35 Years Old - Need a Bit of an Adjustment

Hi everyone! I am a 35 year old mom of two. I decided to go with the Smile Direct Club for some adjustment to my smile. I was quoted $5k by two different dentists for Invisilign but I just couldn't justify spending that much money for what I needed so I thought I'd give SDC a try. Both dentists told me that my top and bottom teeth are great from the canines back and I'd likely need about 9 months of treatment to just fix the front a bit.

My main issue is crowding on the front lower teeth. My two front bottom teeth are now starting to push my two front teeth out so now I'm starting to get a space between my front teeth and the two teeth next to them (which are implants). This is what really prompted me to act now before anything else gets worse. Plus I have some pain in one of my lower teeth because it's pushed in. I'm starting having trouble saying my S's and my bite is all off so I often bite my lower lip causing canker sores often.

My teeth have always been a mess. I was born without permanent teeth number 7 & 10 (the two teeth next to my two front teeth). I had a root canal that didn't take on my very back molar (number 32) so when I had my wisdom teeth removed, the dentist also pulled that molar out as well. I didn't have it replaced because it's not noticeable and doesn't bother me. I only had the bottom two wisdom teeth removed, I was born without the top two.

I originally had a bridge to replace number 7 and 10 but then had implants put in when I was about 23.

I wore braces from 7th - 10th grade. Everything was going great until my dog ate my retainer. I tried to get a replacement but they never fit well and I eventually stopped wearing them, which is now why my teeth are crooked again.

I have a permanent bar behind my two front teeth to keep them together. I had a significant gap growing up because I was missing 7 & 10.

So that's my dental history in a nutshell.

I first found the SDC about a year ago when I had my consult for Invisalign. I decided to wait until after I got my tax return back this year instead of paying more with the monthly installments.

I found a groupon that offered $100 off plus 50% off the consult fee. So I paid the $49 for the impressions kit on 3/29/17. It was shipped out right away and I got it within a couple days. The impressions were very easy to take. You just mix the two putties together, put it in the tray and press them onto your teeth. They give you enough to take two sets of impressions. I thought both came out good and I sent them back a few days later. Actually I received an email with a coupon for $100 off if I sent them back within a certain time frame. I'm not sure if they'll honor it with my groupon but we'll see.

Also included in the impressions kit was a mouth spreader for you to take pictures of your teeth. I had uploaded pics prior to receiving the kit and I wish I had waited. The pictures I got with the mouth spreader were way better but I don't see a way to upload them in my account and the other photos were already accepted.

So I sent the impressions back and received an email on 4/11 (about a week after I mailed them) that they received my impressions and they were working on building my smile (which could take up to 2 weeks).

So that was the last Ive heard from them. I did do a live chat with them yesterday because I have not been asked which teeth are implants. There was a question asking if I had implants when I ordered the impressions kit but there has been no follow up since. The customer service rep I spoke to on chat said that we will ask after they're done building my plan. That sounds stupid to me since implants can't be moved and that should be taken into account prior to building my plan. I said this to the rep and he said the dentist could tell from the pics. I can't tell from just looking at the pics (well the ones I submitted, the ones with the mouth spreader you can see them) so we'll see what happens. I'm not super happy with that because that seems like it should be priority number one before building a plan but we'll see. I don't think it's going to be a huge deal anyway because the only teeth that need to be moved on the top (where the implants are) are my two front teeth. Those need to be pulled in slightly because they're getting pushed out by the bottoms.

So that's been my experience so far. I'm looking forward to getting my plan.

Today I received an email that my dental plan is ready,my aligners are being made, and my credit card is being charged $1600 (they deducted $100).

I immediately contacted them via chat because the top does not look accurate. The model shows a space between my front teeth, which I do not have. The plan actually does not have any movement for my top teeth. I'm actually ok with this plan except Ihave a small space between #7 and #8. I'd like 8 pulled back against 7.

The customer service rep sent a message to the orthodontist to revise my top and see if new impressions or pictures are needed. They also refunded my card until the revision comes through and I am in agreement with the dental plan.

As for the bottom they are only straightening out the front five teeth that are crowded. I am in complete agreement with this as my other teeth are perfectly spaced. The length of my treatment is 4 months.

So while I'm not happy with the inaccuracy of the top I am happy with the customer service to remedy it.

So far I am still confident in my decision to go with SDC. I think if I needed more extensive orthodontics then I would not recommend it but for the slight adjustment I'm getting I think it will be ok.