David Barclay Dowling, DDS (Retired)

Ever since I was younger I always wanted to straighten my teeth. I saw an ad for smile direct club decided to do it. Here are the photos of my journey so far I’m currently at the end of month 6 out of a 10 month total treatment plan. I’ve enclosed the photos for those who may be skeptical which show the various stages in the treatment plan so far Updated on 14 Jan 2018: Currently on my last tray and my teeth are fixed! Definitely going to wear my retainers so my teeth won’t shift back

It took me 3 tries to get my impressions right. Was about to give up but 3rd time was a charm. After sending them in, it took about 6 weeks to get my first 2 months of aligners. Week/set 1 made my teeth a bit sore but not painful. Pay close attention to any rough spots, which they give you a file to sand down. I got a painful canker sore on the back of my tongue from it rubbing on a rough spot that I didn't catch in time. Just started week/set 2 a couple days ago, they are much more snug which hurt my teeth a bit more but still not unbearable and at least I feel like they're really working. It's still early but I definitely notice very slight movement already, but still have a long way to go. Bonus, because you have to take out the aligners to eat, they keep you from mindless snacking all day, which is a habit of mine so I'm hoping I'll lose some weight during this process. Updated on 2 Sep 2017: So I just popped in my first set of month 2. This set seems to be making my teeth more sore than the first 3 but again, it reminds me that they are working. The soreness isn't that bad at all, just a little tender. I've had a worse time with mouth sores on my cheeks, tongue and inside of my lips from rubbing against the rough spots and sometimes you don't notice how rough an edge is until it's too late. Filing the edge is good but what I found works really well is wax that's used for braces. The inside of my bottom lip was raw from rubbing against the edge of the aligners, I put some wax over the edge and it feels so much better. I do see a slight improvement in my teeth but I can't wait until it's a very noticeable difference.

Hated my overlapping teeth and decided to get it fixed. The site advertised the exact same results without the need for having buttons placed on teeth and recurring dentist visits. I visited the smile club for impressions at the DC office which was fast and efficient. The aligners came in and are thicker and more visible than well known competition. I noticed straightening occurring and thought everything was going as planned until last month of trays. That's where I noticed the teeth were not progressing as planned. My teeth didn't align and the Club agreed to give me a "refinement" aligner set to fix the issue. I've finished those set as well and the same issues have home unfixed. I'm pretty unsatisfied with the process and can't recommend it unless you're looking for a less-than-perfect alignment. Hope this is helpful!

Originally I had braces when I was a young teen. I noticed my teeth starting shifting in my early 40's. Not significantly, but my k9's started turning inward and it was bothering me. I viewed it as a simple fix and was impressed by all the positive reviews. Fast forward 6 months and a visit to my regular dentist. He voices serious concerns that the aligners have significantly changed my bite. My bite was normal (top slightly overlapping my bottom) but now I have an end to end bite (top teeth match up bottom teeth). He shows me pictures of my bite and explains that an end to end bite causes issues like chipped teeth, cracked teeth, jaw problems, etc. FANTASTIC! I've contacted Smile Direct and I find out that the Orthodontist overseeing my treatment plan (Dr. David Dowling) is actually in TN - no where close to me. I can go see an orthodontist of my choice - on my own dime. They will open a ticket and have someone contact me. No one has contacted me yet. I'm so worried I've spent all this money, just to have to go to a regular orthodontist and pay for braces Again!! Updated on 21 Jul 2017: I'm working with customer service, but for now I have stopped the aligners. I have to go to my dentist office and get my historical pictures. Send them previous pictures of my bite, new pictures of my bite so that their doctors can evaluate and review. This is the risk you run not having an actual orthodontist in your state. Now I have to prove to them that something is wrong and hope they can create a corrective plan that won't screw up my teeth anymore than they already have.

Please spend the extra money and see a real dentist. This is not worth the crap you have to go through. This was supposed to be a 6 month deal. I am 10 months into this and my teeth look worse. You can’t reach anyone beyond a floor supervisor and you never even speak with a dentist. They just want your money Updated on 29 Apr 2018: I am so disgusted with SmileDirectClub. I have been wearing invisaligners for over a year and they still can’t get my teeth straightened. The first 6-9 months created gaps and caused my teeth to be more crooked than they were to start. My teeth were not that bad to start and I only wish I had went to a dentist that I could see and speak to because the customer service at SmileDirectClub sucks big time. After a total of 9 mos I finally got their attention and received communication from one of their dental professionals named Amber Medsker who promised that she would work closely with me to ensure that everything would go smoothly. Well guess what? I am at the last week of my 3rd refinement period and my teeth are still not straight and when I contacted Amber Medsker she sent me an email telling me that she was moved to a new department and she referred me back to customer care. So back to square one because they don’t seem to know anything about what you’ve already been through. I am considering legal action and maybe that is what they need in order to get their attention.

I'm 28 and I have had straight teeth all my life. The only thing I never liked was my baby gap. Towards the end of 2015 I went to the dentist to see about Veneers. The dentist spoke to me about cheaper options. He said that it would be better to get Invisalign because they're more hygienic than the traditional braces and I can get my teeth whitened, which I could not do if I got veneers. Even though I had good insurance the cost of the aligners were still very expensive. I can't remember exactly how I found SmileDirect Club, but at that time there were not many reviews out like there are now. Anyway, I had to do at least 2 impressions, which were not good enough. For some reason I gave up. Not too long ago, around May 2017, I found my unopened impression kit. I did the impression, sent it in and it STILL wasn't good enough. When they sent me my FREE retake. In this retake kit it had better instructions and they added clear cheek and lip retractors, which came in handy when it was time for me to take pics of my teeth from the different angles. When I sent this one in I FINALLY got the confirmation email saying that the impression were accepted and they were creating my 3D smile and plan. When they emailed me my plan I was very satisfied with it. My plan only calls for me to wear the aligners for 4 months! So on August 10th I went ahead and did my down payment of $95 so that they can start constructing my aligners. My total price was $1800 and I could choose to pay in full or choose monthly payments of $95. Obviously, I chose the payments. The email said it will take up to 8 weeks for the aligners to be constructed and delivered. So, right now I'm just impatiently waiting. Lol. I will make sure to keep posting updates along the way. Updated on 30 Aug 2017: Here are pics of my teeth now. Just a couple of small gaps in front. Updated on 30 Aug 2017: On August 17th I received an email saying they were 3D printing my aligners and on August 24th they sent an email saying they're Thermoforming my aligners. So far I have not heard anything else. Also, I noticed a lot of reviews had complaints about the Customer Service. I have not experienced any difficulties with the customer service. I also never call or email. They most convenient way for me is their online chat. I've used it quiet a few times with no problems and all my questions were answered immediately and thoroughly. Updated on 31 Aug 2017: Here are some screenshots of my 3D treatment plan. I chose the top view because I felt you could see the movements better. Also, I don't have that many problem areas other than the small gaps and overbite, so the movement is very minimal. Updated on 31 Aug 2017: I just received an email saying that they are trimming my aligners. No other update on when they will be shipped, though. Updated on 7 Sep 2017: Today I received an email from Smile Direct Club... I was excited because "Your Aligners and You" was in the subject field, so naturally I'm thinking "Yes! They're on their way!" Unfortunately, it wasn't anything about my personal aligners. It was basically a little Do's & Don'ts list for when you do receive them. There was no other updates in the email so, I'm still impatiently waiting for my aligners to finally ship. Updated on 9 Sep 2017: Sept. 8 I received the email I had been waiting for! My aligners are on the way!!! Updated on 11 Sep 2017: Today my aligners were finally dropped off my FedEx. First off I want to say the package looked TERRIBLE when it first arrived. I was so afraid that my aligners were damaged. Luckily, they weren't and everything else looked to be ok. In my box I received Month 1 and Month 2's aligners, which I was not expecting. Due to other reviews saying that the plastic was cutting their inner lip and gums, I first filed my aligners some before putting them in. So far I haven't had any problems with the plastic cutting me, except for a little piece in the front on the bottom aligners so I will file it down a little more the next time I have to take them out. I had a little trouble putting them in at first, but after looking over the booklet they sent it was no longer a problem. I'm going to chew on the chewies a little bit more to make sure the aligners are secure. I do have a slight lisp and I can't really put my teeth together (uploaded a pic with the aligners in to give a visual). I haven't been experiencing any pain, mostly just tightness/pressure. I also took ibuprofen 30 minutes before putting them in to help with the pain if it would be any. I'll make sure to add an update each day to note the changes. I will also be making a to-go kit with my hygiene items for my teeth for when I'm away from home. Updated on 12 Sep 2017: So, today was my first FULL day wearing the aligners (since they arrived in the afternoon yesterday), sleeping in them was fine, but let me tell you that the plastic on the bottom aligners irritated the inside of my bottom lip all day. I worked 12 hours today and brought everything I needed with me EXCEPT the filer. Smh. Other than that piece of plastic, the day went fine. No one noticed I was wearing them and I didn't talk to my coworkers as much today so I don't think they noticed the lisp. I work in dispatch so I really had to enunciate my words more than usual when speaking on the phone and over the radio due to the slight lisp. It didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would when it came time to take them off to eat, brush, floss and put them back in. I made sure to take ibuprofen with me so the pain wasn't long lasting. When I got home I made sure to really file down that one area that has been bothering, so at this very moment my aligners feel comfortable now that I have it filed to my liking. I'm so excited for the weeks to come. Unless I have some other notable changes this week I won't post again until it's time to switch to the Month 1 Week 2 tray :) Updated on 18 Sep 2017: So, earlier this evening I switched to my Week 2 aligners for this month. Just when I had gotten used to talking with Week 1's aligners before I knew it I had to switch to Week 2. The last few days of Week 1 started to feel more and more comfortable. The aligners had gotten so loose that it took little to no effort to pop them on. My lisp also was gone. Before putting in my new aligners I made sure to file them down, and I took ibuprofen 30 minutes prior to popping them in (same as last week) Only difference is this time I new exactly which places bothered me the most and made sure to really file those spots. I then rinses Week one's aligners and I placed them back in their appropriate pouch, then I stapled the pouch shut and stored it back in the shipping box, so I wouldn't misplace them. Next, I just went on and did the usual brushing, flossing and rinsing, before putting the new aligners in. Week two's aligners are soooo tight! It felt like day one all over again and of course the lisp is back. Luckily, it only took about 2-3 days for me to get really comfortable with the first aligners so I know what to expect this week. Also, I forgot to use the GLO Whitening Gels that were included in my kit, so I'll start trying them tomorrow morning. I can't wait to compare the movements at the end of this month :) Updated on 25 Sep 2017: This morning I switched to my third aligners for this month. These aligners are the ones that I wear for two weeks instead of one. I would say this set is the tightest, BUT most comfortable. For some reason I barely had to file this one. I filed it just a little to dull down the edges, but this aligner had less plastic than the first two. On the first two sets I had to file a good amount away before they became wearable. There is no cutting or rubbing on the inside of my lip or anything! I also don't have a lisp anymore. I had a slight lisp when I first put them in, but as the day went on the lisp began to lessen. I'm not sure if it's because I've been wearing them for 2 weeks and learned to talk better quicker or if it's due to this set having less plastic. I only experienced pain when putting them on and taking them off for the very first times, and when eating and brushing. When they're on I only feel a lot of pressure. I can see a very slight difference in my teeth, but I can FEEL a big difference especially when trying to chew or bite. It's not excruciating pain, just tenderness. It kind of looks like my front gap has gotten a little bit smaller, but I won't be able to tell for sure until I compare my pictures. According to my 3D plan I should see the gap really closing around Month 3. At the end of Month 1 I'll be sure to add Before and After pics.

No complaints!! Just be patient after mailing in the impressions while the aligners are getting made. I had a crown after my first set of aligners, but Smile Direct did a new set impressions and sent me new aligners. I thought it would be a huge hassle but they responded with no problems. I prefer to use the chat session available on their web page to contact them.

DO NOT USE SMILEDIRECT under any circumstances! It's a waste of time and money for a product that doesn't work and a customer service team that contradicts itself and which fails to follow up. After repeated attempts to contact customer service directly and failing to get a satisfactory response (or in some cases, any response whatsoever), I'm coming here to notify the public of their terrible service, but also hoping that this might FINALLY get their attention. I am hereby demanding that the company give me a FULL REFUND of my $1500 due to the their severe negligence and misinformation, which clearly had a negative impact on my treatment. I began the process in August 2016. My treatment definitely did not go nearly as well as I expected due to misinformation given to me pertaining to treatment instructions. During the treatment process, I found that there were a number of discrepancies between the original instructions I received concerning treatment and instructions received nearly toward the end of the treatment. Specifically, the problems I experienced could be summarized as follows: 1) I wore my aligners a minimum of 17 hours per day, as first instructed (and as I was told again upon verifying by phone with their office at the start of treatment). In an email to customer service, I was directed to do 22 hours minimum per day. That's not useful after I've gone 5 months doing the program as first directed, only to be told in the end that I should have been wearing them for longer. This contradictory information came over the period of time when the company was in transition, as many others here have noted. Apparently, they had tinkered with their treatment methodology, among other things, but they fail to acknowledge this problem. 2) My aligners seemed to fit well initially, but somewhere around the end of the 3rd/beginning of the 4th month, I could feel and see that the teeth were not aligning properly with the indicated stage in the aligners. It seemed that at that point, the aligners were no longer fitting properly, though I continued to wear them as snugly as possible, giving the system the benefit of the doubt. 3) I finished using the last set of aligners (Month 5, weeks 3/4); I began these on Jan. 6, 2017. These aligners, as many of the prior ones, did not seem to fit properly, but moreover were particularly ill-fitting. I had been told at the beginning of my treatment that at some point, their office would request progress photos from me. However, these requests came in much too late, and only after I had made repeated attempts to inquire about this as a result of noticeably poor progress. I do not believe that I was served well or in a timely manner (given contradictory instructions concerning treatment, as well as the fact that progress was not requested until nearly the very end of my treatment, and only once I had made several attempts to contact them). I told them that in order to receive proper treatment, I should have scans redone in the DC office and an entirely new treatment plan be developed, as I had seen very little progress given the miscommunications and delays on the part of their office. I would have felt much more secure in doing that than simply picking up where these results left off; I would have liked to see results like the ones that had been projected for me prior to beginning my treatment. Instead, I was daftly told to continue wearing my last set of severely ill-fitting aligners for another 3 weeks, as if that would magically correct the failure of their incorrectly assessed treatment plan, despite my having diligently followed it as instructed. After calling them to stress that this was not an adequate response, I was told that I could expect to receive a phone call later that evening from their patient care department. That phone call, which happened about a month ago, never came. SDC has yet to acknowledge their misinformation and their apparent self-contradiction over these months of transition. I am sorely upset that THEIR negligence and lack of consistency and communication impacted my treatment, and that they have done nothing to address my concrete concerns. Unless you want to be taken advantage of, by no means should you give your hard-earned money to them.

When choosing smile club direct I understood that I would not be seeing an orthodontist in person but did expect that some care would be give through electronic correspondence. That never happened. After 5 months of having issues with aligners breaking they simply stopped showing up. When I called to ask why, they said they were running behind and would look into it. A week later, I called back having not received a response and was told my treatment had been completed. They had decided that the treatment had been deemed completed without a single check up and without looking at the results. How is that possible? I now have a slight underbite and my teeth are still not straight. What a joke.

After deciding to straighten my teeth at the age of 36, I made an appointment with an orthodontist. The next day, I saw an ad for SmileDirectClub on Facebook. I spent the weekend researching it. Although I live in TX, I was leaving for Nashville the next week for a business trip. It just so happens that SmileDirectClub is based out of Nashville. So, on Monday 7/18/16, I saw an orthodontist to be evaluated for Invisalign. On Tuesday 7/19/16, I went to a SmileDirectClub Smile Shop for a scan. I was very impressed with all the research I did about SmileDirectClub, and the experience at the Smile Shop was outstanding. The results of my scan were available on Friday 7/22/16. I found a $100 coupon code online, so I went ahead an ordered my aligners for $1400. That's considerably less than the $5300 quoted to me by the orthodontist. Also, Invisalign would have taken 12 months. SmileDirectClub will take 5 months. I am anxious to receive my aligners so I can get started. I have been receiving emails to let me know how the process is progressing. Updated on 2 Aug 2016: Here are pictures from my treatment plan.