Invisalign

The End of Smile Direct Club

Hi, I am really hoping you can help me. I was a patient with smile direct club. This month, they closed their business and I am only halfway through my treatments. I don’t have everything I need. There are a few other companies that do mail order braces. Do you know if they will finish off my treatment? I’m having trouble getting my information from Smile Direct so I don’t know how to continue. I paid for all of this upfront too and I’m not hearing anything about getting my money back. I’m in tears and don’t know what to do.

Kaycie

Dear Kaycie,

Smile Direct Club Closed

I am sorry this happened to you. For those who are unaware about this situation. SmileDirectClub was a mail order service that was trying to be a cheaper version of Invisalign. The problem was, when patients are not under the care of a dentist a lot of things can go wrong. A LOT. And they did.

However, most potential patients were not aware of the problems because in order to get a refund, SmileDirectClub required them to sign a non-disclosure agreement which forbade them from posting anything negative about the company. In June of this year, a court in the District of Columbia ordered them to stop doing that. The truth about their problems came flooding out. They filed for bankruptcy and when they couldn’t get a buyer just closed their doors.

I am going to be honest with you that you will likely have a hard time getting your money back. You can file as one of their creditors, but it is a long line.

I’m honestly not going to recommend any of the other mail order companies because they will have the same problems as SmileDirect. The one possible exception to this would be Candid because they incorporate care with a dentist into their program. That is a bit safer.

The safest option for you is to go to an Invisalign dentist and explain your situation. They can continue your treatment and may be willing to work with you on payments because of the tough spot you are in.

Again, I’m sorry this happened to you.

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