If you constantly keep an eye on trainers and wellness influencers, chances are you have across the mail-in aligners offered by Smile Direct Club. These orthodontic equipment have swept the globe like a huge wave and people can’t stop talking about them. If you are interested in learning more about My Smile Direct Club, stick around for an in-depth review that seeks to answer the question of whether the aligners are worth your money.
What is Smile Direct Club, exactly?
Smile Direct Club is a company that specializes in selling custom-made plastic teeth aligners aimed at straightening teeth over a specified time period. The aligners come in a pack with the promise that each piece will perpetually straighten your teeth over time. Typically, as one aligner positions your tooth right, you would need to move to the next tooth to adjust your tooth further. Dentists at SDC will map out the end result of your teeth and tell you which aligners to utilize.
The Smile Direct Club first sends you a kit to capture a 3-D mold of your canines. This is transferred to a dental professional who draws your retainer plan. The company takes things a notch higher and shows you a photo preview of your smile after the treatment. Then you pop in for a quick dental checkup and wait for your aligners in the mail.
What’s The Hype About?
One wonders why people are so crazy about this business model when they could simply go to the dental clinic and get their traditional aligners instead. Well, according to the Smile Direct Club website, these aligners cost 60% less than your usual traditional aligners. What’s more, you are spared the agony of having to pay for regular check-ups.
How do they make your teeth straight?
Unlike braces which consist of interconnected wires and brackets, invisible aligners are a set of tight-fitting retainers that glide over the teeth. What happens is that each tray will slowly move your tooth into its desired position with the end result being straight teeth and a bright smile over the course of a few months. Smile Direct Club aligners, in particular, are made from BPA-free plastic which is a common material of construction out there.
Do They Actually Work?
If online reviews are anything to go by, mail-in aligners seem to work. Past patients have filled the Smile Direct’s website with a lot of praises for the orthodontic aligners. Many of them refer to the product as being “efficient” and “ridiculously affordable”. One such reviewer said she was able to permanently close her gap within four months of her half-year retainer plan. Another one went on to say that he saw immediate results when using the invisible aligners.
Even with all the accolades, the product seems to have disappointed a few users as well. One said they had hoped for more but got less-than-perfect results.
When compared to standard braces, invisible aligners, in general, are less effective. They often produce desirable products for patients under medical supervision. From a general point of view, invisible aligners are ideal for individuals with minor teeth corrections. This covers such things as closing teeth spaces, crowded teeth, bite corrections, and rotations.
Is My Smile Direct Club safe?
When it comes to DIY braces (the use of a rubber band to close a gap, metal braces from an apparel hanger, or a 3-D printed retainer), the American Association of Orthodontists stands on the opposing side of the table. However, ordering aligners online isn’t a DIY thing, according to Smile Direct Club. For starters, the products are offered by a licensed dental professional near you. These top-notch orthodontists and dentists come up with appropriate treatments for each individual case. Secondly, the company isn’t practicing medicine and is therefore after doing a manual correction of the tooth’s alignment and not the bone structure itself. Braces are medical appliances which should be utilized under professional supervision.
How Much Does It Cost?
Your online Smile Direct Club smile assessment is free. To know whether you fit the profile of a good candidate for mail-in aligners, you’ll require a 3-D scan at a local smile shop or using at-home impression kit which will set you back $95. Don’t worry; if you happen to be an unsuitable candidate for the aligners, you will get your $95 back.
The two payment options provided by the company include:
One single payment of $1850 (this is the best approach if you want to save on costs)
Monthly installments where you pay a down payment of $250 and a further &80 for the next 24 months. In the end, your cost will have shot to $2170.
MySmileDirectClub certainly deserves the hype and attention it has gotten in the last few years. Not only do the invisible aligners fix a wide range of teeth issues but they also do so at an affordable rate. In fact, if you know how to look for deals, you can look for the latest my smile direct club coupons and get more value for your bucks. It is indeed worth your money if you have a few teeth corrections that don’t necessarily warrant using medical braces or other dental solutions.