POSTED UNDER SmileDirectClub Reviews
My journey with Smile Direct Club - teledentistry - invisable aligners by mail
ORIGINAL POST
My journey with Smile Direct Club - teledentistry - invisable aligners by mail
I just purchased my impression kit on groupon for really cheap! Here is how you can save a ton of money on the kit!
Go to groupon and create a NEW account with a new email address. Groupon will give you 25% off your first purchase with the code "WELCOME".
Then search for Smile Direct Club and the groupon should come up. It's $49 for the impression kit, 3 months of whitening and $100 towards your aligners. ***The $100 is going to go towards 1 month of payments, but you also have to pay a $250 down payment when you purchase! They don't talk about this online, but I read reviews and called about this. There will be a down payment. You cant put the $100 towards the down payment, I already asked.***
With my groupon discount code I paid only $36 for the whole thing. Great deal!
I redeemed the code, filled out a questionnaire and uploaded photos of my teeth, and they will overnight my kit. Should arrive in 1-2 days they say.
Here is what I have discovered in my research of the company and from the 30 minute convo I had with an awesome customer service rep named Tiffany.
1. In October, Smile Direct entered into an agreement with Align. This is the lab that makes in Invisalign.
Basically, since October 2016, Smile Direct Club will be using the same lab that Invisalign uses. They are NOT the same aligners, nor are they intended to be. The rep explained to me that they are better quality than they were at the previous lab, but they are independent from Invisalign and are more for gentle, moderate changes with treatment ranging from 3-10 months. Invisalign is for up to 2 years.
2. All the terrible customer service reviews may be improving very soon, as their customer service department recently grew from a measly 10 people to a whopping 100 people. This company is growing, y'all. And fast. So they were experiencing some very real growing pains last year, but are doing what they can to rectify the issue. She sounded very confident that I would start seeing better reviews as time passes due to this change.
3. You either pay upfront at $1700 or you pay for the impression kit (usually $99 - I got for only $36 on groupon), a $250 down payment and then $99 per month for 17 months. You will continue to pay after the treatment plan has ended, no matter how long your plan ends up being. So for instance - a dentist will review my case and impressions, then I get a treatment plan back. Let's say it's 8 months. I still have to pay after that 8 month mark up until 17 months to pay for the balance. This plan ends up costing $1900 total over 17 months.
3. They do not run credit! SO im thinking this is something that I can choose to discontinue if I want to at any time. If im not happy, im not giving them any more money.
This is just my though, I have not confirmed it. But they work on an autodraft, so worst comes to worst, you could cancel the bank account and start over if they really [RS bleep] you off. Worst case scenarios, but still. They wont have your social, so cant report you to the CBs.
4. The process takes 4-5 weeks from start to finish. She gave it to me like this:
Original order to receiving impression kit 1-2 days
Once I send kit back, it takes up to 7 business days for them to review the impressions for accuracy
If accepted, the Dr. will have up to 10 business days to create my treatment plan.
When I approve the plan, it takes up to 10 business days to manufacture the aligners. I will get alerted when they are shipped.
So its about a month or more. She said all the times you see online with 21 business days manufacturing are from the old lab and it took longer. Hopefully with the new process as of March 15 2017, things will be speedier!
5. They want you to wear the aligners 22 hours per day every day
6. There are "Smile Clubs" scattered around the US, look online for one in your state. But I don't have one, so I will need to do my own impression or maybe a local dentist will do it for me for a small fee. That's what I plan to do!
6. If I reach the end of my treatment and I'm not happy with the results, a dentist will review my photos and if approved, I can get a refinement at no cost and continue treatment until I'm happy.
7. I also went to the Georgia School of Orthodontics for a free consultation. They did confirm my eligibility for invisalign and said im a class 1 whatever that means, with some crowding issues on the bottom. They confirmed I don't have to have my widsdom teeth removed for the aligners. I could get treatment through them for the following price:
$100 for scans and records
$796 day of receiving aligners (that's the reason I cant do this option)
$117 per month for 30 months.
NO credit check, monthly autodraft
This is a GREAT option. But I really cant come out of pocket that much or I would totally do it. This is for actual Invisalign. So you may also want to check your local Orthodontist schools for the clinic pricing!
That's all for now.
Thanks guys!
That's all I have now! I will update as I go with photos etc....
Go to groupon and create a NEW account with a new email address. Groupon will give you 25% off your first purchase with the code "WELCOME".
Then search for Smile Direct Club and the groupon should come up. It's $49 for the impression kit, 3 months of whitening and $100 towards your aligners. ***The $100 is going to go towards 1 month of payments, but you also have to pay a $250 down payment when you purchase! They don't talk about this online, but I read reviews and called about this. There will be a down payment. You cant put the $100 towards the down payment, I already asked.***
With my groupon discount code I paid only $36 for the whole thing. Great deal!
I redeemed the code, filled out a questionnaire and uploaded photos of my teeth, and they will overnight my kit. Should arrive in 1-2 days they say.
Here is what I have discovered in my research of the company and from the 30 minute convo I had with an awesome customer service rep named Tiffany.
1. In October, Smile Direct entered into an agreement with Align. This is the lab that makes in Invisalign.
Basically, since October 2016, Smile Direct Club will be using the same lab that Invisalign uses. They are NOT the same aligners, nor are they intended to be. The rep explained to me that they are better quality than they were at the previous lab, but they are independent from Invisalign and are more for gentle, moderate changes with treatment ranging from 3-10 months. Invisalign is for up to 2 years.
2. All the terrible customer service reviews may be improving very soon, as their customer service department recently grew from a measly 10 people to a whopping 100 people. This company is growing, y'all. And fast. So they were experiencing some very real growing pains last year, but are doing what they can to rectify the issue. She sounded very confident that I would start seeing better reviews as time passes due to this change.
3. You either pay upfront at $1700 or you pay for the impression kit (usually $99 - I got for only $36 on groupon), a $250 down payment and then $99 per month for 17 months. You will continue to pay after the treatment plan has ended, no matter how long your plan ends up being. So for instance - a dentist will review my case and impressions, then I get a treatment plan back. Let's say it's 8 months. I still have to pay after that 8 month mark up until 17 months to pay for the balance. This plan ends up costing $1900 total over 17 months.
3. They do not run credit! SO im thinking this is something that I can choose to discontinue if I want to at any time. If im not happy, im not giving them any more money.
This is just my though, I have not confirmed it. But they work on an autodraft, so worst comes to worst, you could cancel the bank account and start over if they really [RS bleep] you off. Worst case scenarios, but still. They wont have your social, so cant report you to the CBs.
4. The process takes 4-5 weeks from start to finish. She gave it to me like this:
Original order to receiving impression kit 1-2 days
Once I send kit back, it takes up to 7 business days for them to review the impressions for accuracy
If accepted, the Dr. will have up to 10 business days to create my treatment plan.
When I approve the plan, it takes up to 10 business days to manufacture the aligners. I will get alerted when they are shipped.
So its about a month or more. She said all the times you see online with 21 business days manufacturing are from the old lab and it took longer. Hopefully with the new process as of March 15 2017, things will be speedier!
5. They want you to wear the aligners 22 hours per day every day
6. There are "Smile Clubs" scattered around the US, look online for one in your state. But I don't have one, so I will need to do my own impression or maybe a local dentist will do it for me for a small fee. That's what I plan to do!
6. If I reach the end of my treatment and I'm not happy with the results, a dentist will review my photos and if approved, I can get a refinement at no cost and continue treatment until I'm happy.
7. I also went to the Georgia School of Orthodontics for a free consultation. They did confirm my eligibility for invisalign and said im a class 1 whatever that means, with some crowding issues on the bottom. They confirmed I don't have to have my widsdom teeth removed for the aligners. I could get treatment through them for the following price:
$100 for scans and records
$796 day of receiving aligners (that's the reason I cant do this option)
$117 per month for 30 months.
NO credit check, monthly autodraft
This is a GREAT option. But I really cant come out of pocket that much or I would totally do it. This is for actual Invisalign. So you may also want to check your local Orthodontist schools for the clinic pricing!
That's all for now.
Thanks guys!
That's all I have now! I will update as I go with photos etc....
This is super useful; thanks so much for all this information! Keep us updated as you go.