January 2023 - Drake & Wallace Dentistry

I was doing some research on Smile Direct Club, which advertises itself as an inexpensive Invisalign alternative. I started by looking up reviews, but all the review sites seemed to be tied to the company’s sales. Interestingly, all the reviews were positive. Then, I came across this article by the New York Times that indicated the Smile Direct Club was squelching negative reviews.

Based on the article, it appears that Smile Direct Club keeps a close eye on their reviews. When a negative one pops up, they contact the customer and offer them a pro-rated refund in exchange for signing a contract. Part of that agreement entails removing any current negative reviews they have up as well as, “he/she will not make, publish, or communicate any statements or opinions that would disparage, create a negative impression of, or in any way be harmful to the business or business reputation of SDC or its affiliates or their respective employees, officers, directors, products, or services.”

That will make it very hard for potential customers to get a realistic impression of the experience actual patients have had with them. I decided to do a quick search on the Better Business Bureau, where it is harder to manipulate information. In the last three years, for my city alone, Smile Direct Club had 2,650 complaints. Compare that with Invisalign where I could not find any complaints for my area.

So, what is a patient to do if they want invisible braces? You have a couple of options. First, you can completely ignore this and get Smile Direct Club anyway. If it works out for you, you will have saved some money. Bear in mind that you will not be under a dentist’s care throughout the procedure so if something does go wrong, you are on your own. Your second option is to go ahead and get Invisalign. If cost is an issue, I would look specifically for a dentist who advertises himself as an affordable dentist on his website, but also offers Invisalign. They will be more likely to work with you on payment options.

I hope this helps protect patients who are hoping to have a good experience getting their teeth straight.

This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.

I went to the only holistic dentist in my area in order to do two things. First, have a metal-based crown changed to an all porcelain crown. Then, have my mercury fillings replaced with white fillings. Things have not gone so well. She decided to replace the dental crown using one of these same day crown machines. I was excited with the prospect of not needing a temporary crown. Supposedly, the machine was supposed to tell her what size crown I needed and then mill it right there. I should have objected when she bonded it in without doing a fitting first, but I honestly didn’t know she was using the permanent bonding. I assumed it was a try in the way my crown was when I first received it. It was not even close to fitting. She began to sand it down then sent me on my merry way. It was not comfortable at all and now a different tooth on the opposite side was hitting hard whenever I bit down. I went back and she did some more sanding, which threw off my bite even more. I asked her how we could fix this and she told me I would need to see an orthodontist! I didn’t have these problems before she touched my teeth and don’t have another 6K to just throw around. I ended up getting a second opinion and they did a bite scan which said my replacement crown is too small and high and the other tooth she messed with now needs more material built onto it. Should I have to pay for this or should my dentist who screwed this up do it? Also, I don’t trust her to do the filling replacment after this disaster. Do I need a holistic dentist for that or is there some one else that can do it safely?

Lori

Dear Lori,

What a nightmare!! Your dentist has defintely violated the standard of care in the way she handled your case. She would almost certainly lose a lawsuit if it went that far. To answer one of your questions, your dentist should pay for these repairs. Not only that, you should choose the dentist who does them. You should never permanently bond a crown in before a try-in. That is dentistry 101. All of this could have been avoided if she’d have followed the correct procedures.

You will not necessarily need a holistic dentist to do the repair or to replace your amalgam fillings. I would look for someone who advertises as either a mercury-free dentist or a metal-free dentist. Either one of those should work just fine for you.

If she is unwilling to pay for the repairs, then just let her know your lawyers will be in touch. I feel confident her insurance will tell her to settle quickly.

This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.

Beware of Smile Direct Club Reviews

Metal-Free Dental Care without a Holistic Dentist

Archives for January 2023