A peer of mine came across a video done by someone called Rosie Posie. She had been video blogging her experience with SmileDirectClub.
*Note: The video has since been removed. I suspect this is because SmileDirectClub routinely squashes negative reviews. However, we can sum up what the video entailed.
Rosie spent about 20 minutes just trying to get her six month aligners in before finally giving up. A couple of months later, she posted a follow-up video explaining what happened. It turned out that SmileDirect sent her the five month aligners in month four then the four month aligners in month five. When her month six aligners arrived, there was too much of a difference from where she should have been positionally for the new aligners to fit. Once they got it straightened out, though with a slight delay in her treatment, she was able to get it to fit properly.
This is not a simple, no consequence, mistake. Going from aligners 3 to 5, put stress on her teeth roots, put her at serious risk for bone absorption. Then, going from 5 backward to 4, placed additional stress on her teeth. This again risked bone resorption. It would be useful to see before an after x-rays of Rosie to see what amount of damage had been done.
Just One of the Dangers with SmileDirectClub
The bigger problem, however, was that this poor young woman was left to figure all this out on her own. In fact, it was only the fact that the video she posted started gaining some traction and the company found out about it that she received any help at all. This is one of my big issues with SmileDirectClub. You do not get the observation and care you need. Even with Invisalign, which is much more carefully planned, you still are under the care of a dentist that you will see regularly throughout your treatment. This is all part of the package.
It is an importnat part of the package as well because the human body can be quite tricky and doesn’t always go along with the prescribed plans. Often, adjustments have to be made to the earlier treatment plan.
If you are looking to straighten your teeth, I highly suggest you do it under the care of a professional dentist, with a system like Invisalign. This will protect you in even more ways then I have mentioned here.
A Hidden Benefit to Invisalign
Some patients do not realize that the Invisalign Aligners can double as teeth whitening trays. This means you can get a mini smile makeover by having your teeth straightened and whitened at the same time. Plus, you can do it more affordably because your dentist won’t have to make you any custom trays because you can simply use the aligners you already have.
This blog is brought to you by Kalamazoo Dentist Dr. Susan Dennis.