Adults who want straighter teeth might dream of a photo-ready, movie-star smile. But due to the sheer time and money it takes to complete traditional orthodontic treatment, this is often nothing more than wishful thinking. In-office treatments like braces and Invisalign can treat a wide range of cases, but face-to-face orthodontist oversight ramps up prices and extends their timelines.
By eliminating office visits, home aligners have found a cheaper, faster way to straighten teeth. No wonder they’re popular. Over the past few years, home aligner companies like Byte, EZ Smile, SmileDirectClub, and SmilePath have begun selling at-home aligner treatment in Australia. But this ever-expanding list of home aligner companies can make it tough to choose.
That’s why we’ve reviewed & ranked the four best Australian at-home teeth straightening services for cost-conscious adults. Read on as we outline the important details that set these clear aligner companies apart, discuss the pros & cons of at-home treatment, and help you find the right option for you (and your budget)!
Best Australian Home Clear Aligners (Ranked)
#1 Byte: Best Overall Value
Byte is our #1-recommended home teeth-straightening solution. They started selling clear aligners in the US in 2018, and have since earned a strong reputation for their product quality and above-and-beyond customer service. Thanks to their success in the States, Byte expanded operations to Australia in spring 2020.
Although they’re not as established in Australia as EZ Smile or SmileDirectClub, they use industry-leading technology to achieve efficient average treatment times. Plus, Byte treatment comes with a lifetime guarantee on your smile.
Byte Advantages
- While Byte has general dentists on its team as well, your treatment plan will be designed with oversight from a licensed orthodontist who has completed several years of specialized postgraduate training. Most clear aligner companies work with dental professionals who have not received the same level of training.
- Using their special HyperByte device, some customers can finish treatment in just four months.
- Their Byte for Life Guarantee ensures your smile forever. If your teeth shift after you complete your treatment, they will give you new aligners to realign your smile for free, even years down the road!
- Byte At-Night treatment only requires ten hours of daily wear but still delivers results in 4–6 months (this option costs $3,399 instead).
- They’ll send you a set of retainers for free when you complete your treatment. Some providers charge an additional $90+ for these retainers.
Byte Drawbacks
- While some providers have physical locations where customers can get their teeth scanned, Byte doesn’t offer this service yet. To get started, you’ll need to complete an impression kit from home.
- Though we think their aligner package holds a great value, their $2,749 price tag (or $3,399 for At-Night treatment) is more expensive than some of their competitors.
Byte - The Bottom Line
If you like the idea of completing treatment ASAP without sacrificing quality or customer service, Byte’s team of licensed dentists and orthodontists can design your ideal aligner plan.
Special Offer: Get 50% off impression kit + $100 off aligners
#2 EZ Smile: Satisfaction Guaranteed
Fitting clear aligner treatment into a budget can be difficult. Fortunately, EZ Smile makes it easier. They don’t have the lowest prices available, but they do offer more affordable rates than most competitors.
That said, low prices don’t mean cheap products. EZ Smile was actually the first company in Australia to sell at-home clear aligners. From the beginning, they’ve been committed to delivering a quality service, which is evident from the numerous positive reviews they’ve received from satisfied customers over the years.
EZ Smile Advantages
- At $2,499, EZ Smile’s sticker price is among the lowest you’ll find, hundreds less than SmileDirectClub and Byte.
- EZ Smile’s 90-day money-back guarantee refunds your money if you’re not 100% satisfied within the first three months (minus a $300 treatment planning fee).
- EZ Smile provides multiple financing options, including one that doesn’t require a credit check.
- They partner with dentists across Australia to provide intraoral scans, giving them more physical locations than their competitors.
EZ Smile Drawbacks
- EZ Smile does not offer a nighttime-only treatment option, so you’ll need to wear your aligners for 22+ hours per day.
- Unlike some other at-home aligner companies, EZ Smile doesn’t require virtual check-ins to monitor your progress beyond sending in photos midway through treatment.
#3 SmileDirectClub: Most Experienced
SmileDirectClub was one of the first companies to offer at-home clear aligner treatment and continues to be the most popular option. Founded in 2014, SmileDirectClub has raised over $60 million from investors and has treated more than 1.5 million patients. They brought their service to Australia in 2019 and didn’t miss a beat, adding SmileShops in various cities.
They’re one of the pricier Australian home aligner options, but their track record in the U.S. speaks for itself. They were the brand that popularized in-house financing and nighttime aligners, so you can expect that they’ll continue to innovate.
SmileDirectClub Advantages
- They have experience treating millions of cases, so they’re familiar with various conditions, questions, and complications.
- SmileDirectClub maintains SmileShops in select cities across Australia. Here, you can get a quick free teeth scan and treatment approval. Other providers require you to mail in an impression of your teeth — a slower and more cumbersome process.
- Offers guaranteed treatment financing over 24 months ($125/month) through SmilePay. There is no credit check required, but you will need to pay a $299 deposit.
- If wearing your aligners for 22+ hours per day doesn’t sound appealing, SmileDirectClub offers Nighttime Aligners that only require ten consecutive hours per day.
SmileDirectClub Drawbacks
- In the past, SmileDirectClub had a below-average track record when it came to their customer support. They had near explosive growth in 2017 and their team struggled to keep up. That said, their support has improved since then, though there still are complaints.
- SmileDirectClub’s pricing isn’t great. At $2,965, they have the highest price point of any company on this list.
#4 SmilePath: Most Affordable
If saving money is your top priority, SmilePath is a slam-dunk option. They have the lowest price points for at-home teeth alignment in Australia, but pricing isn’t SmilePath’s only advantage. They also have nighttime-only alignment plans, multiple financing options, and excellent customer support.
SmilePath Advantages
- No other at-home aligner company in Australia can match the great low rates offered by SmilePath. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, they also sometimes offer discounts that cut their prices even lower.
- With SmilePath, you can choose all-day wear or a night-only alignment schedule. If being discreet is your top priority, SmilePath is a great option.
- Even though they offer amazingly low rates, SmilePath has a strong customer support department. Their friendly representatives are always willing and able to help if you have any questions or concerns.
- By pairing their low prices with a variety of financing plans, SmilePath ensures that as many people as possible have access to affordable dental alignment.
SmilePath Drawbacks
- SmilePath doesn’t have any retail locations where you can get your teeth professionally scanned, so your only option is to take impressions of your own teeth using their DIY at-home molds.
- According to customer reviews, their shipping isn’t quite as fast as some competitors, which could mean you wait an additional week or two before starting your treatment than you would with some other companies.
Our Recommendation
Which Home Aligner Option is Best for You?
We totally understand if seeing all of these options feels overwhelming, especially since they look so similar at first glance. At the end of the day, we believe that two home teeth aligners stand above the rest — Byte and EZ Smile.
These two companies ensure affordable prices, fast treatment, and quality products, so we think they’re great choices for almost anyone.
Choose Byte if:
You want efficient treatment, robust guarantees, and personalized customer service.
Choose EZ Smile if:
You want a lower price point and a reliable satisfaction guarantee.
Pros & Cons of Home Teeth Straightening
Faster treatment? Lower prices? Better looking? All of this might have you saying “sign me up.” But no teeth straightening method is perfect, and home aligners aren’t ideal for everyone. People with more severe conditions, for example, might be better off with an in-office treatment. This is an important decision, so make sure you look at your options from all angles before diving in.
To help you decide if home teeth alignment is right for you, take a moment to evaluate these pros and cons:Pros
Cons
Frequently Asked Questions
How do home aligner companies prepare my treatment plan?
After you submit your impression kit or teeth scans, a dental professional will analyze them and use specialized software to create digital models of your teeth and aligners for every stage in the process. Byte uses a mixed dental team consisting of both dentists and orthodontists, but they guarantee that an orthodontist will be involved in every treatment plan. The company will send you digital images of the treatment plan for your approval before beginning production.
How long does home aligner treatment take?
For most companies, the average treatment time for most cases is six months, though customers with mild cases could finish in as little as four.
How do I get started with home aligner treatment?
You will need to order an impression kit from your chosen home aligner company. The kit includes putty and trays, which you’ll use to make moulds of your top and bottom dental arches, before mailing them to the company. This process can sometimes be difficult, so certain companies (SmileDirectClub and EZ Smile) offer physical locations where you can get free teeth scans from professionals.
Which conditions can home aligners treat?
Home aligners are primarily designed to treat mild-to-moderate cases of crowding and spacing, along with some mild bite issues. If your case is severe or includes a jaw misalignment like overbite or underbite, home aligners might not have the capacity to induce the larger tooth and jaw shifts you’re after.
How often do I need to wear my home teeth aligners?
You’ll need to wear your aligners for at least 22 hours per day, removing them only to eat and drink. The exception to this is if you pursue nighttime-only treatment with a provider like Byte, SmileDirectClub, or SmilePath. This alternative treatment schedule only requires you to wear the aligners at night (10 hours total).
What if my treatment doesn’t go as planned?
Each home aligner company has different refund and warranty policies. In most cases, you cannot receive a refund after you begin treatment, although the company may work with you to adjust your plan and develop new aligners. This is why we appreciate EZ Smile’s 90-day satisfaction guarantee and SmileDirect’s 30-day guarantee so much. Most competitors don’t offer refunds at all, so it’s very impressive that these providers give so much wiggle room on a customized product.
Are financing/payment plans available?
Most home aligner companies offer both financing and payment plans. A few partner with third-party companies that provide financing but require credit checks to qualify. Byte, EZ Smile, SmileDirectClub, and SmilePath all offer their own financing options for which everyone qualifies.
What are home teeth aligners made of?
All the home aligner companies we reviewed use clear, BPA-free plastic to make their products.
What happens after my home aligner treatment is complete?
At the end of your clear aligner treatment, you’ll receive custom-fit retainers to keep your teeth from shifting back to their original positions. Your provider will recommend wearing your retainers for close to 24 hours per day for a period of about two weeks. After that, you’ll only have to wear them at night. Some providers include retainers with the initial cost of treatment, while others charge an additional $80–$165 for them after treatment is finished.
Does it hurt to wear home teeth aligners?
Customers often report experiencing tightness or discomfort during the first 1–2 days wearing a new set of aligners, after which the discomfort subsides. Some companies provide “chewies” or other devices to help ensure a more comfortable aligner fit.
Leila says
Make sure to choose the one that you get regular check up with proper doctor , I’ve tried SmileDirect and it ruined my smile that I had to start my treatment from scratch with proper orthodontist and it made treatment much longer now
Sally says
Im trying to figure out which of the above provide regular check ups with a dentist (even if virtually). They tell you which ones that dont – not which ones that do?
Smile Prep says
Hi Sally, with all four of the at-home providers currently mentioned in this article (Byte, EZSmile, SmilePath, and SmileDirectClub), it’s our understanding that you’ll generally have very minimal (if any) direct interaction with your provider. Provided there are no major issues during your treatment, we’ve typically seen that at-home style aligners companies will channel most routine communication through their support staff and not the prescribing dentist. If you’d feel more comfortable having regular check ups with your providing dentist, I’d suggest considering traditional, in-office aligner treatment (e.g. Invisalign). In fact, some in-office providers even offer the ability to do most of your appointments virtually (though typically at a higher cost that “at-home” providers).
Josie says
Hi There,
Do the aligners make your teeth yellow while wearing them, and how often do you need to brush your teeth?
You mentioned teeth whitening while wearing the aligners how does that work ?
Smile Prep says
Hi Josie – oral hygiene is especially important while wearing aligners, since aligners can trap food particles and prevent your saliva from naturally cleaning and remineralizing the surface of your teeth. While I’m not a dentist, I’d suggest brushing after each time you remove your aligners to eat or drink (aside from water).
Regarding whitening: many of the companies listed on this page include whitening gel that you can insert into your aligner trays – enabling you to whiten your teeth while straightening them. A extra benefit – these types of whitening gels/solutions can also help keep your aligners clean and fresh.
Kate says
For the record, WonderSmile payment options do require credit checks and have additional fees and charges.
Smile Prep says
Hi Kate – thanks for letting us know. We’ll look into this and update our review accordingly.