Are you considering getting your teeth straightened? You’re not alone—more than 3 million people have used invisible braces (clear aligners) to straighten their teeth. There are many brands and options to choose from, such as Invisalign and Smile Direct Club.
If you’re not familiar, Smile Direct Club is a company that offers a direct-to-consumer teeth-straightening solution. It’s essentially like Invisalign, but you get the aligners sent to your home instead of going in for appointments with a professional orthodontist or dentist. The cost is lower than getting Invisalign or traditional metal braces through an orthodontist, and it can be a great option for people interested in straighter teeth without having to spend as much time and money on the process. However, there are also some things to consider before signing up with Smile Direct.
The main difference between the Invisalign and Smile Direct Club aligners is that Invisalign aligners have attachments. These attachments are placed on your teeth by your dentist at the start of treatment and help move your teeth in the preferred direction. Without these attachments, there is a chance that your Smile Direct’s aligners will slide around without this lock in place feature, and it can cause your teeth to move in ways that you don’t want or can’t predict.
With Smile Direct, you will be sent an impression kit where you take an impression of your teeth. While it may seem simple enough to take a mold of your teeth, there are many ways in which this process can go awry if not directly overseen by a dentist or orthodontist. For example, if a dentist has not physically examined inside their mouth, they cannot know for sure that what is being seen in the mold is an accurate representation of what is inside the mouth.
It may sound like a small detail, but it’s important that your teeth are accurately represented in your mold to get the best results. When the custom aligners are created, they are made to fit the mold, and the aligner trays are the only thing that straightens your teeth. If the mold doesn’t accurately represent your teeth, there’s an increased chance that you won’t get the results you’re looking for when you finish your treatment.
With Invisalign, getting a mold of your teeth is done by a dentist and dental assistant, who are specially trained in getting an accurate impression the first time.
With traditional braces or Invisalign, you work closely with your dentist to ensure that your treatment plan is working and that no problems are arising. Smile Direct Club does not allow you to work with your dentist but instead assigns a virtual licensed dental professional to oversee your treatment. The assigned dentist only offers check-ins about every 90 days, and problems (e.g., bite misalignment) could arise during that time. Sure, they’ll be able to see how things are progressing, but you run the risk of going for three months with a progressively worsening misalignment that could go unnoticed until it’s too late to correct without more invasive methods.
With Invisalign, you can choose your own trusted dentist that you feel comfortable with, and have in-office exams every 4-6 weeks where the dentist can examine your mouth, teeth movement, and bite, and intervene, if necessary. By going with Invisalign, you’re able to reach out to the dentist if you have any questions or concerns with your progress.
We have evaluated numerous reviews and complaints from the Better Business Bureau about Smile Direct and have concluded that their case selection for aligner use is not optimal. Patients are not required to have x-rays taken in order to evaluate bone loss or health of the teeth, and they are also not examined to see if they are cavity-free. Without x-rays and a proper exam, it’s impossible to evaluate the positioning of wisdom teeth or how the current condition of the mouth might complicate treatment and long-term results.
By going the traditional route, a dentist or orthodontist will conduct a thorough exam to ensure everything is in good standing and that long-lasting results can be achieved without complications.
There are many factors to consider outside of cost when deciding what type of orthodontic treatment is best for you. While Smile Direct is indeed less expensive than Invisalign for the initial setup process, the price difference comes at a cost: the patient does not receive a personalized treatment plan from a licensed dentist or orthodontist.
The average cost for Smile Direct Club costs anywhere from $1850 – $2170, and the entire process is done remotely.
The average Invisalign costs anywhere from $3000-$8000, depending on the complexity of the case.
A number of things could be going on here:
The payment options for both Smile Direct Club and Invisalign are incredibly similar. They both offer monthly payment plans, but Smile Direct Club does require a down payment of $250, whereas Invisalign does not. If you work directly with an Invisalign dental provider, they may offer flexible payment options to help you pay for Invisalign. These options include third-party lending with 0% interest, in-office payment plans, or discounts if paid in advance.
Smile Direct is a convenient option for patients who want to straighten their teeth without the commitment of regular visits to a dentist. However, some patients have reported receiving incorrect aligners or no aligners, which can set back any progress that was made. When contacting Smile Direct’s customer service team, you’ll often speak to a new representative each time, resulting in a less than ideal experience when you need help. As opposed to going to a dentist for orthodontic issues, you’ll have an established relationship with your dentist, and you’ll be speaking to the same person who has your best interest in mind – getting you a healthy smile.
Smile Direct and Invisalign have faster treatment times than traditional braces. However, clear aligner treatment process can vary based on several factors, including your ability to stick to the treatment guidelines and how severe your misalignment is.
Smile Direct Club’s website advertises average treatment times between four to six months, while Invisalign says that treatments can take anywhere from six months to a year, depending on the severity of your condition. The reason Invisalign has a longer average treatment time is because Invisalign can treat more complex cases in correcting crooked teeth, gaps between teeth, and crowding. The actual length of treatment may vary based on the complexity and severity of misaligned teeth as determined by your dentist. If comparing the same type of misalignment, both have relatively the same treatment time.
Invisalign and Smile Direct Club are not one-size-fits-all solutions. Invisalign is an excellent solution for adults and teens to fix nearly all common teeth-straightening and bite issues, from simple to complex. If affordability is important to you, you like the ability to check in with your dentist remotely, and you don’t mind some of the drawbacks with Smile Direct Club, then Smile Direct Club might work for you.
The right treatment method for you depends on your individual case and personal preferences. Whether you decide to go with Invisalign or Smile Direct, set up an initial consultation with a qualified dentist providing clear aligners. They will be able to advise you on what kind of dental care you need and which treatment will be best for your dream smile and long-term oral health.
If you are covered under a dental policy that provides orthodontic coverage, your dental insurance may pay for some or all of your treatment. For example, both Invisalign and Smile Direct Club accept HSA, FSA and may potentially be covered by dental insurance. Keep in mind that these policies also have annual limits and deductibles.
If you are unsure whether your dental insurance policy covers orthodontic appliances, it’s best to check with your dental insurance provider directly. They’ll be able to tell you exactly what’s covered and what’s not so you can make the most informed decision possible about how to proceed with your treatment.
There are multiple options for straightening your teeth, but the perfect smile is best achieved by visiting an orthodontist or dentist in person. Why? Because going into the office means you get to have a one-on-one with a dentist who knows your teeth and can correct any dental issues in real-time. Plus, having a dental professional at your disposal makes it easier to talk to if you have any questions about your dental treatment.
Ultimately, the success of your clear aligner treatment depends on your circumstances, the complexity of your case, and your ability to follow the treatment guidelines you’re given. When you decide whether to go with Smile Direct Club or Invisalign, it’s important to consider that each treatment has its own effectiveness when it comes to more complex cases for that straight smile.
If you’ve been thinking about clear aligners with Invisalign or want more information about orthodontic treatment options for straighter teeth, our team would love to help you achieve the smile of your dreams. We’re here to answer all of your questions and work with you on your orthodontic journey from start to finish. This is a big decision, but it will change your life for the better.
To schedule your in-person consultation, contact Sloan Creek Dental, and our friendly staff will be happy to assist you. You can reach us at our Fairview, TX dental office to schedule an in-person consultation with us today – 972-468-1440.
Our dental office is located in Fairview, Texas, and our patients visit us from across the surrounding areas, including Allen, Plano, McKinney, and Lucas.
We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.
To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.
This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.
Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.
If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email
Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:
Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.
These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.
Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it.
Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.
We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users.
Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to