Smile Direct Club Reviews

Smile Direct Club Customer Reviews

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Poor or no medical supervision, could damage your teeth
February 11, 2019

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 orthodon'tist 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 Smile Club 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 make 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 orthodon'tist 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 orthodon'tist in my state or even nationally.

I've since gone to see a licensed orthodon'tist 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 orthodon'tist 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.

Poor customer service
January 21, 2019
It's been six weeks since I contacted SmileDirect for a replacement aligner. I have called three times, emailed three times and also sent a FB message. I get the runaround every time. "I will reach out to the lab. You'll hear something in 24-48 hours" or "three to five business days." What started out to be a decent "journey" (as they call it) is now a nightmare. I would recommend going to an orthodon'tist who will provide the service one would expect.

ripoff
December 27, 2018
After six months of use and $2,000.oo out of pocket, I have nothing. Things looked good for the first four months but the last two were terrible. At the end of treatment my teeth would not mesh and I was not able to bite with front teeth nor chew with the molars. After contacting customer service via e-mail, I received this response - We are sorry you are not happy with your new smile, would you be interested in trying another impression and more aligners? They messed my teeth up and wanted to sell me more of the same to correct their problem. Save your money and look somewhere else.

Not Worth It!
April 2, 2018

First of all, they will tell you that you are a candidate to lure you in. I do not have as hard case as some of the people, but because of the premolar, my front teeth will never be straight.

"Teeth are constantly wanting to shift, so yes, when you have the aligners out, your teeth will move back to where they previously were because they have not settled. " - per there email.

I will have to wear retainer till the rest of my life at night. SO till the rest of my life I will pay 99.00 dollars to renew that retainer. Not bad?! Right!

"Once you are done with treatment, you will be able to order retainers. The retainers will settle your teeth so they will not move. You will only wear the retainers at night, however, you will have to wear them for the rest of your life if you do not want your teeth to shift back. This is vital in any treatment that moves teeth, including the traditional orthodon'tic appliances. " NO ONE told me this before the treatment! Which I believe, is a scam!

They work only with your front teeth: from K9 to K9. They call it "desired U shape" which will cost me 99.00 every time when I will decide to renew my retainer. And again, no one told me about it.

It is a trap. DO NOT GO WITH THIS METHOD. It does not help, you will be stuck with it, and and the end you will pay even more than those regular braces. It will NOT give you a desired result, because the smile it is NOT only about the look, it is also about your health.

Pat August 20, 2018

Even people who have had traditional braces or invisalign need to wear retainers for the rest of their lives. Teeth shift-- regardless of the straightening method used.

Pat August 20, 2018

FYI; Retainers must be used after ALL teeth straightening programs- including traditional braces and Invisalign, as teeth have a tendency to shift , regardless of mechanism used to straighten them.

SBMofo September 10, 2018

Yeah, I heard from tons of people who did normal braces and all said "I didn't wear my retainers and my teeth moved back." Duh.

SBMofo September 10, 2018

When I was waiting for my aligners from SDC I had dozens of people tell me that they did braces (normal) and didn't wear their retainers so their teeth were crooked again. Of course you have to wear retainers, and of course you have to get new ones over time. Seriously? Duh.

Horrible customer service
August 11, 2017
I have never delt with a company so unprofessional. They are always nice when you talk to them, but nobody cares. You just get the "sorry for the inconvenience" line every time. I am a person with a lot of patience but this is getting really ridiculous. Every month it seems, I have to call them about an issue. My aligners aren't here / They never shipped /Or whatever else may be wrong. I once had to call every day for a week to get an answer. They will tell you that they will take care of it but nothing will happen. I ordered a replacement for a cracked aligner and now two months later never received it. I just called the other day since I did not receive my aligners this month, and today I got the same month in the mail that I'm currently wearing. Try to steer clear of this company if you wish to fix your teeth. I would've rather paid the extra and done Invisalign.