Started in March. Paid in Full. First aligners arrived on time along with the the next 3 months. Month 5 didnt arrive, nor did the shipping notice. I called and was informed that due to high demand. They oversold their capability with their ad campaign, collected a lot of NEW money and left those who already paid, in the middle of their treatment hanging. Am going on 3 weeks with no new aligners. Needless to say I am disappointed! I was looking to run the 6 months, getting great results and be happy to refer future customers. I have my doubts now and worry that I will be able to finish the program I paid for. Need to look at my options.
I never had braces and I've always been self conscious of the gaps between my teeth. They are about 1/8 of an inch between both canine teeth and my front teeth. I had been saving up for veneers, but a few friends had started using Smile Direct Club and were happy with it, so I figured I would give it a shot since its so much cheaper ($1,700 vs $20,000 quote by a cosmetic dentist). Here is a timeline of my experience: 2/3/2017 - I had a free scan at SDC's NYC's. The tech didn't seem that knowledgable, but she didn't have to be since the 3D scanner did all the work. 2/6/2017 - I got an email that my scans were being submitted 2/7/2017 - I received my treatment plan and paid in full for the service 2/13/2017 - Email that my smile is in the printer 2/19/2017 - Email that they are thermoforming my aligners 2/21/2017 - Aligners are ready and have shipped 2/23/2017 - Received my aligners and started tray 1 SDC claims that they can fully close the gaps on both sides of mouth and that they can fully straighten the other teeth in 6 months. I'm attaching my treatment plan and pictures I took before I put in tray 1. My plan has me wearing 3 aligners a month -- for a week, a week, and two weeks. Updated on 3 Mar 2017: I'm a week in and switched to my second trays. SDC didn't specify how many trays I would receive, but I believe I am on 2/18. Several posters recommended putting the trays on before bed -- do this! I was so excited when the package arrive that I decided to put the first tray on to see how it felt. It didn't feel like much, so I decided to leave it in and take a nap. When I woke up my mouth was killing (I would say 7/10 pain level) me so I took it off. I put it back in right before bed and took a sleeping pill so the discomfort wouldn't bother me. When I woke up in the morning my mouth was sore, especially my front tooth thats at a bad angle and slightly in front of the other front tooth, but by dinner time it was fine. After wearing the aligners I realized which edges bothered me and once I filed them I had no discomfort, just slight feeling of constant pressure. Last night I put in tray two (at bed and with a sleeping pill). It felt very tight but I had very little discomfort and only minor soreness today. I definite improvement in the front teeth on both the top and the bottom. Updated on 11 Mar 2017: Thursday night I switched to tray 3 of 18, which I will wear for two weeks. Both top and bottom felt very tight when I put them on, but I was surprisingly not sore or in any pain on Friday when I woke up. They are definitely harder to take on and off though! I got a notification on Thursday that my second month of aligners has shipped and will arrive on Monday (a little more than a week in advance of needing them). My front teeth are getting straighter and I'm hoping they will start shifting back soon to start closing the gaps! Updated on 25 Mar 2017: So far everything is going smoothly! I started month two (aligner 4/18) last night. It looks like one of my gaps will start to close by the end of this month. I can't wait to see it! I'm totally used to the aligners now -- no more lisp or cuts. I got an ultrasonic cleaner that I use once or twice a day that keeps the aligners as clean as day one, even after two weeks of wear. Attached are some pictures of my 1 month progress Updated on 2 Apr 2017: I'm on tray 5/18. The gap on my left side has closed significantly -- down from 1/8th of an inch to 1/16th. My bottom teeth are very straight now and there is no longer any overlap with my front teeth. Updated on 22 Apr 2017: I'm on tray 7 of 18 (month 3, week 1). This tray hurt a lot -- and hurt for a few days as opposed to just the first twenty four hours and my gums bled a little for the first three days. But, I think they really progressed! The gaps on both sides of my mouth are closing, my two front teeth no longer lap, and my top teeth are starting to straighten out. Here are some pictures showing the gaps closing Updated on 23 May 2017: Up until now, I haven't had any problems with Smile Direct Club. I had heard Smile Direct Club's customer service was horrible, but crossed my fingers there wouldn't be any hiccups with my treatment. My month four aligners didn't ship during the regular time period (around two weeks before I was supposed to switch) so I called to follow up. Each customer service rep assured me that SDC received the aligners and would ship them by the next day. After a week, I spoke with a supervisor who told me they did not have the aligners because they didn't pass quality control. It seems that Smile Direct Club is made up of a few departments that don't get any information from the others, and customer service has no clue what is going on and just wants to shut you up. A few days later the aligners I was still wearing started to crack. I spoke with a supervisor again who did not have any answers about when I would receive my month four aligners and seemed dumbfounded with my question of what will they do if I have to stop wearing the cracked aligners before I got the next set. Only when I threatened to charge back the full amount on my credit card did they offer to put in a rush request with the lab and shipping. I finally received my month four aligners today after wearing the final month three aligner for almost a month. Hopefully I have no future issues and never have to speak to any of them again! Updated on 26 May 2017: I am a little behind due to customer service issues, but I'm finally into tray 10 of 18! There has been a lot of progress! This is the first tray since the beginning that really cut up/irritated my mouth. Filing didn't work and the dental wax wasn't enough so I trimmed the top aligner a little bit. It feels so much better! Tip: You can request all retainers be prepared and sent to you at once to avoid any issues with delays in printing/shipment. I received my aligners yesterday for month five (trays 13-15) and it looks like all the gaps will be closed by the end of month five! I'm guessing the final month will focus on straightening out my two front teeth. I'm so excited to see the results! Updated on 8 Jun 2017: These last few trays have been very tight and a little painful, but things are moving well! Updated on 7 Jul 2017: Here is my progress from the end of tray 14. I had an issue again receiving my aligners. Another headache dealing with getting month 6 shipped out. The customer service reps and managers are just horrible!!!! The manager I have been dealing with for weeks actually responded to one of my follow ups on the status of my free retainers by emailing me and asking if they could charge my credit card for the $1700 to get me started right away. I'm finishing my treatment!!! Each person I speak to is more infuriatingly daft than the last. Hopefully I never have to deal with this company or their employees again. Another issue I'm having is the last few trays have literally been falling apart. Serious cracking in all different areas which occurs before the first week is finished. This was not an issue with earlier trays. I brought it up to the manager and he was like "oh yeah..." Updated on 12 Jul 2017: I wish that I could go back and edit my first review since I don't think most people will read to the end... Yes, it was much cheaper and yes it is fixing my biggest issues (but not to perfection), but this company is horrible!!! I have wasted soooooooo much time on the phone with Smile Direct Club's employees who know nothing and will tell you anything just to get you off the phone. It is like calling a cable company only 10x worse and instead of being something silly like getting your internet working it is your teeth!!! The first 3 months were fine and the aligners seemed fine and durable. Since then, it has all been down hill. First, you won't get your aligners on time unless you call, call, call and threaten to cancel the payment. They will lie and say they have the and are shipping tomorrow over and over and over again. Twice a supervisor admitted this was not true because they did not have the aligners yet. Once I threatened to charge back, I received them immediately. You may think it is not an issue if the aligners are late, what difference is a few weeks in the grand scheme of things? Well, the aligners are not meant to be worn for more than two weeks and start to fall apart!!! If you do not wear the aligners then your teeth will shift back to where they were. Starting at the end of month 3, my aligners started to badly crack. I read online this can happen from taking them on and off. I watched videos of how to properly remove them and started pulling from other areas to relieve pressure where they are cracking. None of that helped. They still crack and fall apart. I am 6 days into my 3rd aligner of month 5 and it is totally falling apart on one side. There is no way it can make it another week. This company sucks. I cannot wait to be done with them forever. My teeth won't be perfectly straight but most of my gaps will have closed which I guess is worth the price and the hassle they have been.
Cases like yours, where you had braces but allowed the teeth to relapse and become crooked again, are often good candidates for clear aligner therapy. Of course each case is different and, as mentioned earlier, it is best to have an orthodontist to examine your case before treatment. SmileCareClub offers the best of all worlds - affordability, convenience and treatment to improve your smile supervised by a doctor licensed in your state. The doctor will review the photos and impressions you send in and determine if you are a good candidate for SmileCareClub. If your case is suitable for remote treatment, you will get an answer and your aligners without leaving the comfort of your home! If your case is more complex, you may have to go in for a couple visits before getting your aligners. In the most complex cases, or in cases where aligner therapy is not advised, SmileCareClub will help you find a qualified professional to give you a great smile using braces if you so choose.
