DON’T BE FOOLED A SECOND TIME – SMILE SET.
Do you remember the company known as Smile Direct Club. Smile Direct Club or SDC was the first company of its kind to offer aligners similar to Invisalign sold directly to customers, bypassing orthodontists and dentists - an alternative to actual treatment. Customers would take their own impressions, mail them to SDC and SDC would make a set a aligners from those impressions. Then SDC would mail those aligners back to the customer to start wearing. No one was supervising them or the effects of this so-called alternative to their customers. SDC claimed that their aligners would straighten teeth in only 4 to 6 months for less than $2000, as opposed to seeking treatment for 18 to 24 months with an orthodontist and paying thousands more. The company was selling a product to customers, not treating patients, with promises of straight teeth, in less time and for less cost. There is a saying that is very appropriate here, “If something sounds too good to be true, then it is most likely not true”. There are no shout cuts in seeking a beautiful, confident smile and a healthy stable bite for a lifetime.
Well, that company, Smile Direct Club, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy a couple years back after encountering hundreds of customer lawsuits throughout the country, lawsuits from state agencies and civil verdicts against the company. The stock price fell and the company went out of business. However, during their initial few years, they made lots of money.
I personally witnessed the detrimental effects to customers who fell for the easy fix, cheaper price claims and purchased the SDC product. I retreated scores of these individuals and even had to inform some that they should never have bought the product to move teeth through bone due to their bone loss, impacted teeth, cavities, severeness of their malocclusion, etc. SDC was not concerned that they could be harming their customers by not screening them with x-rays and an in-person exam to determine if they were even healthy enough to have teeth moved through bone. All they cared about was selling their product and making money.
The dental community at large was very thankful that Smile Direct Club went out of business, saving thousands of future customers from being misled and harmed financially and even physically by their product. Smile Direct Club also motivated many states to enact laws that mandated an in-person exam with x-rays to determine if one is healthy enough to seek orthodontic treatment before any treatment commences and that treatment be monitored by a licensed dental professional. We are lucky to be living in Florida that has enacted such laws. In fact, there is an effort in Washington DC to make these requirements a matter of federal law, encompassing every state. However, presently there are still over 30 states that do not have any laws or regulations to keep these Tele-dentistry companies in check and to protect prospective orthodontic patients.
BE ADVISED - A new company called Smile Set has recently emerged and it is following the same game plan and strategy that Smile Direct Club utilized to make lots and lots of money. I foresee Smile Set failing eventually for the same reasons that saw to the downfall of SDC. Long-term success is not the goal here though. It is to achieve short- term profits for as long as possible until all that caught up with SDC catches up with Smile Set. Frustratingly though, many customers will be misled and harmed financially and physically until then.
On their website, SmileSet.com, claims that is only takes 4-6 months to achieve the straight smile, as opposed to 18 to 24 months with braces. The statement is very deceiving and misleading. Braces can also achieve a straight smile in 4 to 6 months for simple cases. However, for moderate to severe cases with severe crowding, bite issues, deep over bites, etc., it can take anywhere from 18 to 24 months to achieve that beautiful smile and healthy / stable bite.
Again, I have personally seen what happens when a company like Smile Set, with their misleading promises, sends aligners to a customers with moderate to severe issues. These customers become frustrated and angry for they realized that they paid for promises that could not be realized given their more moderate and severe issues. They start to file lawsuits against these companies and then seek orthodontists, like me, to actually provide care and treatment that truly addresses their needs.
PLEASE - Never take short cuts or fall for some unrealistic hype when your health is at stake. Seek many consultations and become informed before investing your money and time. Remember, “IF SOMETHING SEEMS TO GOOD TO BE TRUE, THEN IT IS MOST LIKELY NOT TRUE!”