breaking my silence about Smile Direct Club
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- Опубліковано 15 січ 2024
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Way back in 2021, little ole Swell decided to make an indepth review of Smile Direct Club...then I never made the video. Now Smile Direct Club has filed for bankruptcy and halted all work operations, including sending out the aligners people have already paid for.
www.cnet.com/health/personal-...
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it’s mind boggling that even tho they aren’t offering their services anymore, they are still trying to force people to pay for those services.
that's capitalism, baby
Debt follows you
@@allwoundup3574 No, that's trying to pay off their debts because they have no money, baby.
I feel like you don't understand what is happening here. The payment plan is you paying back the money you borrowed to buy the product in the first place. The idea is you either pay $2k now or pay $2k over time (more because of interest). Just because the company goes out of business doesn't mean you didn't have to pay the $2k regardless. The way it's structured is that you probably actually borrowed money from a third party to pay and now you still owe money to the third party. This is something completely different from a subscription.
Classic scammers. The most exhausting about these types is the only way to get them to leave you alone is to go full karen.
I worked for Smile Direct Club about 4 years ago for a few months and they were spending money like nobodies business! I was in IT and we received free catered lunches everyday and had a super fancy breakroom with a dance dance revolution. They were so unorganized that they hired me, but had no job for me so I worked maybe 30 minutes a day on tasks and then sat there twiddling my thumbs the rest of the day. It was wild. They were like trying to be a new Google or something.
not the ddr cabinet at the tooth company 😭😭😭
I was a customer of theirs around 4 years ago and referred 3 people within that time and YEAH I got 750$ worth of amazon and visa gift cards, so much free whitening stuff, and my treatment was practically free after I had a minor criticism once (seems like they just threw money at their problems instead of really looking in and fixing them). Funny thing is a month before bankruptcy they were STILL offering me a $250 gift card for another referral and discounted retainers. They were extremely disorganized the whole time but hey I did get a ton out of it 🤷♀
Bruh I worked in sales and it was hell
@@ville__just curious, does this technique ever actually work? Cause why would this technique ever work to make anyone want to follow you? It just makes me want to report you
Like the band that played on the Titanic as it was sinking into the ocean 😂
I had braces ages 9 to 17. In those 8 years I cannot tell you how many times something could have gone seriously wrong had I not had a TEAM of amazing surgeons, dentists, hygenists, and orthodontists. Its absolutely insane to me that anyone can just... order a smile kit and try to do all that themselves. How are these companies allowed to do this?
having braces for 8 years sounds horrible 😭 i'm glad you had professionals looking out for you
Same! I had some intensive stuff done with several emergency visits with my Ortho in the night. I can't imagine doing that without a team of doctors looking out for me.
I had braces from 13 or 14, up until I think 17 or 18.
I had to have 4 premolars removed before braces and Im pretty sure they fucked up my jaw/neck a litle for years (misalignment - I have a terrible inflammation response that’s immune system and chronic oain related hard to explain in simple terms).
My ortho after (different offices) was who made the journey feel less scary and gave me the resources I needed. If my grandparents didn’t pay for braces and the surgery tho, I’d be fucked. It was easily $2k-$4k back then, so I was surprised at the cost for this program
Same 8 years... except mine was 7 to 16!! I'm 29 now and I feel so thankful that my parents had the means to pay for my orthodontics and I stuck with it.
I had SDR with great results and 0 problems... The thing is, it's not meant for people in your situation. Your case gets reviewed by an orthodontist to approve you if you are a candidate for the program or not. Your case would not be approved.
It's supposed to be an alternative to short term braces (if your braces treatment plan would be 6 months-1.5 years, you can instead do it in 3 months-1 year), mainly for adults...
It can help with mild bite issues, but it's not recommended for the majority of issues which need to correct the jaw.
This product was designed for people like me who have normal teeth, but a slight gap I never liked - which evened out all my spacing so there's no more gap. It was an alternative treatment to getting veneers.
My situation is the exact recommended use of the product.
Your case would have been rejected likely.
As someone who's had a minimum of 10 years of orthodontics, four of those spent with an unethical dentist I am very passionate about braces and jaw health. Please, please see a knowledgeable and trained orthodontist in person. Your bite and jaw are integral to whole body health and messing with it can be life altering. I'm glad these business are going out of business.
Ye but also is hard to trust dentists when they get money the longer u use them even if u don't need anymore
how did you find out your dentist was unethical? I feel like mine might be upselling me but I cant tell for sure.
Always seek a second opinion, plenty of dentists offer free consultations (my office included) and we always recommend people seek a second opinion.
Preach
@@fluorescentalien5204get a second opinion. I was quoted 10k for three crowns and… then 953 dollars.
Some of them really think they can charge whatever the fuck they want.
It should teach an important lesson. Lifetime guarantee often means the life of the company, not your life.
I’m only four minutes in, but I have to comment about this. When I was a kid, like ten of my baby teeth refused to come out. At a certain point my adult teeth were going to start coming in & my parents/dentist decided that they would pull out ten of my teeth all at once. On the second day of my summer vacation. Ten teeth being extracted all at once. Negative ten out of ten experience.
that sounds like fucking hell😭😭😭. and i’ve got mad experience with teeth pulling
never got ten pulled at once tho😭💔
negative ten out of ten teeth as well😎
Genuine nightmare fuel
I had the exact same experience! 10 teeth at once is HELL!!! Exactly how I wanted to spend my summer😅
PSA: You can request a refund through your bank, which will most likely honor your request. As a result, the company (e.g. smile direct club) will have that $ directly removed from them WITH a $15 fee.
A guide: make sure you document your attempt to reach out to SDC. Tell your bank that you do not get the services that you paid/are paying for. Usually takes 1-30 days. IF you do this too often, the bank will not allow you to do this anymore. NEVER let a business tell you they can't give your money back, because even if it's $4 that's messed up.
This could not work as the bankruptcy is national news since they are almost a billion dollars in debt 🤯 and the banks know. They may tell you that you have to wait for the court’s decisions.
From the sound of it, people financed these payments which is why they still owe money. Its not a subscription payment.
@@TheJttvfinanced through a 3rd party dental lending company. So yeah they still owe it back in full to that 3rd party.
Absolutely right on holding firm when you are due a refund. Ipsy sometimes tries to weasel out of sending things, I just pretend I don't understand even a possibility of not getting a refund, and they've just given up. I don't abuse the process and I document everything, after 2 long drawn out fights with them, they stopped fighting me and now refund their mistakes. The prices there are very low, but I do not have even one penny to just give a company. I will Karen those CSR bots all day...just be super sweet if there's a call & clarify that you know how hard the person works & isn't in any at fault personally (you'd think they'd assume that but...).
@chaschuky999 even if they financed, that's under the assumption they would be getting the full treatment to "fix" their alignment. Because they aren't getting the full service, they should get at least a partial refund. If they did finish the treatment AND still had payments left on financing, then they owe for the services they utilized. But no one would pay for a full dinner, only get served the appetizers, then told the restaurant is shutting down too bad so sad. You would get the money refunded for the services and goods you hadn't recieved.
Girl I worked for Smile Direct Club in 2019 and it was awful. The training they gave you was ass, they were hiring dental assistants knowing that this was sales job. They lied to you throughout the interviews and training. Plus the owners who were not in the medical field at all. We had to use scrips that would change every week sometimes every other day and they constantly monitored us. The place I worked at was in a CVS at like a minute clinic, no one ever knew we were there plus, since we gave out free stuff for your consultation, most people just came for that. Plus it was only ever meant for very mild orthodontic treatment. But we couldn’t say that or we’d get written up which I was because I told a customer that. Like it was awful.
I went to a smile direct club thing at CVS and I did take the free stuff but the reason I didn’t follow through is because I got creeped out. It was a very hard sell and they wanted me to sign up without even reviewing my case to see if it was possible to fix. I’m now two years into invisalign with probably another year to go, definitely not the 6 months they said.
@@AmandaBoysenberry I know I hated how pushy we had to be, especially as someone who has money issues that was always sketchy and gross to me. I don’t blame you for not signing up, I told a lot of my clients that I didn’t think it would work and they should go and get braces as there’s an orthodontist to monitor you. But I got a write up for that lol
@@pinkrose1683 It’s great you were honest with people on SDC not working for their teeth; you probably saved them from being in the spot so many (former lol) patients are in, stuck paying monthly for a not-ideal treatment they aren’t even being provided anymore. Your ethics are 💯
I was SO CLOSE to signing up for this years ago. I remember thinking it was the only way I could ever afford Invisalign. I went through the whole signup process. Then, seconds after confirming my commitment, I remember alarm bells going off in my head. I felt such a weird surge of panic and my gut was screaming at me that it was a bad idea. So I reached out to customer support to say “hey please disregard literally everything I just did” lmao. They let me back out, thank goodness, but I was terrified that I just committed to something awful. I see that my gut was correct… thank you to my tummy, and Swell
Something I didn't learn until last year, if you have dental insurance through your employer check to see if orthodontics is covered. My employer ended up paying about 60% of my Invisalign. I know not everyone has the same benefits but it's worth a look, you might have coverage you didn't know about!
I did almost the same thing!! I stopped myself before I actually pulled the trigger, but I was SUPER close to signing up and getting my kit for a while. Glad to see my gut was right and that I dodged a very expensive bullet 🫣
I have minor teeth misalignments (front is crowded) and my dentist casually referred me to, “go to a CVS to get a scan and sign up for Smile Direct Club.” I never got around to it since I didn’t feel excited to bum around a CVS pharmacy area begging for a weird service. Pretty happy I didn’t act immediately on that one sentence of advice.
@@electricfishfan7159I’m shocked that your dentist would recommend smile direct club. Ofc there must be those that would but all of the dentist and other dental care professionals I know are mortified by the fact they managed to get away with the horrendous ‘care’ they provide for so long…
I was going to do this too, but it was one of those times where I go on the website to sign up for something I get distracted by something else and I never go on the website again and here we are
Absolutely wild that because the company fucked up, it could potentially affect your credit score. That's insane to me 🤯
Par for the course with credit unfortunately.
@@ville__ bro what 💀
@@elucified Probably a bot
Yeah that guy spams, I’ve been seeing him in ready to glares comments too
Think it’s crazy that they were still actively selling plans knowing that they were going bust… like how is that legal. Also feel bad for anyone who were starting/in the middle because no licensed orthodontist will touch this with a ten foot pole.
During that time they were trying to sell the company or get an investor to get out of debt and were legally allowed to do that. 🥲
Lots of companies have done that and DIDN’T go under, but it doesn’t make it any less risky for consumers. I wish there were some rules even though I know if they cannot show active numbers to investors NO ONE will be interested :(
Fake and gay comment
Fake and gay comment
@@ville__how is this faked?
@@ville__You have no videos and 200 subscribers..
What sucks about these at-home smile “treatments” is that your “treatment plan” is based solely on the teeth impressions you send them. An orthodontist will take X-rays and teeth impressions to formulate your treatment plan; “DIY Invisalign” tends to cause more issues than one had beforehand.
This was my experience. Got then back in 2017, the kit they sent was way too easy to mess up. I didn't even realize how bad mine was messed up until several trays in I realized that two of my teeth couldn't fit the trays (while the rest did) and it actually caused the new tray to break. SDC refused to replace them for free or even. do another mold kit for free so I just stopped using them.
@@Cyanopteryx OMG all that pain/effort/money for nothing I’m so sorry that happened to you!
I had metal brackets, so I know the pain you experienced
like my ortho was able to course correct so many times when a tooth just wasn't cooperating. whether it was stronger rubber bands or changing how long I wore a set of aligners for, it was handled as soon as things went weird.
Your dentist will also do a test fitting and make adjustments to the aligner before sending you home. The most likely reason Amanda had issues with her gums is that the aligner was just slightly too "tall". A good dentist will see that when test fitting and file it down so it doesn't push into the gums.
For Invisalign they just take a 3D scan of ur teeth and then send it over to Invisalign that is it. It’s only based on 3D scans.
Just want to put it out there, if you cannot afford to see a dentist, look up dental schools in your area. They can do some care and cleanings for reduced fees, sometimes free depending on the state and school.
Edit: based on some replies just wanted to add this. Every school is different, however they are all still students. It will take longer, they will be nervous, but they need to learn somehow. Also, not everyone can afford an actual dentist. There’s been times I couldn’t afford one, I was lucky my local dental school at the time was really good.
Dental hygiene students are also frequently in need of clients to perform their exams on. I saw some women posting about how they use dating apps to schedule random people on the side when a test is coming up because some programs expect students to recruit clients themselves.
My cousin would practically harass all of our family to let her do exams when she was in school 😂
Absolutely this. The appointments will take more time but they will give you quality work. Their attendings will make sure.
I went to a hair cutting school once and they absolutely murdered my hair. The instructor made it worse. I couldn't imagine for the life of me going to a school for something MORE serious than a haircut because if they fucked it up that bad I don't even wanna think about how they could screw up my mouth. No thanks
I go to one and they suck. I don't recommend it
I feel so sketch about the online braces thing. I had a mean cross bite and needed braces. Back when I got them there was no "cheap alternative". My parents took me for cosmetic reasons and found out that I had a severely raised pallete due to a genetic condition I didn't know I had and needed headgear, spreaders, gum grafts, and all sorts of things otherwise my teeth would fall out and I was at risk for perforation into my sinuses. Would not have known ANY OF THAT if I didnt see an orthodontist. Dentists didn't even know it was that bad. I had 11 teeth removed to start my braces journey and had braces and for 6 years. It was a nightmare but I have all my adult teeth, my teeth look beautiful, and there's no longer any scary risks with the only side affect being TMJ. If something is wrong, have a doctor look.
I question whether or not all of that was actually needed. If I heard half of those things, I would go straight to another orthodontist for a second opinion. And quite frankly, probably a third one as well. I wouldn't tell them what the other ones said [until you have to compare notes at the end]. Why? Because there are orthodontists that use scare tactics to get you to go under procedures that aren't exactly necessary. If the regular dentist doesn't recognize those issues, there is a chance something is up with the orthodontist. Which is why you should be getting second opinions everywhere for this sort of thing. Yeah, it's extra money you have to shell out to get those assessments, but it's better than giving in to the scare tactic if that isn't actually what is going on and winding up spending even more on procedures that weren't exactly needed in the first place that could adversely impact your health later on in life. And I... only found out about all of that the hard way. I guess it is too late since you've already gone through the procedure, but I'd keep that in mind if you ever have to bring a kid or relatives in for orthodontics adjustments
@@ville__you don’t have videos you creep
@@ville__ nobody is talking about you
That's so wild, dude. I had no idea orthodontists were so thorough.
@@gaerekxenos
I don’t totally disagree with a second option. But I also think it should be noted that you can always find someone who agrees with you if you look hard enough. I needed a major surgery to correct my overbite, as did my brother in law. Both of our moms didn’t want to hear their kid needed a surgery. It sounded extreme and difficult and expensive. But it’s way harder to get that as an adult than it would have been as a teen. I had to take off time from my job and am currently managing recovery while caring for a child, and my teeth are already damaged from the time I didn’t get the surgery. Some dentists and orthodontists are trying to make money, but not all or even most and attitudes like this prevent people from actually getting care. Especially because every dentist and orthodontist will tell you something different because there usually isn’t one correct treatment plan, and that doesn’t mean one is scamming you. It’s because there is a lot of different ways to tackle a problem and a lot of different opinions that are valid.
The fact that filing for bankruptcy still doesn't stop businesses from staying in business and often making profits boggles my mind. This entire situation with them is gross. I used to have fangs as well, had the 8 teeth removed and spent a week bedridden. Braces were hell, retainers were hell, they were so expensive.
It depends. Only if they file chapter 11 and then they can reorganize. It can be a good option for some businesses.
Just wanted to point out at the beginning of the video mostly because I was shocked. (at least at my kid's ortho) they don't use those horrible molds anymore. They use a tiny laser to scan their teeth. It took seconds and no gagging. So there that🤷
I think that's newer tech, but super cool of the office has it. 😎😊
@@katherinemclean1448Yeah a lot of offices (esp in smaller town or lower income areas) don’t have those yet, but super cool if they do
Damn I had to get a night guard recently and I WISH they had tiny laser instead of that horrible wet cold gunk 😭 as someone with pretty bad sensory issues that stuff is a NIGHTMARE
God I remember more than 10 years ago they made us do that horrible gunk thing that triggered my gag reflex so much. I'm so glad there are places now that no longer do that!
@@tecnapurin me too!! All the autistic kids can relax now ☺️ at least for that part of it, lol
My boyfriend had SmileDirect Club and is dealing with this right now. He wasn't happy with how his teeth came out and he is looking for a dentist to fix it and it's going to cost another $1000.
This makes me think back to implants - there was this company (secondsight i think) that had special implants that helped blind people see. They went bankrupt and people were stuck with technology that no one will fix if it'll get broken... and for some people, it did break and they were in trouble!
Leaving medical care in company hands is a dangerous gamble. Teeth, heart monitors, eye implants - these are things that can go horribly wrong and should have a backup plan.
I agree with that.
As a blind person, that story was rage inducing.
Hi! Worked at one of these trendy “reinventing dental care” places where a lot of the upper management came from Smile Direct.
Your dental records do fall under medically protected information. Since your dentist is a doctor, these types of things should be treated like medical records.
I'm currently using invisalign, and I can't imagine doing it without an orthodontist. I have checkups every few months and regular x-rays. At one point my dentist realized a tooth wasn't shifting the way they expected, and they had to re-do my aligners to accommodate that. That would've been missed if I'd just been doing it by mail. Also, I have to wear them 20-22 hours a day. You do get used to them tho.
Basically the same with me! I would never do something like this through the mail jesus
It's crazy to read all the horror stories of people who got smile direct club and their teeth are forced to move to fast and can become loose. So many horror stories so glad I never went through with purchasing Invisalign from them.
😰
Teeth will loosen with any braces or aligners, so that’s not exactly the issue. The issue is shifting teeth too fast and then becoming too loose. All braces come with a risk of bone loss and gum recession, which is why it’s so important to have a qualified orthodontist tracking your progress and to have routine dental cleanings.
@@ville__ wow you're everywhere i look.
They aren’t Invisalign.
Smile direct don't provide invisalign! Invisalign is a completely different company and actually one of the few aligner companies that's trustworthy. You get invisalgin from an actual orthodontist who knows what they're doing, with regular in person check ups, x rays, etc.
As a poor person in a third world country, dental care is pretty much for emergencies only (painful cavities, abscesses and teeth falling out). Making your teeth look good means you're above the average. I still hope everybody who has been affected by this company shutting down gets their money back, it's your hard earned money and SDC just took it without caring if they were going to be able to provide the full service.
You’ve just described dental care for the average American.
@@urmamasmamasmama Telling what this says for American dental care because you're not even wrong
I interviewed there, their head QA wanted software testers (who work in a skyscrapper and park across the river in the Titans parking lot) to drive to their factory in Antioch TN to test their production line twice a week. I said no. There was a shooting on their production line a week later. They also refused to do remote work during COVID because they wanted to justify their high rise offices. They bled staff after that, I'm surprised they lasted long as they did.
I'm currently on Invisalign, and I would 100% recommend going to an orthodontist over a dentist. I ended up going with a dentist because I let myself get talked into Invisalign in the office. While my experience has been relatively smooth, I regret not seeking an orthodontist opinion because my main concern was with my jaw and not the straightness of my teeth. But I had already paid up front in full for Invisalign when I started to wonder if I should have been more firm about asking for an orthodontist referral. But what's done is done. All I can say is to anyone looking to do clear aligners or even traditional braces, see an orthodontist and get a few different opinions before proceeding with treatment.
I went to my Ortho and they strongly recommended Invisalign. I am working with them and it seems to be doing well so idk
yeah orthodontists get training in a residency. regular dentists go to like a 2 week invisalign seminar. i was allowed a few refinements so if you are not happy with the end product, you can get a new set of aligners to make it more perfect. sometimes they need to switch attachments stuff like that. dont let them gaslight you into thinking its good if you dont like it. i went to a big ortho and the practice owner doc, who i only comes in to sell/close cases, kept telling me she thought it looked great after my first set, but it was objectively not complete and not straight lol and i was firm in wanting refinement. i ended up having two more sets of refinements, so 3 total sets until everything was perfect. not sure the deal you have, but make sure you push for refinements if the end product isnt what you want.
Even with Invisalign, go with an Ortho. That dentist is a *cosmetic dentist* and is not interested in your full oral health
I did invisalign as an adult mainly for the "eating" and flossing benefits while in treatment. I would consider fast/damon braces as a viable alternative
@@CAxALLDAYthis! I’m a general dentist and took the Invisalign course but didn’t feel comfortable doing it on patients. I did a set on myself and my BF at the time for additional practice but I just never felt like I knew enough to offer it as a service. If a general dentist is doing a specialty treatment they need to be able to perform it at the same level as a specialist
how did this sound like a good idea to anyone… 😭 subscriptions that send you a prescription after you’ve already gotten it from a doctor makes sense to me but raw dogging orthodontic work is truly insane
“Raw dogging orthodontic work” XD
When you’re a single parent who has issues with their teeth due to wisdom teeth growing in, and you visit your dentist to review Invisalign (or alternatives), get completely through the impression process and the “after smile” process, then they bring you up front to being discussing payment and tell you it’ll be $6,000 up front, your insurance won’t cover a penny because you’re over 18, and the best they can offer you for payment plan is a “credit card” that needs to be paid off before the 6 week treatment is finished? That’s how something like this sounds like a good idea to someone.
My aunt told my parents I would "never get a job" and I "looked so ugly" when it came to the tiny gap between my giant front teeth. If you've seen an American Girl doll... that's what my front teeth look like. Huge. Beaver front teeth. My mouth is very tiny. So she told my parents about the orthodontist she used for my cousins. In an attempt to fix my overbite, it caused severe chronic pain and worsened my migraines. And now that I have an even worse condition, my jaw is constantly in pain.
My dentist wasn't any help and due to their inability to listen to my "please, it hurts" ignored my wisdom teeth coming in AND once that was resolved, my molars somehow taking over as wisdom teeth. Please... even with this? Don't do mail order.
I am just starting to take care of these problems and when I go "hey it hurts" I don't have someone going "well you're lying because you're a girl". I actually have dentists who really care right now. Do not play with dental care, please do not play with it.
I’m really sorry that happened to you. Being medically ignored is horrific even on a small scale when it’s not related to a cruel self-image wound. Happens far too commonly to women and especially black women as reflected in outcome statistics.
with 2,000+ dollars paid for smile direct you could literally get Invisalign with insurance and get better results BECAUSE YOU HAVE PROFESSIONAL TAKING CARE OF YOU.
(my Invisalign estimate was almost 3k covered by insurance, and the rest we pay a little over 2k over a period of 12-18 months depending on how long my treatment will take, so like wtf)
The key here is “with insurance”. This was clearly targeting people with no insurance.
@@mimipeahes5848thank you for your comment so I didn’t have to make one 😅
My dental insurance does not cover orthodontics. Coverage for adult orthodontics is pretty rare in my area (Massachusetts) from what I've found.
@@ThisMagicHouse Same problem that I have! Had a terrible ortho as a teenager, my teeth were never actually fixed. I'm in my 30s now and would love to staighten my teeth out but I can't afford it without insurance covering anything. I just signed up for Byte but I've decided not to actually move forward with it after hearing about Smile Direct.
@@mimipeahes5848its about 1k-8k in germany for people without insurence
I dont understand how us prices are so high
I am finishing up my adult braces journey! I actually had jaw surgery. Many people get surgery to fix under developed jaws and bites that cannot be fixed with normal braces. It also helps people with their breathing if you can’t breathe through your nose like you’re supposed to. I had an overbite and couldn’t breathe correctly! No regrets!
I too had double jaw surgery! It was life changing. My smile was very similar to Swell’s, and strongly think if she has any breathing difficulties that jaw surgery could hugely improve that
this is giving me hope for my future thank you for providing these facts
me too! i had a rly bad overbite that was fixed a bit with braces but it was still horribly unaligned so I had bottom jaw surgery! recovery wasn’t fun but i’m so pleased with my results and i can actually bite into an apple now :)
I had an overbite and seriously regret, left with permanent nerve damage and I often drool. Or am in constant pain. Both sides of that need to be told
@@listerjne your url with this video topic made me cackle, thank you
I can't hardly believe you got something that came in a box, tapped on the box, and then didn't share that unboxing asmr with us until almost 3 years later 😭
Amanda validating my desire to get my permanent retainer removed after dentists have always told me not to is something I didn’t know I needed until now
I had mine removed because it made flossing way too hard for me. It was easier for me to just get a removable retainer in its place.
I had mine removed after they kept breaking and I complained to my dentist (it was placed by my orthodontist) after like a decade. I floss much better now
@@lunamasque8948wouldn't it have been easier to use an interdental brush than to remove the permanent braces?
Definitely valid to do so. There is always the removable retainer option. Not great to constantly be cutting any area of your body with sharp wire
@@lunamasque8948 I literally have not been able to floss my bottom front teeth fully for 12 years so I’m definitely getting it out soon
I’m cheap but i’m nosy and anxious. I spent a MONTH antagonizing about what service I should go through to straighten my teeth. In the end I thought “Yeah I need to see someone in person or i’ll explode because i need to be able to ask questions.” I went to an orthodontist that was in the top 1% of Invisalign prescribers because I thought my teeth weren’t that bad.
Within 5 minutes the doctor said “You can’t get Invisalign. Your jaw is completely out of place.” I never noticed til he pointed it out that I have a permanent smirk because my teeth arent centered. Now i’m paying $100ish a month for 3 years and I needed a whole herbst appliance to move my jaw.
I don’t want to know what SDC or Byte would have done with me.
one thing about the whole idea of direct to consumer oral care that’s bizarre to me is that (speaking as someone who’s gone through extensive dental work culminating in a jaw surgery) i feel like almost nobody would keep up with these plans without an orthodontist to keep them accountable. like, if i had to take one of those godawful impressions at home, i simply would put it off and then never do it, because i’d been given the option to. a plan like this would never ever have been enough to prepare me for the jaw surgery i needed, which is part of what concerns me about people who have been left hanging in the middle of their treatments
My last baby tooth came out of my head when I was 16…it had to be pulled because it broke into four pieces and was still hanging on. Strong teeth gang! 🦷
same here! i had baby teeth chunks til i had some teeth taken out for braces when i was 17 lol
I had to have almost all of my baby teeth pulled 😭 I feel that
i'm starting to realize that i might be insane because i pulled out all my teeth on my own. i don't know, it just felt weirdly satisfying
I was in my 30s and my new dentist was like... "I have never seen this before...you still have some baby teeth..." There were just no adult teeth there, so they had to be pulled and I had bridges put in.
@@sunnyandthechlo That problem runs in my family - I got lucky, I have all my functional adult teeth but no wisdom teeth, but my mom, aunt, and great aunt all had no wisdom teeth AND 4 baby teeth with no adult replacements. Bridges and implants have gotten way better, but my great aunt has some horror stories.
i attempted to be one of their customers but got rejected, what an insane blessing that was!!
You don't have to pull out your baby teeth. They fall out on their own, and if they don't thats a problem. I had 1 that didn't come out, and it started to rot, and was taken out when i had 4 teeth out for braces.
So, swell, no. You're not to blame for your teeth being fucko when you were growing up. You had classic overcrowding. Same as me.
Thats what I was thinking, whoever told her that it was her fault for having crooked teeth should feel bad.
I also got my permanent retainer taken out. When I had braces, it shoved my teeth together, so I can't floss. I told my new dentist about that issue, and he didn't believe me until he tried flossing my teeth, and he was surprised. I hate that I ever had braces. Crooked teeth are not the end of the world.
I have such complicated feelings about orthodontics, because for some people (me) braces can be incredibly beneficial - mine fixed my tmj pain and actually made flossing easier because my teeth were overcrowded to begin with - but because our society is so obsessed with perfect straight white teeth, there's a lot of bad and unnecessary cosmetic ortho work messing up people's mouths.
@@MissaBrevis Totally understand! It's hard because I feel like a lot of dentists/orthodontists will recommend braces to everyone and not take into considering people who don't need it. Obviously, you needed it to help with pain, but it's just the expectation now instead of something to help in specialized cases. Just my thoughts and opinions!
I have Invisalign, and a friend of mine has this. I went with Invisalign on the suggestion of my dentist (in an office with no orthodontics, so no incentive) because he told me about people that would come in after using the mail order ones with damage because they don't address your bite. I've never had braces, and figured the extra payments were worth the peace of mind.
When my friend and I were on a trip I saw hers for the first time, and was surprised at how bulky her aligners were. Mine are really thin, follow the line of my teeth along the gum, and are 3D printed. Hers reminded me of those mouth guards you make by putting them in boiling water. It went so far up the gum, was noticeably thicker in her mouth, and wasn't working on top of that. She only needed one tooth moved, and it didn't even work but she was hoping the lifetime guarantee would help. Guess not. I can't believe they're still making people pay for it after that too.
Re: debt collectors:
NEVER acknowledge the debt - that is, don’t pick up the phone for them; they’re the fools for buying a debt they knew I wasn’t paying. What makes them think I can pay THEM back?!
And now they are charging you more! 😂
Debt sucks.
@@learning2live_brokeninchro157 not my problem 😹🤣
I am so glad I decided to go through my dentist for Invisalign. Also, note to all you young ones out there. Wear your retainers! I had braces for 4 years in middle school and then quit my retainers when I got to about my junior year of high school. Once I hit 35 my teeth started shifting a lot. Invisalign put everything back where it was supposed to be in about 8 months.
My mom only lost 1 tooth naturally- the rest had to be pulled. EIGHT at a time might I add….she really went through hell
stoked to see somebody bringing smile direct up, they fucked my bite up so bad that i had to stop. i fell for their whole thing hook line & sinker
I spent nearly 7 years doing Invisalign with very little result. I finally went to an orthodontist and they immediately took the old attachments off, gave me a two hour consultation, an xray and gave me all the different options. I cried at one point because of how shocked THEY were that my old dentist kept giving me Invisalign when it wasn't working. I have hidden braces on my top teeth now and normal on the bottom but even after just 2 months, it's made more difference than 7 years of Invisalign. I wish I wasn't 33 with braces, but feel much better that this will actually work finally, and expected to be done before Christmas this year. 🎉 🎉 I don't trust any of these brand names anymore.
smile direct club is still the oddest bankruptcy of 2023/24 to me yet.
No
That would be Tuesday Morning for me
the same thing happened to the pill club, but they had been failing (name changes + rebranding going back and forth) for months before they went bankrupt, so i was able to get out early. still super scummy tho
I genuinely they opened too many locations. I’d walk past the smile direct location near me and it would be empty. No point having physical locations when most of your sales are online
I'm 2+ years into braces, and I'm 32 - and honestly I've no regrets with going with the traditional braces, desipte it costing €5k+. I was tempted with going down the invisalign / Smile Direct Club route over the years, but I needed such extensive treatment I decided to go for the traditional braces with my orthodontist & dentist. My ADHD ass and my ability to lose EVERYTHING meant I've have forgotten and lost my aligners every week without fail.
It sucks that so many people have been dropped mid-treatment, or are out so much financially because of this - especially with how much of their marketing was based around a cheaper alternative to braces for people. Ugh
We called mine ‘shark teeth’ and when I got my braces off the bastard FLATTENED MY POINTS 😫
And no, I’m not over it. I’ll never be over it BC HE CUT OFF MY BABY POINTS 😖👿
as an australian this video feels like ive slipped into an alternate reality haha. i have the fang teeth, an overbite, crowding, but most aussies wont care or notice so ive never thought about it as something i should fix. certainly not something i’d spend so much money on 🤯
Finally, Amanda reviews a product or service that is also available in my country 😆 They advertised so heavily when they opened here, I don't personally know anyone who got them but I'm sure they have a lot of annoyed customers. I think the financial consequences might be different in the EU though.
I had the same issue with my permanent bottom retainer. Oddly the dental assistants made more of a fuss about me having it removed then my orthodontist did.
I had to see 3 dentists before one agreed to remove it. The one that agreed said yes immediately and said they get asked about it all the time.
I’m a hygienist so I have strong feelings about SDC. I absolutely hate when a patient would tell me they were doing it and it was affordable, I told them how many class action lawsuits were out on them and you get what you pay for but they’d just say it’s working for me… ugh such a shady business. Some patients had very severe periodontal disease and no orthodontist would want to touch them.. Also they wouldn’t even request any of our records
my invisalign experience has been so wonderful it makes me want to cry and i feel so bad for the people who went with this shit company and had their teeth ruined because they were promised the same results for less money. It's incredibly predatory. I don't have dental insurance so all in i've spent around 13 thousand on my teeth because they were so horribly crowded (that includes 6k to get my wisdom teeth and four other teeth pulled), but the orthodontist that I go to is so kind and lovely and the results have been so drastic that I'm not even mad about it. i'm doing a payment plan and it will take me forever to pay off (3 years total i believe), but the confidence in knowing that my orthodontist knows what they're doing and can step in at any time if things go wrong or need to be changed is wonderful. Plus you need the little attachments on your teeth to get them to move correctly with the plastic and there's no way for an online company to do that. it's no wonder they're going out of business im surprised they haven't been sued into bankruptcy.
6k to get teeth pulled is an insane amount. The medical system in the U.S is fucked up. I have had five teeth removed, four of them wisdom and two of them required surgery. I paid in all R1200 which is about 100 dollars in the U.S. I'm so glad you had a good experience overall. Just having good doctors you trust is worth the cost if you can afford it. Reading these other horror stories about what should be such a small issue really breaks my heart though. It's enough to make me feel like being a poor african from a third world country isn't so bad after all.
@@nbucwa6621 it is fucked up! i couldn't get my teeth fixed as a kid when they could have done a palette expander and fixed my teeth without pulling any of them because we were too poor to afford it. I had horribly crowded teeth to the point that there is not a picture of me actually smiling from the ages of 7 to 23 which was last year when I started invisalign. I was also in constant pain because of my impacted wisdom tooth but my primary care doctor told me that unless it was putting my life at risk (because of an infection or something) that my insurance wouldn't cover it, so I ended up having to pay and just went ahead and got the others out and started invisalign on a payment plan. I just wish that this was more affordable for people so they could actually go to doctors they trust rather than online companies promising to help them for less and endangering them. Also hearing that you got your teeth out for so little is insane! i cannot think of anywhere in the US that would charge that even if it wasn't surgical and they could just do it without general anesthesia. my father had to get a tooth pulled because it had broken off and they managed to be able to just pull it right out with local numbing and it was still $500.
I completed treatment in April 2020 - in August 2020, I entered the dental field, working in a pediatric office that also provided orthodontic services. I was shocked at how many steps SDC skipped. Orthodontic offices will call referring offices to make sure that they are not placing appliances over cavities. Routine checkups are vital to a successful round of treatment, having to hope that your next tray isn’t too much of a shift so that you can go throughout your day feeling like your teeth are numb is not normal.
Before I was even allowed to be placed in braces, I had to have MULTIPLE treatment appointments to fix cavities - you’re literally locking the decay in, even if you brush like a fucking pro. 😂
I lost my last tray, my make shift retainer & asked for my office to make a replacement, my doctor did an exam and told me that he would write a letter on my behalf to fight for my money back. My jaw is not the type that can be treated by Invisalign, it required metal braces and rubber bands. Long story short, I was content with my results - I figured it was the best it would get, only to end up in a mouthful of metal & out of $400. Lesson learned, for sure. 🤷🏻♀️😩
For anyone getting braces or even something like this, i recommend taking an anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen before going im for a tightening or changing to a new tray. It helps a lot with keeping pain down.
Good tip!
My dentist told me to not use anti-inflammatory pills only pain ones
Yep. All my money is gone! I have a couple retainers I have to try to reuse and not break for the next 60 years of my life. My crippling teeth anxiety was never fully cured because my teeth weren’t fixed properly during the process but I’m sure it shall be back even worse soon!!😃✨✨🕺🏻🕺🏻 (I’ve cried over this multiple times)
I’ve had the current retainer in over a year I have one left
I appreciate your advice as to how to handle if we are in these situations. Like paper trail, call your bank, don’t sign NDA, your body so yes you can demand to have it removed… because some of us (me!) literally wouldn’t know what to do or get screwed over.. so, thanks and please continue giving advice.. God bless you continue the great videos.
there was some smiledirect products in the clearance section at target yesterday, i was wondering what the reason was. thanks for informing
I always thought that smile direct club was fishy because I couldn't understand how they would send you something to fix your teeth, without even seeing your teeth. I had braces but I happened to have a weak root system. They found this out through X-rays and by actually seeing me IN PERSON. If they would have just moved my teeth without taking into account my roots, my teeth would have almost certainly fallen out due to being moved too fast (according to my orthodontist). To think if I used smile direct club that my teeth probably would have fallen out is WILD.
hey, it may be worth saying in your ad read that “data brokers legally have to remove your information if you ask” if you’re IN CALIFORNIA ONLY.
i’m not a lawyer and this is not legal advice, but afaik in the other 49 states, companies DO NOT have to take down your info if you pay a service to file requests
Im so happy this channel exists
Thank you for the video. I was a customer back in 2018/2019, and I had a good experience. My teeth only needed minor shifting after braces in the 1980s and then losing retainers. I paid about $1,800. Company was professional. Really good customer service. When my 6-month treatment was done, I requested more time, and they gave me 6 more weeks of treatment without charge. My teeth came out really well. I followed up with retainers. I followed all instructions to the T. I was lucky that I ordered and received my last set of three retainers in December just before the shutdown, so I am good for one year. I do plan on seeing an orthodontist for a permanent retainer to see if I am a good candidate. Overall, I had a positive experience with SmileDirectClub. I am sorry to see them go out of business.
I also had fangs growing up and I'm now 24 almost done with my braces 😊 These companies always worried me like something doesnt feel right.
I was lucky to have the entirety of my prthodontia journey covered by state insurance due to having a birth defect but i did use smile direct to get trays for a night guard and teeth whitening. They work great but really i wasnt making a huge ask of them to essentially take a mold of my already straight teeth
2k? That's more than what I paid for Invisalign at the dentist. In Canada. With Canada dollars.
Yeah straight up!
So I work as a dental assistant in Colorado and typically a general dentist can do ortho work but an orthodontist cannot do general dental work as they are a specialist. So long as the general dentist is comfortable with the treatment from ortho to extractions to root canals they can do almost everything; however, the general dentist also has the right to refer out to specialists for any reason. With in the years I’ve been doing this every type of retainer is recommended to see the general dentist and hygienist for check ups and cleanings to ensure dental health is maintained. For myself my retainers have potentially caused some slight recession due to excessive pressure on my gums, most patients in my experience have trouble cleaning the retainers and as you may have mentioned are basically pushing plaque into the gums for extended periods of time cause recession and cavities as well. Smile direct was definitely more affordable than an ortho office but we did see a few patients who did it and had to pay for traditional braces due to bites being off or open in severe situations.
Considering how much a stuff goes into orthodontics there's no way in hell I'd put stuff from company on my teeth... I'm actually suprised people did it. I always though it was sketchy
I’m 41 and have been going through Spark aligner treatment through an orthodontist for the last 18 months (I’m on my first revision and will almost certainly have another). My treatment cost me almost $7,000. I have attachments and hooks and elastics to correct my bite in multiple ways. I go in every 10 weeks to have my progress checked, my attachments either fixed or changed, etc. there is no way on earth I would trust a mail order company with my smile even if it saved me 5 grand.
I got the same treatment! I remember asking my dentist about SDC and she said that she didn’t trust it because there was no accountability for any of the stages of treatment.
I’m 4 months away of being finally done with the whole treatment and the orthodontist I got to has been so good and on top of all my treatment. It’s crazy to think I could’ve ever gotten even a quarter of what I get now with SDC
@@vanessam1260 I love Spark. Those things NEVER stain. I hear people talking about stains on their Invisalign all the time and even when I had to wear the same trays for 8 weeks while I waited for my refinements they stayed completely clear
My ortho treatment lasted from 4th grade through 10th grade iirc, and it involved correcting my bite with a Herbst appliance and widening the space in my upper palate with an expander.
I have permanent retainers to this day. I'm so glad my parents decided to force me down that path although it sucked and stoked the fires of a dental phobia that I still kind of deal with 😅
We did the same thing with our baby teeth. Ortho had to pull my remaining ones at 15 so I could get braces. Same thing, most of my teeth came in fine, but with those same ones coming in high.
"effective immediately, you're on your own lmao"
In Costa Rica they were trying to leave the employees without legal payments, because the employees made protests at the end they paid, what a mess.
If it's not Invisalign done with an ortho, don't do it! These direct home aligners have ruined so many teeth! And then you have to pay to fix what they mess up anyway. There's YT videos about it, like tiffanyferg's video
I had braces for 4 years (could have had them longer but I felt I was okay with how straight they where) when everyone was talking about doing the at home thing it made me think about how I had to have 4 teeth pulled and wear special bands to correct my bite / fit all of my teeth together. It seemed like a scam to me.
CDC did a video on smile direct. They have had a myriad of lawsuits for messing up people's bites. Also often the ortho you get doesn't really review your chart very well, or is not fully qualified.
as someone who also had fangs and used invisalign, please get checked out by an orthodontist if you want to change your smile! I needed palette expanders, my wisdom teeth were coming in sideways, and all sorts of little things that my orthodontist caught through x rays and being able to look at my teeth. and like I also didn't have to do a mold until the retainer appointment, everything else was done with a scanner.
I did the full SDC treatment and paid in full pretty quickly, but man I feel so bad for eveyone in that situation omg
The minor gum damage you mentioned may be tissue recession. I had that issue after wearing braces, and it was bad enough that I had to undergo 2 oral surgeries to correct it. My understanding is that it’s not caused by any negligence or improper application. It’s just a potential risk when using any oral implements that will have prolonged contact with your gums.
i feel like if part of the payment plan was the understanding that there was like, customer service, then maybe there's a way for people to cancel? that would suck so i hope there's a way out for people getting screwed
Re: the new creditor, I don't think they have to tell you what it was for (i.e. what service was provided), but they do have to prove it is a valid debt and that they are the new owner of the debt. Because they don't always have the necessary level of documentation for their claim to hold up in court suing them to stop their collections might be effective.
Amanda my dentist appointment is on February 5. For filling, cleaning and crown for front tooth teeth followed by removal of cavities
The year and a half will go. I was going to do small direct club but my dentist friend told me that they are terrible and not to do them so I went with his buddy to do Invisalign and I only have one month to go on. My teeth are almost perfect. It's good to have the end doctor visits because they can monitor your teeth
weird sidenote, but your sponsor reads are some of the best
8:46 when you said it didn’t really hurt… I did these a few years ago and mine made me want to sob the first day changing aligners. I wouldn’t eat for the first day or two because it hurt so bad and it felt like my teeth were going to snap off. I broke so many nails trying to get them out and my teeth would feel so loose. Not to mention the chunks of my gums that would be left behind in the aligner. When I had to do my refinement (because with three weeks left my teeth were nowhere near where they were supposed to be) I had to switch to only wearing them at night because of the pain. They wouldn’t let me do another refinement after that because I wasn’t “following the right plan” anymore. So now, my teeth still aren’t straight, I’m still using my refinements as retainers until they break, and trying to figure out how to get a retainer because I wasn’t paying SDC another penny.
I had to get Invisalign last year because I found out I was going to need gum surgery. I had braces when I was younger, but didn’t wear my retainer so my teeth shifted. I went back to my original orthodontist and the results have been great! Also my bite and jaw were still in place. I almost did smile direct a few years ago when I noticed my teeth shifting and am so glad I didn’t! There are no shortcuts for certain things.
I went through the smile direct process after going for a consultation with “professionals” and after receiving the kit and the first aligners, it didn’t fit the way that it was supposed to after the mold… I ended up still having to pay for it monthly a few years ago and had reached out to them that my aligners didn’t fit but I had gotten rid of it.
I have been looking at SDC for many years. I was always skeptical but couldn’t afford braces/Invisalign. I ALMOST bit the bullet last year. But glad I didn’t now!
47 minutes after posting and this already has over 12,000 views. You are kicking ass!🎉🎉
Did SDC years ago, I think during Covid. Still have the box and all the aligners, I did complete the plan (cant remember the exact timeline but it was over a year) teeth were in fact straight, I too am a Goblin and would forget to wear my retainer at night so at this current day and time, my teeth have partially shifted back, so maybe I got lucky, idk
I had an issue with medical debt (which I contend was a mischarge on the hospital's part) and it went to a collection agency (meaning a debt company now owned the debt). I did the thing where I sent a letter requesting that they prove what the debt was for (which they couldn't) but that didn't remove the debt from your credit history, it just made it so they legally couldn't hassle me about it any more. I didn't receive another call or letter about the debt but it stayed on my credit report for the full seven years until it finally dropped off.
I heard about them closing cuz of my dentist's office and now I see this vid. They seized an opportunity and said previous s.d.c customer's could just come in and move over to invisalign and are responsible just for the difference left, so if say 6 months was left for your treatment you'd just pay 6 months worth of invisalign kits. Ironic since starting invisalign is a good way to clean the bank account.
Idk why some providers just give all the liners upfront. Both of my brothers recently finished invisalign and every like 3 months theyd have to get checked out and ensure they are still on path or if any raeical changes happened.
So glad I went through my dentist to get clear aligners rather than smile direct club! I didn’t have to do a mold, instead it was a really cool process where they basically scanned my teeth. The progress has been so fast and if there’s any problems with them, at least I can go to a professional to get it fixed
I have a permanent retainer on both the top and bottom teeth. My bottom one is fine, but my top was causing issues. I went to an amazing dentist and we actually decided to trim it/remove part on one end only and it resolved 90% of my problems.
I had real Invisalign and when I saw this company pop up I was like “well that’s a disaster waiting to happen”
I had to have molds of my teeth taken, which is Smile direct club asked you to DIY at home. My ortho assistant messed up the mold because it’s hard to do! You have to put the molding tray right on and cannot adjust it or the mold won’t set right. And it makes you gag and you can’t swallow for like 5 minutes.
Also Invisalign has a fancy wand 3D scanner thing to check in how your teeth are moving, and they can make more sets of trays after the first round.
I had a pretty tough ortho case (overbite and crossbite) and I was still able to do invisalign for like $5k. I had to have like 4 rounds of trays, took 4 years. Like 60-70 trays. Could have been cheaper if I had a mild case.
I had braces on for 5 years as an adult, they had to take out 2 teeth to make room for my chunky front teeth. If i had used something like this from home i could have seriously messed up my mouth, crowding so many teeth together. 😮
oough.. even the idea of self-done invisaline... I'm getting some for my jaw because basically I have an overbite on my right side, and my teeth don't line up together correctly when I bite down. That stuff can cause all sorts of tension and even migraines! imo if it can be fixed with invisaline, it can be broken with invisaline so much easier.
As someone who used Smile Direct Club, I did not know how shitty the company really was. I had a really good experience with Smile Direct Club.
I now have TMJ now because of the braces i had when i was 12. Now i have daily pain and can’t eat certain foods or do hobbies like singing. so glad to have straight teeth and a degenerative joint disorder 🙃
I had a temporary retainer (that I admittedly didn't use) but permanent retainers always scared me. I already had my tongue and inside of my mouth get cut up with braces. I think I would have torn out the retainer myself if I had to get it. (Sure my teeth have shifted a little, a lot I guess because one one the orthodontic cleaners asked if I wanted Invisalign, but nothing extreme. It's actually kinda charming and cute to me, the only thing I would want to fix is my overbite, which invisalign products don't fix anyways.)
My orthodontist fixed an overbite and crooked teeth with a Herbst appliance, a palate expander, braces, rubber bands, and more. Now I have severe gum recession unrelated to periodontal disease and thin spots on my enamel that are perfectly brace-shaped 🙃 I am glad that I have a nice smile, but I'm also very annoyed that the risk of things like lifelong gum and jaw issues were not shared with my parents.
about 2 years ago I started with SDC for the second time. The treatment was not effective, and I paid for it all upfront. The aligners also were cutting my gums and they were starting to look bruised. I asked for a refund, and surprisingly I got a full one. I then just went through my insurance for Invisalign, was shocked to discover that it was cheaper the SDC and just did that with the in-person care of an orthodontist. I am glad they no longer exist.
"Sir! Swell made her final payment."
"Thank God," said the Smile CEO. He sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. "At last. We can rest."