I’ve been wanting to straighten my teeth for some time. I’ve been looking at Invisalign and was pretty excited about it. I almost have enough money. Today, I received an advertisement for Smile Care Club. This is less money and I could get it right away. Are there big differences between the two? Is it worth it to wait for the Invisalign?

Callista

Dear Callista,

Smile Care Club is a do-it-yourself copy of Invisalign that was founded in 2013. They operate under the same concept as Invisalign, though they switch aligners every three weeks, where Invisalign switches every two.

For some people, this works fine, but when it doesn’t there can be rather serious consequences. Even starting out there is a danger. Before you get Invisalign, your dentist will give you a complete examination to make sure your teeth and gums are healthy enough to make it safely through the treatment. The biggest concern is gum disease. If your teeth are being shifted with orthodontics while you have gum disease, you risk them coming loose.

The only examination you get with Smile Care Club is done through photographs you send in. That is not adequate enough for the dentist to get a true sense of your oral health. Plus, there will be no x-rays which will be important as well.

There are other things to consider. The human body is unpredictable and that includes our teeth. Sometimes teeth need some aditional room to get into their proper position. If there is a lot of crowding then the dentist may remove a couple of back teeth. If there is minor crowding, then there would only need to be some mild shaving of the sides of your teeth. While they will send you to one of their dentists if that is necessary, I would not want someone doing that who is not really invested in my case. They could mess up the look of your smile quite a bit.

Bottom line: While for many this will work out fine and they can save some money, when things do not go well, there can be pretty serious consequences.

One thing I might recommend is you talk to your dentist about your desire. He may let you pay out your Invisalign and allow you to get started right away.

There is a hidden benefit too. Your dentist can provide you with some teeth whitening gel. Your aligners can double as whitening trays. This will allow you to straighten and whiten your teeth at the same time, giving you a mini smile makeover at a fraction of the cost.

This blog is brought to you by Lafayette, LA Dentists Drs. Foreman and Thimmesch.