Smile Direct Club - It It Worth It?

Smile Direct Club - It It Worth It?

After seeing multiple ads on YouTube and social media, I was compelled to research this allegedly inexpensive alternative to braces. As child instead of using a pacifier, I preferred the taste and feel of my left thumb in my mouth. I would have it in there when I was bored or to sleep. For sleep time, however, I would have a ritual – lay on either side of my body, twirl a bit of hair from the middle right section of my head, and suck my thumb; A few minutes of this and I was out like a light. Going back to my research – I searched on various sites for legitimate reviews from people who have tried the product, the price compared to original braces/Invisalign, and a few other ones that claim to be like SDC (Smile Direct Club), but at even cheaper price, and most importantly, I made sure the site was real by going to the BBB and scam adviser. A few hours in, I concluded that the business was legit AF and most people had nothing but positive experiences. I then jumped on the bandwagon and signed up.

 Signing Up:

 To start you need to check yourself for candidacy (https://smiledirectclub.com/smile_assessment). This is quite simple and quick. You must answer about 6 questions, with 4 of them regarding your teeth and the other two are personal info. Assuming you are a candidate, you then continue by creating an account. Your next move is to take an impression of your teeth – you are given the choice of going to your nearest smile shop (see my YouTube video for ref or to see my experience) or you can have them send you an at home impression kit, but you will have to shell out $95.

 The Smile Shop Visit: 

I opted for the smile shop visit because it was free and had some perks. These perks included: a free bright on™ light (blue laser), whitening pen, and a lip balm. The visit was quick, easy and informative. I waited only 5 minutes to be seen. Once inside, a woman named Bianca escorted me to a room where she began by asking me what my concerns were regarding my smile. I explained that I had an overbite that I wanted correcting. She then showed me what the aligners looked like – clear molded piece of plastic. She then showed me a sample smile box. The box/Welcome kit contains quite a few things: the aligner guide, aligner case, aligner assistance tools (aligner remover, aligner file/emery board, chewies/aligner tray seaters etc. We then moved to the 3D scan. Bianca took a few pictures of my teeth, then began the scan. The scan took about 10 minutes and was painless. Once she was done, I saw a 3D rendering of my mouth in its current state. This is what they use instead of an impression. Next, we moved on to my payment options. At the end, Bianca asked if I had further questions and sent me home with a lip balm, whitening pen, and a “bright on-light”. And no, I didn’t pay a single dollar for this visit!

 Final Thoughts 💭: 

The price is reasonable compared to traditional braces or Invisalign. The all-inclusive price includes: a free bright on™ light (blue laser), 4 whitening pens, cushion trays, aligner case, aligner emery board, aligner removal tool, your aligners (3 or more depending on your customized package), and a brochure. It however, excludes the retainers. This will add an additional $99 to the bill.

 I like the payment options available. The following options are available: $1850 with $250 lab fee waived for full payment, smile pay (their in-house financing) is $2170 with $250 down and $80 a month for 24 months. I did see an option for care credit, but you will have to speak with a customer service rep for further information regarding this option.

 BUYER BEWARE: The day of my visit 11/14/17, I advised to have the payment for the aligners taken out on 12/08/17, however, on 11/18/2017 I received a text message from the company stating, “we had a problem processing your payment”. The company was not authorized to take out this payment and the person helping me (Briana from the Brickell location) took a picture of the date and the part where I wrote “do not process payment until 12/08/17. I feel violated and frankly, it makes me upset.

 Complete FAIL: Yesterday 11/20/17 I received the images of what my smile would look after I have completed the treatment for 4 months. As seen on my video * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k94X5XupUyg *, the changes are too subtle for me to shell out $2k. I would rather pay the extra money and get traditional braces or Invisalign. To conclude, I will not proceed with this treatment. I will get a second opinion from other dental providers and other similar companies. Take what you’d like from what I have said, and do what works best for you.