I keep getting advertisements for Smile Care Club. Do you know much about them? Are they a safe alternative to Invisalign?
John
Dear John,
In some ways, it works in a similar way to Invisalign. It uses clear aligners that you change out periodically. In the case of Invisalign, you change out every two weeks. With SmileCareClub, they change it out every three weeks. In my mind, the two weeks is better. Your teeth actually shift into position in just a few days. The remainder of that two weeks is to give the bone time to integrate with the tooth root’s new position. Giving that an extra week really isn’t necessary and extends your treatment time.
Other than that, will it work? When it does work, then it can save you money than what Invisalign will cost you. Truthfully, if the statistics are accurate, it does work out for the majority of their patients. However, there are risks you should know about before jumping in.
First, there is not an adequate exam before your treatment is approved and begins. This is actually a big deal. With Invisalign, you would get a full work up including x-rays. One of the things this is looking for is gum disease. With SmileCareClub, you just send in photos for them to examine. Is it possible for them to determine that you have gum disease from those? Possibly, if it is an obvious case, but there are many cases that are not obvious. If you go ahead with treatment when you have gum disease it could cause you to eventually lose some teeth. One way around this would be to have a checkup done with your regular dentist and make sure you’re clear at that appointment, then move forward.
A second issue is the crowding of your teeth. There are many times that some light shaving has to be done on the sides of your teeth in order to get the remainder of your teeth in their proper position. While they will send you to a dentist, this dentist is not really invested in you or your case. That concerns me.
Finally, our bodies are not always cooperative. As well planned as a treatment could be, our teeth don’t always obey the plan and adjustments have to be made. The lack of follow-up with SmileCareClub concerns me. Your case could go completely off the rails if this happens.
My advice is to talk to your dentist about your smile goals and the cost of Invisalign versus this DIY treatment. He or she may be able to work out a payment plan for you. One other thing. Invisalign has the additional benefit of doubling as teeth whitening trays. This will allow you to straighten and whiten your teeth simultaneously.
This blog is brought to you by Decatur, AL Dentists Drs. Drake and Wallace.