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SmileDirectClub vs Candid Clear Aligners
I have crowding on my top teeth and very mild crowding on the bottom.
I’ve been going to the dentist and filling in cavities and getting my overall oral hygiene in check and decided to tackle the actual alignment of my teeth as well. I’m also considering getting clear aligners thru my dentist as well but the price tag is $3500 and we haven’t sent off impressions so I figured maybe I could save some time and money going the at-home route.
I ended up ordering impression kits from SmileDirectClub and Candid Co to see which company I felt more comfortable with.
I ordered an impression kit in the evening of Thursday 11/15 from SmileDirectClub, was sent an email & told I’d receive a tracking number and would have the kit in 1-2 days. I also submitted pictures of my teeth that they requested and IMMEDIATELY was told they were accepted... which leads me to believe no one ACTUALLY looked at the pictures that I sent. I also never received a tracking number. I have had no correspondence with the company since.
I ordered the Candid Co kit on 11/16 in the evening and was told the same. I got my tracking number Saturday morning, received an email from the VP of customer service, actually reached out to customer service and heard back within an hour, and my aligners arrived first thing in the morning on 11/19. (11/18 was a Sunday). I received an email on 11/19 when they were notified my package had been delivered with a video link to help guide me thru the impression process. It feels much more hands on and like the company is extremely involved. I also received an email saying if I turned in my pictures and impressions by 11/23, I’d receive a free whitening wand to start whitening my teeth during the wait. I sent back both impression kits completed on 11/19.
Now for the actual kit quality. SDC sent 6 trays, 3 for the top and bottom. Candid sent 5, 3 for the top and 2 for the bottom. SDC was very basic and straight to the point with a booklet of instructions, the putty, smile stretcher, gloves and trays. Candid’s contained the same items plus a wooden poker to help you know where to place your teeth in the putty. Candid’s putty had a minty taste and smell which made it more enjoyable. The packaging was also more aesthetically enjoyable.
I felt the candid co’s instruction booklet was much more in depth and user friendly. They even included a measurement part on one page to help show the size and shape needed to roll the putty into to fit in the tray correctly. Speaking of the trays, SDC’s top trays were painful for me by my molars. I didn’t have that issue with candid’s. I think they may have been slightly bigger because my impressions looked better for Candid as well... like there was more room, whereas for SDC my impressions all seemed like they may have been better if I’d had a bit more room for my molars to fit in the tray.
So yeah that’s my experience so far with both companies. Candid is much more hands on and accessible so far. I’ll update when I receive my 3D scans or word from either company to let people know how long it takes for both companies to move the process along.
I’ve been going to the dentist and filling in cavities and getting my overall oral hygiene in check and decided to tackle the actual alignment of my teeth as well. I’m also considering getting clear aligners thru my dentist as well but the price tag is $3500 and we haven’t sent off impressions so I figured maybe I could save some time and money going the at-home route.
I ended up ordering impression kits from SmileDirectClub and Candid Co to see which company I felt more comfortable with.
I ordered an impression kit in the evening of Thursday 11/15 from SmileDirectClub, was sent an email & told I’d receive a tracking number and would have the kit in 1-2 days. I also submitted pictures of my teeth that they requested and IMMEDIATELY was told they were accepted... which leads me to believe no one ACTUALLY looked at the pictures that I sent. I also never received a tracking number. I have had no correspondence with the company since.
I ordered the Candid Co kit on 11/16 in the evening and was told the same. I got my tracking number Saturday morning, received an email from the VP of customer service, actually reached out to customer service and heard back within an hour, and my aligners arrived first thing in the morning on 11/19. (11/18 was a Sunday). I received an email on 11/19 when they were notified my package had been delivered with a video link to help guide me thru the impression process. It feels much more hands on and like the company is extremely involved. I also received an email saying if I turned in my pictures and impressions by 11/23, I’d receive a free whitening wand to start whitening my teeth during the wait. I sent back both impression kits completed on 11/19.
Now for the actual kit quality. SDC sent 6 trays, 3 for the top and bottom. Candid sent 5, 3 for the top and 2 for the bottom. SDC was very basic and straight to the point with a booklet of instructions, the putty, smile stretcher, gloves and trays. Candid’s contained the same items plus a wooden poker to help you know where to place your teeth in the putty. Candid’s putty had a minty taste and smell which made it more enjoyable. The packaging was also more aesthetically enjoyable.
I felt the candid co’s instruction booklet was much more in depth and user friendly. They even included a measurement part on one page to help show the size and shape needed to roll the putty into to fit in the tray correctly. Speaking of the trays, SDC’s top trays were painful for me by my molars. I didn’t have that issue with candid’s. I think they may have been slightly bigger because my impressions looked better for Candid as well... like there was more room, whereas for SDC my impressions all seemed like they may have been better if I’d had a bit more room for my molars to fit in the tray.
So yeah that’s my experience so far with both companies. Candid is much more hands on and accessible so far. I’ll update when I receive my 3D scans or word from either company to let people know how long it takes for both companies to move the process along.