What's next for Smile Direct Club patients?

‘Seek professional guidance immediately’: In light of Smile Direct Club’s closure, dentists share their advice for those left midway through treatment.

Kunal Patel, principal dentist at Love Teeth Dental

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

The bankruptcy adds another layer of complexity to the situation. Firstly, the shutdown underscores the potential risks associated with remote orthodontic treatment. Without professional oversight, patients may face complications, and the abrupt closure leaves them in a precarious position.

The impact on customers is not only financial but also extends to their ongoing dental health. Customers midway through treatment face a particularly challenging situation.

My advice to them would be to prioritise their oral health and seek professional guidance immediately. Schedule an appointment with a dentist to assess the current state of their treatment and address any potential issues. It’s crucial to have a comprehensive examination to understand the progress made, potential setbacks, and the best course of action moving forward.

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

While the situation is undoubtedly unsettling, seeking professional advice promptly will help mitigate any adverse effects on oral health. This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of in-person professional supervision in dental treatments, highlighting the potential pitfalls of solely relying on remote and unsupervised methods.

Simmi Daryani, cosmetic dentist

Hearing the news really does sadden me as thousands of patients are left in limbo. I am very disappointed that Smile Direct Club kept taking on new patients until they liquidated without any concern for patient care or completing existing patient cases.

They also haven’t provided a clear or helpful pathway for these patients to finish their treatment through Smile Direct Club. Unfortunately, this situation was always inevitable and confirms that DIY orthodontics does not work. You need to see a dentist or orthodontist in clinic.

They will have to seek help for the remainder of their orthodontic treatment from a dentist or orthodontist but since they aren’t able to obtain a refund from SDC for their incomplete treatment, this will cause an unjust financial strain on them.

From an orthodontic perspective, it’s not ideal to have large time lapses in your treatment whilst you’re trying to move the teeth. Therefore, I’d advise patients to see a dentist to continue treatment as soon as possible.

They should wear their final aligner as a temporary overnight retainer to ensure the teeth do not relapse, ie move back to their original position. They must continue to do so until they are able to finish their orthodontic treatment with a dentist.

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

Smile Direct Club closing down was to be expected – any company that doesn’t care about patient safety or doesn’t follow proper protocols and regulations was not going to last very long. They made a clinical, healthcare treatment, something that we spend years studying, into a commercial commodity.

The company thought that they could sell directly to patients by cutting the dentists out, thereby increasing their profits. They did this without realising that it is a clinical treatment and something that requires a lot of studies and postgraduate education to be proficient in it. They cut that all the way to cut costs and made it seem like straight teeth was something they could buy on Amazon.

What I saw was a lot of patients who had been enticed by the low costs and by making teeth straightening look very easy, something that they did not need a dentist for. Patients fell into that trap, but they found that they did not have a good experience. A lot of them were misdiagnosed and mistreated. I personally had patients whose treatment had a negative impact on their dental health, namely recession. I also had a patient who lost a tooth because he had gum disease and it wasn’t picked up by Smile Direct Club.

Patients misinformed

Ultimately, what this proves is there is no replacement for dentist-led treatment which has been tried, tested and proven with lots of different systems. As long as it is properly diagnosed, treatment planned and safe for patients, it is going to last longer and be safer.

Unfortunately, the sad part of this is a lot of patients were mis-informed and did not know what they were signing up for. They are going to be massively impacted because they might be left mid-treatment which is likely to be the wrong treatment plan anyway. This means they will be left without anyone guiding them through the treatment and they will have to seek dentists to take over their treatment. This is going to be a nightmare as we have to ask ourselves if we are covered to to take over the treatment. It also means more costs for the patient to have further treatment.

I have also seen patients coming from Smile Direct Club who needed remedial treatment, eg fillings or treatment for their gum disease or recession, before we could start orthodontic treatment. Sometimes we have had to say no to orthodontic treatment because their oral health has been impacted so badly.

Seek help

My advice to patients who were midway through treatment is to seek a dentist, but do some research on the dentist you are going to. Ensure the dentist you are going to has postgraduate education in orthodontic treatment or an orthodontist. This is because anyone who has to take over the treatment has to have experience with whatever orthodontic system they are using. They need experience in taking over these cases.

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

I would also advise them to contact maybe a solicitor or a lawyer who can help them to recover some costs from Smile Direct Club. They should also following the proper complaints procedure, whether this is with a finance company or through a legal route.

What’s next for Smile Direct Club patients?