Smile Direct Club Complications

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I am not sure how familiar you are with Smile Direct Club. It is a mail-order invisible braces service that compares itself to Invisalign, but less expensive. Does it work? Sometimes. When it doesn’t, though, it is a disaster.

We came across this video on YouTube from a Smile Direct Club user. For the sake of time, we have a shortened version of it. The full version, which is about 20 minutes, can be seen on YouTube.

Here is some background. This patient is entering her 6th month with Smile Direct Club. She is striving, without success, to place her new aligners in. After about twenty minutes, she gives up. The original video was posted in December of 2018.

In a follow-up video, we learn what happened. SmileDirectClub mistakenly shipped her month 5 aligners in month 4 and then shipped the month 4 aligners in month 5. This meant that in month 6, when she should have been finishing her month 5 treatment, she had actually gone backward to month 4’s position. This made it extraordinarily difficult to place her new aligners in.

While you make think what is the big deal? It is a huge deal. Imagine a doctor getting two different patient’s x-rays mixed up. As a result, they gave the treatment to the wrong patient and the patient who actually needed the treatment is left without the necessary health care. This is malpractice and could lead to serious consequences.

For this patient, starting the month five treatment early put a great deal of stress on her teeth, risking root absorption. Then, going backward this means additional stress was put on her teeth. I would love to see some before and after x-rays of her tooth roots from his mix-up on the part of Smile Direct. I’m fairly confident there will have been some root resorption which will put her at risk of tooth loss.

Another huge problem is that the patient is left to figure this out for herself. Fortunately, she made this video which alerted the company they were getting some bad press. There really isn’t follow-up with this company so most patients are left completely on their own.

If you are going to get invisible braces, like Invisalign, my suggestion is you do it through a dentist where you will get constant follow up care to make sure your treatment is going according to plan. And, who is there to make safe adjustments if it is not.

Invisalign has a hidden benefit as well. The aligners can double as teeth whitening trays. So, if you ask your dentist for some professional strength whitening gel, you can straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time, giving yourself a mini smile makeover.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.

Does Smile Direct Club Work?

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I know it probably seems weird that I am asking you, a dentist, about an online orthodontic service when you sell Invisalign. But, I live clear across the country from where you practice, so you won’t lose any business by telling me the truth. Hahaha. So here is my question. Every time I get on Facebook, I see an ad for Smile Direct Club. They do have quite a few good reviews. But, I thought before I invested in it I would like to get a real dentist’s opinion. Does Smile Direct work?

Rebekah

Dear Rebekah,

SmileDirectClub Advert

I’m glad you wrote. And don’t worry, you aren’t the first person to ask about this particular service. My duty is to ensure those who are seeking dental advice from us get the best and understand their options. So, never hesitate to write with questions. Yes, I am not surprised you see the ads a lot. They are heavily advertised. As for the good reviews, that doesn’t surprise me either, but not for the reasons you think.

Recent investigative journalism has uncovered Smile Direct Clubs’ habit of only offering refunds to unhappy clients if they sign a release saying they won’t post any negative reviews and will remove any negative content they have already placed. In other words, we won’t get a true picture of their reviews because patients with bad experiences don’t talk about it in order to get a refund.

However, let me just go into what we know for a certainty about how this program works.

Problem One: Missing Diagnostics

A good dentist will do a full mouth series of x-rays and a comprehensive dental examination. This would include looking for things such as signs of TMJ Disorder, tooth decay, and gum disease. Skipping this step can cause the patient a lifetime of pain and unnecessary dental work that could have been avoided. To me, it is inexcusable to skip this step.

Problem Two: DIY Impressions

In order to get a truly accurate treatment plan, it is imperative the impression is done carefully. That means there will be no bubbles, tears, or other defects. This step is so important that some dentists won’t even allow their assistants to take it. With Smile Direct, they just send you a kit to do your own impression at home. I find it doubtful this will give you the best orthodontic treatment.

Problem Three: Adding Space

Most cases of patients needing braces have crowded teeth. This means they will either need some shaving of a few teeth or some back teeth extracted. This needs to be done by a dentist invested in you and the case. Unfortunately, Smile Direct has a shortcut to this too and I worry about its impact on patients.

Problem Four: Inadequate Follow-Up

When you do a treatment, such as Invisalign through a dentist, you are getting follow up care every two weeks when you are given your new aligners. This prevents so many problems. While the treatment is pre-planned, sometimes our teeth don’t cooperate. Maybe teeth don’t turn the way they are supposed to or more space is needed than we originally thought. Without that follow up, your teeth could end up in a worse position than they were to begin with.

What does this mean for you? Well, you could try Smile Direct Club. It might turn out well for you and you’ll save some money. However, first I would get a complete examination from your dentist just to make sure you don’t have any underlying conditions that could cause a problem. But, you are taking chances. So go into it with eyes wide open.

This blog is brought to you by East Cobb Dentist Dr. Cristi Cheek.