your mistake of going to them instead of a professional it’ll be too late. Don’t waste your money. Go to a professional. Sure you might pay a little more, but you’ll have the peace of mind of no screw-ups.

And don’t pay attention to their response to bad reviews about caring and all that and to send an email. You’ll just get the runaround again. NOT! WORTH! IT!

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

I was looking for teeth straightening cosmetic dentistry and this company came up in search results. After looking at their site it appeared that they were a competitor to Invisialign and their website claimed that a licensed orthodontist would create a treatment plan for me after coming into their "Smile Store" to get a free scanning.

At check-in they had me provide them a lot of information on an iPad including a credit card, "So that you can easily accept your treatment and have your aligners sent to you more quickly." I told them I hadn’t decided if I wanted to go with them and was reassured, "Oh you won’t be billed until you approve your treatment." I was then escorted back to have my scanning and consultation.

I will say that all the people that I met at the appointment were friendly and the place was clean and welcoming. The person that was doing my scanning had traditional braces and I asked why they didn’t use SmileClub and they were dismissive but non-specific. After the scanning was done, I met someone that said they were a dentist, but didn't provide any business card and only gave me their first name. They asked me if I had any questions and I asked if I was a candidate for treatment. He said they would need to send my scans out and in three days I would get an email with my treatment plan and could see estimated before and after pictures.

They then put a piece of paper in front of me asking if I would be wanting a single payment or installment plan. I told them single payment, but that "I won't be making a decision on treatment until I see the treatment plan first." They then they told me I'd get it in three days and could then approved it and then asked me to "Put my name at the bottom" of the paper choosing between the two payment options. I then was given my free gift for coming in and left.

Two days later I got a call from my credit card company asking me if I had authorized a $1850 payment to the company. I had not, so I contacted the company and while I was trying to find their number I got a text message thanking me for my order. When I finally got them on the phone, I told them I had not approved my order yet and I still hadn't seen a treatment plan. They told me that I had signed up for the "rapid ship" option so I was billed as soon as my treatment was ready. I told them again, I had not even seen my treatment plan or spoken with a doctor. They then sent me another text message with a link to a website in it. This just showed me before and after images but had no text or treatment plan. It didn't tell me how many aligners I would need, how long it would take, who the orthodontist was that created and approved it, or really anything. I complained about this and was told that my plan was still being finalized and it would arrive in a day. When I got home I looked at the documents I was given and found that the document they put in front of me asking which payment method I would prefer was a quick scam and the reason they asked me to write my name at the bottom was because they were using this as approval for billing! TOTALLY MISLEADING AND PROBABLY FRAUDULENT!

Now for the last week, I've been getting constant emails, texts, and phone calls pushing me to order and offering me "payment options." I've still never received a treatment plan or contact with an orthodontist in my state or even nationally. I've since gone to see a licensed orthodontist in my state and was told that I am not a candidate for any clear alignment system and need extensive traditional braces for treatment. He explained clearly that I need teeth to rotate and that clear aligners need extra friction for this so people need to have pads attached to their teeth that interface with the clear aligners to properly work (this is why mailed aligners without visits to a dentist are unlikely to work well). He also said that in my treatment I would need teeth to be changed in height as well which can only be done with traditional braces. He informed me that if I had tried to use a clear aligner product it likely would have not worked or caused me damage to my teeth, gums, or jaw.

He was upset to hear that this company doesn't appear to have any medical supervision and suggested I avoid them. Just to be clear, an actual orthodontist was able to tell just by LOOKING at my teeth that I was not a candidate for clear aligners (of any brand) and I should have never been approved for treatment by a licensed medical professional.

Because of this potentially damaging treatment, I’ve actually contacted the FTC and my state health authority. I’ve asked them to investigate this company and make sure they are not scamming consumers, locking them into unfair legal agreements (like arbitration), and not causing harm to people's bodies by doing unlicensed and unsupervised medical treatments.

Does this mean that you shouldn’t use them for treatment? Not necessarily. It just means that before you elect to have them do a medical procedure to your body, which could have permanent health risks, you may want to ensure that actual medical licensed professionals are involved in the process.

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