Smile direct

SmileDirectClub is shutting down, just months after the struggling teeth-straightening company filed for bankruptcy, leaving existing customers in limbo. On Friday, Dec. That leaves existing SmileDirectClub customers with a lot of smile direct and few available answers, smile direct.

By clicking a retailer link you consent to third party cookies that track your onward journey. If you make a purchase, Which? The abrupt closure of online cosmetic dentist Smile Direct Club has left customers in the lurch. So what can you do if you're affected, and is it a bad idea to opt for an online-only dentist, however tempting the price may be compared with high-street options? Smile Direct Club once promised to disrupt traditional cosmetic dentistry by offering tooth alignment remotely at prices that were significantly lower than most bricks-and-mortar providers.

Smile direct

The collapse of the remote orthodontic giant shows how companies working in a regulatory black hole can leave patients - and potentially clinicians stepping into the breach - and at risk. Smile Direct Club is no more. Cases with advanced gum disease where aligners could have led to tooth loss. We need answers here, but also assurances that any clinicians attempting to undo this damage will not be liable for inappropriate treatment delivered by this company. Members have been asking for advice on how to treat patients such as these, to ensure best practice is followed and everyone is clear on the treatment plans. Taking over a treatment plan would usually start with contact with the previous practice. With bankruptcy proceedings in motion that may not be an option, although patients might have some of their records and if so, should be willing to share those. While SmileDirectClub is gone, the risks remain. Sooner or later, a new entrant will find a way to make remote orthodontics turn a profit. Patients will only escape these problems if the right regulations are in place, and standards are agreed upon and followed. We have led the calls for change. Patients need to be protected, and corners must not be cut. We have regularly raised concerns directly with our regulators and the national press. In the GDC published updated guidelines, stressing that orthodontic patients need to be fully assessed by a dentist, that direct dentist-to-patient interaction — the basis for informed consent - is essential, and that patients must know the name and registration number of the dentist responsible for their care. We are not sure that the requirements were always followed.

Myron Guymon, president of the American Association of Orthodontists, said that aligners are a "very smile direct treatment when they're prescribed correctly," but that they're just one way to straighten teeth.

Mohammad Ahmad, a year-old from New Jersey, signed up for Smile Direct Club in October, just a few weeks after the teeth straightening firm declared bankruptcy. He was enticed, he said, by a big discount on the company's invisible braces and assured that the financial problems wouldn't affect operations. But Mohammad never received the clear plastic aligners he was promised after the company shut down in December, leaving him, and thousands of customers like him, in the lurch. The concept convinced more than two million customers. For Mohammad, who had already had braces, he just wanted to address some mild shifting that occurred after he failed to wear his retainer as instructed. But almost from its start, Smile Direct Club was defending itself from critics raising concerns about its practices. It was embroiled in legal battles with business groups representing traditional dentists and orthodontists, who said its remote treatment, often provided after customers mailed in impressions of their mouths they had taken at home, provided inadequate care, and accused the firm of misleading customers.

The company offered a mail order approach to straighter teeth, but some customers have been left in the middle of treatment and with remaining balances. People who sought straighter teeth with invisible aligners from SmileDirectClub could be in a tough spot, now that the company has announced a complete shutdown just a couple months after filing for bankruptcy. On its website, the company explains that customers of SmileDirectClub won't be able to receive any more aligners or customer care, regardless of where they are in their treatment path. The company also expects customers to continue their payments, meaning all existing patients with a payment plan are currently still on the hook for whatever they owe. An average treatment length is four to six months but can run up to two years for some patients. Invisible aligners have become a popular teeth straightening treatment in recent years because clear aligners are a more subtle alternative to traditional orthodontic services. Remote companies like SmileDirectClub don't require any in-person appointments, in contrast to companies like Invisalign , which requires some in-person appointments and fittings with a doctor. But SmileDirectClub has been accused of some unfair practices, including in a lawsuit alleging the company made unsatisfied patients sign NDAs, according to different media reports.

Smile direct

Healthline senior editor Candice Abellon tried SmileDirect… kind of? Follow along in her journey to find her smile. Instead, it stayed put and the adult molar that should have pushed it out grew in sideways. More on this later. Jump here for the tl;dr. The company, based in Nashville, Tennessee, offers some branded dental accessories and peripherals like teeth whitening and dental care products, but their main focus is teeth aligners sold direct to consumers.

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While SmileDirectClub is gone, the risks remain. Aligners are then made using this mould; these need replacing frequently so new ones are posted at regular intervals to gradually adjust the teeth, with treatment managed remotely. On Friday, Dec. What's right for the patient will depend on their baseline diagnosis and examinations by a doctor, which direct-to-consumer companies can't provide. Our advice to dentists who take on these patients is to follow a few practical steps: Ensure you work within your scope of practice and expertise. The Associated Press. Ensure you keep good records. Mohammad Ahmad, a year-old from New Jersey, signed up for Smile Direct Club in October, just a few weeks after the teeth straightening firm declared bankruptcy. Compared to standard round filaments. More From AP News.

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OrthoFX is offering free consultations and treatment assessments to people who were SmileDirectClub customers. Image source, Getty Images. But Brandon Couillard, analyst at Jefferies, said that deeper issues were at play, noting that the cost of addressing reputational issues - not just about quality but also customer service - hurt its growth and forced the loss-making firm to spend too much on advertising. Results when used as directed. If in doubt, refer. Lisa Webb, Which? But because HFD and SmileDirectClub say some details are still a work in progress, it's possible that may change for some customers. See our guides to Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act and what to do if a company goes bust for more advice. While carrying out your own assessment, explain the conclusions you draw in clear language. The Nashville, Tennesee, company apologized and urged consumers to consult their local dentist or orthodontist for further treatments. A full charge provides 8 hours of use, with average use lasting 1 minute and performed twice daily.