What’s next for Smile Direct Club patients?

‘Seek professional guidance now’: Ahead of Smile Direct Club’s closure, dentists share their advice for those stuck in the middle of treatment.

Kunal Patel, Principal Dentist at Love Teeth Dental

The closure of the Smile Direct Club is undoubtedly worrying. The company’s approach to do-it-yourself teeth straightening without a dentist in person has long been a point of contention in the dental community.

Bankruptcy adds another layer of complexity to the situation. First, the outage highlights the potential risks associated with remote orthodontic treatment. Without professional supervision, patients can experience complications, and abrupt closure leaves them in a precarious position.

The impact on clients is not only financial but also extends to their ongoing dental health. Clients in mid-treatment face a particularly difficult situation.

My advice to them would be to prioritize their oral health and seek professional guidance immediately. Schedule an appointment with a dentist to assess their current treatment status and address any potential problems. It is important to have a comprehensive examination to understand the progress that has been made, potential setbacks and the best course of action.

In cases like this, transparency is key. Clients should communicate openly with their new dental professional, sharing all relevant information about Smile Direct Club treatment. This ensures that the new provider can make informed decisions about adjustments or modifications to the treatment plan.

While the condition is undoubtedly concerning, seeking professional advice immediately will help mitigate any adverse effects on oral health. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of personal professional supervision in dental treatments, highlighting the potential pitfalls of sole reliance on remote and unsupervised methods.

Simmi Daryani, cosmetic dentist

Hearing the news really saddens me as thousands of patients are at a standstill. I am very disappointed that Smile Direct Club has continued to accept new patients until they are liquidated without any concern for patient care or completing existing patient cases.

They also have not provided a clear or useful pathway to complete treatment for these patients through the Smile Direct Club. Unfortunately, this situation has always been unavoidable and confirms that DIY orthodontics does not work. You must see a dentist or orthodontist at the clinic.

They should seek help for the rest of their orthodontic treatment from a dentist or orthodontist, but because they cannot get a refund from SDC for their incomplete treatment, this will cause them unfair financial pressure.

From an orthodontic perspective, it is not ideal to have long gaps in your treatment while you are trying to move teeth. Therefore, I would recommend patients to see a dentist to continue treatment as soon as possible.

They should wear their final aligner as a temporary retainer overnight to ensure that the teeth do not relapse, i.e. return to their original position. They should continue to do this until they can complete their orthodontic treatment with a dentist.

Raj Juneja, clinical director and lead dentist at Face Teeth Smile

The closure of Smile Direct Club was expected – any company that doesn’t care about patient safety or doesn’t follow proper protocols and regulations wasn’t going to last long. They turned a clinical treatment, medical care, something that we spend years studying, into a commercial commodity.

The company believed it could sell directly to patients by cutting out dentists, thereby increasing their profits. They did this without realizing that it is a clinical treatment and something that requires a lot of study and postgraduate training to be proficient in it. They cut it all the way down to keep costs down and made it look like straight teeth were something they could buy on Amazon.

What I saw were many patients who were lured in by the low cost and making teeth straightening look so easy, something they didn’t need a dentist for. Patients fell into this trap but found that they did not have a good experience. Many of them were misdiagnosed and mistreated. I have personally had patients whose treatment had a negative impact on their dental health, i.e. recession. I also had a patient who lost a tooth because he had gum disease and didn’t get it from the Smile Direct Club.

Patients misinformed

Ultimately, what it proves is that there is no substitute for tried, tested and proven dental treatment with many different systems. As long as it is correctly diagnosed, treatment planned and safe for patients, it will last longer and be safer.

Unfortunately, the sad part of this is that many patients were misinformed and didn’t know what they were signing up for. They will be massively affected because they may be left in the middle of treatment, which is likely to be the wrong treatment plan anyway. This means that they will be left with no one to guide them through treatment and will have to look for dentists to undertake their treatment. This will be a nightmare as we have to wonder if we are covered to undertake the treatment. It also means more cost to the patient for further treatment.

I have also seen patients coming from the Smile Direct Club who needed restorative treatment, e.g. fillings or treatment for their gum disease or recession before we can begin orthodontic treatment. Sometimes we have had to say no to orthodontic treatment because their oral health has been so badly affected.

I’m looking for help

My advice to mid-treatment patients is to find a dentist, but do some research on the dentist you go to. Make sure the dentist you go to has postgraduate training in orthodontic treatment or is an orthodontist. This is because whoever is to undertake the treatment must have experience with whatever orthodontic system they are using. They need experience in taking on these cases.

They should also be a dentist working as part of a multidisciplinary program so they have a periodontist, gum specialist or hygienist on their team. The biggest thing I would tell patients before even considering further orthodontic treatment is to make sure their oral health is stable.

I would also advise them to contact a lawyer or solicitor who can help them recover some costs from Smile Direct Club. They should also follow the appropriate complaints procedure, whether it’s a financial company or through legal channels.

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