Left Stranded After SmileDirect Demise

At the end of 2023, SmileDirect Club closed it’s doors. I’d already paid for everything even though I was in the middle of treatments. They refused to refund what was left of my money. They also did not send me the rest of my aligners. I’ve been wearing the last pair I’d had periodically, but I really want to finish my treatment. Is there any way to get the rest of my aligners? If not, is there another company like them to I can use to finish this off?

Patrick

Dear Patrick,

I am sorry for what happened to you and thousands of other customers of SmileDirectClub. They were a sketchy company from the beginning and I’m not surprised they came to the type of end they did. They were renowned for stifling negative reviews by requiring people to sign an NDA (Non-disclosure-agreement) in order to get a refund. In June of 2023 a court ordered them to release all their patients from the NDAs, which freed around 17,000+ patients to tell of their negative experiences. In three months, they were bankrupt.

Unfortunately, while you can put your name down as someone they owe money to, it is unlikely you’ll ever see any of it. While there are other companies like them, I am not sure that you would really want them. One of the biggest problems with these type of mail order companies is that you are not under the regular care of a dentist. What if they accidentally send the aligners out of order? This is something that happened to a SmileDirect customer.

She was fortunate in that she had been documenting her experience with them on YouTube. At one point when she got her new aligners and she was having a horrible time trying to get them in. The video got a lot of attention, which in turn got SmileDirect’s attention. That likely saved her teeth. It turned out they’d accidentally skipped a month of aligners when they mailed hers out. That could have caused serious problems with her bone structure that retains her teeth.

The safest option for you is to have this done properly with Invisalign through a dentist. It will cost you a little more, but you’ll get much higher quality of care, while minimizing the risk to your teeth.

An upside for you is that Invisalign aligners can also double as teeth whitening trays. This will allow you to straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time, giving you a mini smile makeover at a fraction of the cost.

This blog is brought to you by Nashville, TN Dentist Dr. David Wickness.