So many of us had braces in our younger years. So many of us didn’t continue to wear our retainers for very long after the braces were removed. So many of us can’t fork up the $3-$6+ thousand dollars to straighten our teeth (again!). Over the past few years a few alternatives have popped up, including Smile Direct Club. This year, after receiving my tax refund, I decided that I’d make an investment and try out this discount invisible aligner system, and so far I’m really happy I did!
There are two different ways you can find out if you’re a candidate for the aligner system. You can request to have a mail-in kit sent to you and you can take your own impressions of your teeth, send them to Smile Direct Club, and an Orthodontist will evaluate your smile and determine if you’re eligible. Some areas also have an office where they can take 3D images of your teeth that are sent to an Orthodontist for evaluation. I chose the 3D scan since I saw a lot of reviews from people who had to keep re-sending their impressions in.
When I arrived at the office members of the staff greeted me and had me sign in. Shortly after I was taken back to the office where they performed the scan of my teeth. It took less than a half hour and everyone was SUPER nice, informative and the office was clean. Within a few days I received confirmation that I was a candidate and that the payments would start to be deducted from my account that I had set up while I was in the office. You also set up an account on their website that, once you’re approved, will show you 3D images of how your teeth will move throughout your treatment. I thought this was so cool and showed some of my friends (We live in the future!).
6 weeks later, I received my whole set. I was so excited to get started on my treatment that I didn’t even bother taking a “before” photo (at least not one that I’m OK with sharing on a public forum lol). Since my teeth weren’t THAT bad, I was prescribed a 6 month treatment. Each set of trays is labeled in a small plastic bag that describes how long you wear them. In addition to that you receive email and text notifications to remind you of when to change your trays so you don’t fall behind.
Until this most recent tray, I’ve gone without issue and the treatment has moved along very smoothly. Unfortunately I cracked one of my trays, so I’ve been wearing the same set for a little bit longer than prescribed until my replacement trays are sent out to me. I will say that customer service for Smile Direct club is extremely easy to get in touch with! I called to see what the process was to get a replacement tray and got someone on the phone right away. She texted me a link to email photos of the cracked tray and a replacement set would be sent free of charge (if you can’t prove the tray had cracked you would have to pay a $99 replacement fee). Responses from the customer service email que is quick, too! The only downside is it takes almost a month for the replacement trays to ship from their facility.
Wearing and maintaining the trays is relatively easy. When you switch to a new tray you experience some tightness but it eventually loosens up as you continue to wear them. Most people don’t even notice them until I point them out!
I’m so excited to see the final results! If you’re considering an alignment system to correct your smile I would highly suggest looking into Smile Direct Club! I’ve included a link below to the Smile Direct Club site if you’d like to check it out!
Denise's Clef Notes 
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