I began my Smile Direct Club process with the at-home impression kit. They needed me to redo it, so I opted to visit a Smile Shop instead so that the 3-D scan would be more accurate and avoid any complications from me attempting to do the impression kit myself. The Smile Shops are about an hour away from my house, so I opted to hold off on scheduling. There was a pop-up Smile Shop in my town, so I went in February 2022. The consultant showed me how my teeth would look with the digital treatment plan progression. My top teeth were already straight. My bottom front teeth were crowded. That is the issue I wished to address with the SDC program. The digital progression photos showed straight bottom front teeth. My initial treatment plan was listed as about 8 months of nighttime wear for 10 hours per night with each set of aligners worn for two weeks.
I received my first set of aligners in April 2022. I wore them as prescribed: 10 hours per night. I switched to the next set of aligners using the reminders sent via text, email, and notifications from the app. I neared the end of my treatment program when I was unable to wear the bottom aligner in the next set because they would not fit. I would have had to use force to make it fit over my bottom teeth because the aligner did not line up with how my teeth were positioned. I was able to drive 45 miles to a Smile Shop and have a new 3-D scan after obtaining approval from my dentist, Dr. Danny Blaine Leeds. I received a new treatment plan and new set of aligners in December 2022. That was when my first treatment plan was supposed to be complete.
The new treatment plan was another 8 months. I was supposed to complete that one in August 2023. I paid for another 8 months of aligners. I understand that every case is different, so I was willing to shell out more money I hadn't originally planned to spend because I believed them when they said this treatment would work and that it would work as well as their competitor, Invisalign. Things started off fine. However, the aligners of the new treatment plan started making my teeth hurt when I removed them. I had to wait an hour or two before eating because my mouth was sore. I was also getting abrasions on the insides of my cheeks and having to file down the aligners so they wouldn't cut or dig into my gums because they went to the level of my gumline. The aligners made me speak with a lisp, which I was told during the consultation that wouldn't happen if they fit properly.
I wore the aligners until I was unable to fit the bottom set onto my teeth yet again. The aligner did not line up with my bottom teeth, which were still just as crooked as when I started the treatment plan. I couldn't fit them onto my teeth. I was told to wear the last set of aligners that did fit for a couple more weeks. That did not work. My treatment plan was scheduled to end in August 2023. When I visited my dental hygienist at the end of June 2023, she was shocked when I told her I was almost done with the second treatment plan because my bottom teeth were still very crowded. I reached out to their customer service department and was told to send in photos and a detailed explanation of my concerns. I did that and received no response. I submitted the same information a second time with no response again. Finally, upon submitting my photos and complaints a third time, I was approved for a second aligner touchup session.
SDC wanted me to purchase retainers when I finished the treatment plan, but I expressed how I wasn't sure how I was supposed to do that considering 1. I was unsatisfied with my "end" results and 2. I wasn't even able to wear the last two sets of aligners, so I didn't know how they thought the retainer would even fit properly. Purchasing the retainer is the only way that one can qualify for their "Lifetime Smile Guarantee".
I have now been approved for a THIRD treatment plan of another 8-10 months, at my own expense of course. This will turn a plan that was originally supposed to be 8-10 months into one that is at least 26 months. I could have gotten traditional braces if I was going to have to deal with this for over 2 whole years. I feel like I have paid for a service that promised results but did not deliver. I paid $250 for a down payment on the treatment plan as well as $88.90 per month from March 2022 until September 2023. That is 18 months and $1,850 for my teeth to still be the EXACT SAME as before the treatment plan(s). I still do not have usable aligners, yet they charged me for the month of September. If I want to follow this third treatment plan, they are asking for another $250 down payment and 8-10 more months of monthly payments of $88.90. What if my teeth are still the same after this third treatment plan that may or may not work judging by the results of my first two?
SDC claims that they stand by their product and offers a "Lifetime Smile Guarantee", but I have an unfinished "end" result. This is akin to receiving an item "not as described" even after paying full price for it. During the duration of the service, the product did not meet expectations on more than one occasion. I do not trust SDC to actually fix my bottom front teeth at half of the cost of traditional braces or Invisalign the way they promised. Now I have an incomplete smile I will have to consult with an actual orthodontist to repair. My top teeth were already straight. SCD didn't fix that. My bottom teeth are still crowded in the front. What did I just pay for over the last year and a half?
Additionally, I see that my assigned dentist, Dr. Leeds, has other poor reviews for his services with SDC as well as a lawsuit that he and other dentists associated with SDC filed against the Board of Dental Examiners in Alabama because he was practicing in another state (Tennessee) without appropriate supervision. I am not confident that he, or any dentist employed by SDC, will be able to oversee my third treatment program to get my teeth to my level of satisfaction. Not to mention the countless horror stories I have seen about people who have used SDC who have had even worse issues than I have, such as causing hairline fissures, root damage, receding gumlines, bone loss, etc. I would like a full refund of $1,850. I can use the money I paid SDC to go towards actual orthodontic treatment to correct my concerns.