If you want to align your teeth without ever visiting an orthodontist’s office, you’re in luck. Companies that deliver clear aligners directly to your home have made straightening your teeth easier than ever — and two convenient options are Dr. Wondersmile and SmileDirectClub. Both offer quality aligners at affordable prices, but they’re far from identical.
This comparison review will cover all of their similarities and differences, giving you all the important details you need to determine which is the better option for your smile.
They’ve since resurfaced under the name Dr. Wondersmile and promised to continue serving their customers. However, given their previous struggles to deliver treatment and their poor communication regarding their shutdown, we’d still encourage readers to consider a different provider at this time.
Table of Contents
Overview & Recommendation: SmileDirectClub Wins
For a while, we would have ranked Dr. Wondersmile right up there with SmileDirectClub — perhaps even higher. After all, they used to provide high-quality products and customer care. However, in the wake of their sudden shutdown and subsequent reopening, we think they’re a much riskier choice, so we’re recommend SmileDirectClub for three primary reasons:
- More Experience: SmileDirectClub has treated over 1.5 million customers since their 2014 start. They have more experience than every other at-home aligner company in Australia.
- More Flexible Financing: SmileDirectClub’s SmilePay financing doesn’t require a credit check, so everyone qualifies, making it easy to break the cost into manageable payments. If you want to enroll in Dr. Wondersmile’s financing plan, you need to pass a credit check.
- Lifetime Guarantee: If your teeth ever shift out of alignment, even years later, SmileDirectClub will fix them — as long as you’ve been purchasing and wearing your retainers as directed. Dr. Wondersmile’s Treatment Guarantee only lasts one year after you complete treatment, and some customers said that they weren’t honoring it during their shutdown in 2022.
Effectiveness Comparison
Neither Dr. Wondersmile nor SmileDirectClub require any in-person appointments with a dentist or orthodontist. That’s great for anyone with a busy schedule, but it also means they can’t handle severe misalignments like Invisalign and braces can.
Both companies have a history of crafting quality products and delivering satisfying results. However, SmileDirectClub is continuing that trend, and while it’s possible that Dr. Wondersmile can too now that they’ve reopened, the way they left so many customers hanging in early 2022 makes us wary.
WonderSmile Effectiveness
SmileDirectClub Effectiveness
- Uses a mixed team of dentists and orthodontists.
- Produces their aligners in-house.
- Requires photos of your teeth every 90 days for clinical review.
- Cuts aligners straight across the gums, increasing their power.
- Works solely with orthodontists to design and direct treatment.
- Unclear if they have a manufacturing partner or produce their aligners in-house.
- Monthly photo check-ins keep you on track.
- Cuts aligners straight across the gums, increasing their power.
Provider Network
SmileDirectClub’s dental team consists of dentists and orthodontists, while Dr. Wondersmile has traditionally used only orthodontists. General dentists are knowledgeable experts, certainly qualified to design and implement clear aligners. However, orthodontists spend multiple years in specialized postgraduate training for dentofacial adjustments. If Dr. Wondersmile has truly resumed operations, you’ll have a highly specialized professional designing your treatment, as long as their new management decides to keep the orthodontist-only network.
Clinical Oversight
In-person clear aligner treatments like Invisalign typically involve office visits every 4–6 weeks, and both SmileDirectClub and Dr. Wondersmile have attempted to replicate this oversight with remote monitoring. It’s not as robust as in-person care, but it’s a streamlined process that helps each company’s dentists or orthodontists keep you on track.
Using SmileDirectClub’s mobile app, you’ll upload photos of your teeth every 90 days. Their team will use these photos to evaluate your progress, provide feedback, and make adjustments to your aligner wear schedule, if necessary.
Dr. Wondersmile doesn’t have a mobile app, but they require you to upload photos of your teeth to your patient portal once per month. That means their team will evaluate your progress more often, giving more opportunities to address concerns. But like their dental team, we don’t know if this will change with Dr. Wondersmile’s new management.
Manufacturing Quality
SmileDirectClub once had a manufacturing partnership with Align Technology, the makers of Invisalign, but that ended in 2019. Now, they manufacture their aligners in house using a material called “Comfort Sense,” which they describe as a “proprietary soft, medium, and firm aligner plastic progression to ease teeth more comfortably into place.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Wondersmile does not disclose who manufactures their aligners, only that they’re FDA approved and produced in the U.S. and Germany.
Aligner Cut
Both companies cut their aligners straight across your gums instead of “scalloping” them to match each customer’s unique gumline. A straight cut overlaps your gums, which lets the aligners grip them to exert more force on your teeth. While Invisalign can use attachments to make their scalloped aligners more powerful, at-home aligner companies cannot, so a straight cut is typically more powerful.
Affordability Comparison
This is the category you’ve been waiting for, right? Maybe you even skipped right to it. We get it — a treatment’s power, products, and customer support don’t matter if you can’t afford their high prices. Affordability is the number-one consideration for many of our readers, and these companies both produce aligners that are thousands of dollars cheaper than Invisalign or braces.
SmileDirectClub is more expensive than many of their at-home competitors, and even though Dr. Wondersmile’s prices are more attractive, remember that some customers paid the full price in 2022 and didn’t receive any aligners or refunds.
WonderSmile Affordability
SmileDirectClub Affordability
- $2,965 sticker price for all-day or night-only aligners.
- Doesn’t include aftercare retainers ($167 extra per set).
- Includes their bright on whitening kit for free.
- The impression kit cost is built into the aligner bundle, or you can get an in-person teeth scan for free.
- Financing requires a down payment but not a credit check.
- $2,490 sticker price ($2,590 for NightClear aligners).
- Doesn’t include aftercare retainers.
- Price doesn’t include whitening.
- Has four office locations for teeth scans, but doesn’t sell impression kits.
- Financing requires a down payment but doesn’t have interest.
Sticker Price
Dr. Wondersmile charges $2,490 for all-day alignment or $2,590 for nighttime-only alignment, while SmileDirectClub charges $2,965 for either. But a few other factors contribute to your bottom-line price, like the requisite aftercare retainers. Neither of these companies includes retainers for free, like some competitors do — SmileDirectClub charges $167 per set and Dr. Wondersmile used to sell them for $99, but no longer has them for sale on their website.
You may also have some startup expenses, depending on the route you take. SmileDirectClub builds the cost of the impression kits into their aligner bundle price and they offer in-office scans for free. Dr. Wondersmile doesn’t have impression kits listed on their website anymore, so you’ll need to schedule an appointment at one of their in-person clinics, and they don’t say whether there’s a fee for those teeth scans.
Payment Plan Options
You might not have thousands of dollars lying around (who does?), but payment plans can help break the cost of teeth-straightening treatment into bite-sized chunks. Thankfully, both companies offer reasonable financing options that make their alignment services widely accessible.
- Dr. Wondersmile only has one payment plan, called WonderPay. It requires a credit check, plus you’ll need to pay a minimum 20% deposit ($498 for All-Day aligners and $518 for NightClear). Then, you’ll make monthly payments of at least $208 ($215 for NightClear) until you reach the full amount.
- SmileDirectClub’s one payment plan option requires a deposit of $299, followed by 24 monthly payments of $125. This plan includes your full alignment process and your first two sets of retainers for a total of $3,299, which is the same as the up-front price for this combination, and it doesn’t require a credit check.
Neither plan costs much more than a single upfront payment would. SmileDirectClub’s payment plan requires you to buy two sets of retainers, but you’d probably end up buying them at some point anyway.
Free Extras
Some at-home aligner companies include bonus items to give you more for your money, and that’s definitely true of SmileDirectClub. They throw in free whitening with every alignment plan, and they also offer free in-person teeth scans at their retail locations. Dr. Wondersmile doesn’t include any noteworthy free extras.
Convenience Comparison
Dr. Wondersmile and SmileDirectClub both have a massive convenience advantage over braces or Invisalign because neither one requires in-person office visits, and administering your treatment at home is much less time-consuming. But even among their at-home competitors, SmileDirectClub stands out for their ease, accessibility, and exemplary overall convenience.
Dr. Wondersmile has traditionally gone above and beyond to make treatment easy for their customers too, but their new management may or may not decide to keep those procedures in place.
WonderSmile Convenience
SmileDirectClub Convenience
- Six office locations in Australia that provide free teeth scans, plus they sell impression kits.
- Nighttime Clear Aligners only require ten hours of daily wear.
- The average treatment time is 4–6 months (or ten months for Nighttime Aligners).
- They used to have 20 office locations across Australia for teeth scans, but now they have four.
- Their NightClear option allows you to only wear aligners for ten hours per day.
- The average treatment time is six months (around nine for NightClear aligners).
Getting Started
Before they can do anything else, SmileDirectClub or Dr. Wondersmile needs images of your teeth. If you’d like to provide them from home, SmileDirectClub lets you order an impression kit and use it to make molds of your teeth, then mail them in. However, making perfect impressions of your teeth is difficult, and many people need multiple attempts to get it right.
Impression kits work well for people who’d prefer to complete everything remotely, but if you want to ensure that you get perfect images on the first try, schedule an appointment at one of their scanning clinics. SmileDirectClub also has six locations across Australia, where a trained professional will take intraoral scans of your teeth and send them to the company. Dr. Wondersmile used to have 20 clinic locations, but now they’re down to four. They no longer sell impression kits, so you’ll need to visit one of these locations to get started.
SmileDirectClub’s teeth scans are free, and Dr. Wondersmile doesn’t say whether they charge a fee or offer them for free.
Treatment Timeline
Choose SmileDirectClub and you can expect to spend around 4–6 months wearing aligners, while Dr. Wondersmile typically takes around six. This is pretty standard for at-home aligners, but your treatment plan might be longer or shorter depending on the severity of your misalignment. The more complex the case, the longer it takes to correct. In-office options like Invisalign, for example, typically take 12–18 months, but they also usually handle more complex cases.
If you want nighttime-only treatment, it will take around ten months for SmileDirectClub or nine for Dr. Wondersmile.
Teeth Whitening
SmileDirectClub includes a whitening kit that you can use while straightening your teeth, which is a nice bonus. Just dispense the whitening solution right into your aligners before you put them in. Dr. Wondersmile doesn’t include a free whitening kit in their treatment. They charge $149 for it separately — although it’s currently unavailable.
Nighttime-Only Option
If you don’t want to wear your clear aligners for 22 hours per day, you might be interested in a nighttime-only plan. Dr. Wondersmile’s NightClear Aligners and SmileDirectClub’s Nighttime Clear Aligners only require ten consecutive hours of daily wear, so you can pop them in after dinner and remove them in the morning.
Of course, nighttime-only aligners take longer overall, since you’ll wear them for fewer hours each day.
Appearance Comparison
Every clear aligner is far less noticeable than metal braces. Still, every company uses slightly different materials and designs, so you’ll find some variance between brands. Even though all clear aligners look good, “good-looking” is a pretty subjective term.
Consider your own aesthetic preferences as you examine the subtle differences between SmileDirectClub and Dr. Wondersmile’s aligners. But also keep in mind, there’s a chance Dr. Wondersmile’s design could change with all of their management shifts.
WonderSmile Appearance
SmileDirectClub Appearance
- Uses a frosted, translucent plastic.
- Cuts their aligners straight across the gums.
- Can’t incorporate attachments.
- Reasonably stain-resistant.
- Uses a smooth, transparent, shiny plastic.
- Cuts their aligners straight across the gums.
- Can’t incorporate attachments.
- Reasonably stain-resistant.
Aligner Material
Dr. Wondersmile’s aligners are completely clear, so they can reflect light and gleam — which might look slightly artificial. This is because your teeth are porous, so they naturally look matte, not smooth and shiny.
That’s why SmileDirectClub uses translucent, frosted plastic. It does a better job of mimicking your real teeth, and it doesn’t reflect light as noticeably as smooth, transparent aligners. Some people, however, prefer Dr. Wondersmile’s design because they like the extra shine it gives their smile.
Straight Cut vs. Scalloped
We already discussed this in the “Effectiveness” section, but it’s relevant here too. Both Dr. Wondersmile and SmileDirectClub cut their aligners straight across the gums. While this allows the aligners to exert more force on your teeth, the overlap with your gums makes them a bit more noticeable than aligners scalloped to match your gum line.
Attachments
In some cases, fully in-person treatments like Invisalign will include small attachments affixed to the surfaces of the teeth, which help their aligners exert more force. While these attachments can increase effectiveness, they also make the aligners more noticeable. Since Dr. Wondersmile and SmileDirectClub don’t require office visits, they can’t include attachments, so you won’t have any extra hardware on your teeth.
Stain Resistance
The clear aligners you’ll buy from SmileDirectClub and Dr. Wondersmile are somewhat stain-resistant. However, you still shouldn’t eat or drink anything but plain water while wearing them. You wouldn’t want to stain one, then still have to wear it for several more days!
Customer Experience Comparison
Customer support is crucial for at-home aligner companies because you don’t have in-office check-ups with your dentist. If you have questions — or in the unlikely scenario that something goes wrong — you’ll rely on a remote support team. It’s tough for any at-home service to replicate the personalization and robust oversight you’ll receive with an in-office treatment, but SmileDirectClub has taken measures to provide satisfying remote support.
Dr. Wondersmile once delivered a supportive, personalized customer experience too, but after they shut down and stopped responding to customers in 2022, we’ve yet to see them regain that kind of service.
WonderSmile Customer Experience
SmileDirectClub Customer Experience
- Offers support via phone, email, webchat, and mobile app. Plus, they’ll respond to messages on social media.
- Receives mixed customer feedback but has made improvements.
- Will work to modify your plan if your results don’t match the treatment preview, plus they offer a full refund within 30 days of starting treatment and prorated refunds after that.
- Their SmileDirectClub Guarantee covers your smile forever.
- Only offers support via an online form, and may respond on social media.
- Received mostly positive customer reviews prior to 2022.
- Will provide refinements if your results don’t match your treatment preview.
- They say their Treatment Guarantee will fix any shifts your teeth make within a year of completing treatment — but customers say they didn’t honor it during their shutdown in 2022.
Support Options
SmileDirectClub is available 24/7 on a variety of support platforms — phone, webchat, video chat, and email. You can also reach out via their mobile app, which might be simpler and easier.
Dr. Wondersmile’s availability is more limited. They only have a contact form you can fill out on their website, and we’ve also seen them respond to customers on social media after announcing their rebrand. However, since they temporarily closed in 2022, many customers have said the company has been inaccessible.
Both companies also require you to send photos of your teeth every so often, giving their clinical team an opportunity to review your progress, provide feedback, and make any adjustments to your alignment plan.
Responsiveness and Helpfulness
Dr. Wondersmile received positive reviews nearly across the board, with very little negative feedback in their hundreds of online reviews, up until 2022. From the start of the year, things started trending downward until reviews became essentially 100% negative. And we’ve yet to see them rebound after reopening.
SmileDirectClub has received some complaints as well. Many of these reviews are from a few years ago, when the company was booming, and it seems like they’ve improved their customer service since then, but they still receive consistent complaints on the Better Business Bureau website.
Satisfaction Guarantee
These companies have highly similar guarantees that promise to work with you to achieve the results of your original treatment preview. If you reach the end of your aligner plan and your smile doesn’t match your original preview, their teams will design additional aligners to finish the job. This is assuming that you wore your aligners as directed and completed all your required virtual check-ins.
SmileDirectClub will issue a full refund if you change your mind within 30 days of beginning treatment, plus prorated refunds for unused and unopened aligners. But they don’t stop there. If your teeth shift after you finish your treatment, even years down the road, SmileDirectClub also has a lifetime guarantee that will provide new aligners to fix them. To remain eligible, you must purchase new retainers every six months and wear them as prescribed.
Dr. Wondersmile’s Treatment Guarantee isn’t as extensive. It lasts for one year after you complete treatment, and in that time, the company says they’ll fix any unwanted dental shifts. However, customers said the company wasn’t honoring their guarantee during their shutdown, and they’ve yet to prove that they will keep it going after reopening.
Company Backgrounds
WonderSmile Company Background
SmileDirectClub Company Background
- Founded in 2016.
- Flexible, orthodontist-directed treatment options for a variety of alignment issues.
- Based in Australia, but has expanded across the globe.
- Founded in 2016.
- Flexible, orthodontist-directed treatment options for a variety of alignment issues.
- Based in Australia, but has expanded across the globe.
- Shut down in 2022 before reopening and rebranding several months later.
Founded in 2014 in the United States, SmileDirectClub was the first company to deliver clear aligners directly to their customers, kicking off the at-home aligner revolution. They inspired numerous companies to follow the same model, yet they’re still the largest and most experienced company in the home aligner industry. They’ve already aligned more than 1.5 million smiles, and they’re constantly looking for new ways to improve their treatment.
Australia-based Dr. Wondersmile started in 2016 and made their name with affordable, orthodontist-directed aligner treatment. Over following years, they grew into one of the country’s most popular at-home aligner companies, and they’ve brought their treatment to numerous locations across Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and the U.K. Most of these international branches closed for several months in 2022, but Dr. Wondersmile says they’ve resumed operations in all of them except the U.K.
Which Home Teeth Aligner Should You Use?
We used to rank Dr. Wondersmile over SmileDirectClub for their orthodontist-only network, lifetime guarantee, and excellent customer service. But since the company’s 2022 shutdown debacle, we think they’re too risky to recommend. Not only does SmileDirectClub have more experience, more flexible financing, and extensive refund policies, but they’re currently operating as usual, while Dr. Wondersmile is attempting to make a comeback from a months-long closure that left many customers hanging.
If you were considering Dr. Wondersmile, we’d recommend steering clear — at least until they’ve proven that they’ve truly resumed their services.
We Recommend SmileDirectClub Over Dr. Wondersmile
With Dr. Wondersmile’s future uncertain, SmileDirectClub is a much better option right now. Their accessible payment plans, lifetime guarantee, and superior convenience make them a safe bet for anyone looking to correct a mild or moderate misalignment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I choose SmileDirectClub or Dr. Wondersmile?
Both companies have histories of quality products and results, but we prefer SmileDirectClub. They might be slightly more expensive, but they offer excellent convenience, flexible financing, extensive refund policies, and best of all, they’re currently operating as usual — unlike Dr. Wondersmile, who is attempting to come back from a several-month closure.
How do I get started with SmileDirectClub or Dr. Wondersmile?
SmileDirectClub and Dr. Wondersmile both give customers the choice of getting started with an at-home impression kit or an in-office teeth scan. Both are effective methods, so it all depends on which option you prefer.
What are customers saying about SmileDirectClub and Dr. Wondersmile?
SmileDirectClub has thousands of reviews available online, and Dr. Wondersmile has hundreds of its own. However, while Dr. Wondersmile had nearly universally positive reviews up until 2022, and pretty much universally negative ones since. SmileDirectClub’s customer feedback is much more of a mixed bag.
What is the most effective clear aligner company?
It’s tough to beat the power and versatility of in-office options like Invisalign and ClearCorrect. With hands-on care and orthodontic attachments, a dentist can use them to treat severe misalignments and even bite issues.
How do I know which option is right for me?
You should evaluate each option on its customer support, appearance, convenience, affordability, and effectiveness. These criteria will help you determine which one best fits your unique circumstances and priorities.
What is the cheapest home aligner company?
The most reasonably priced home aligner company in Australia is SmilePath. They’re the only company in Australia that charges less than $2,000, with a price point of $1,899.
Will home aligners work for me?
It depends on your exact alignment problems. Home aligner companies only fix mild crowding and spacing issues, and sometimes very minor incidences of bite misalignments. Otherwise, you should probably go with traditional orthodontics.
How do SmileDirectClub and Dr. Wondersmile compare to Invisalign?
All three of these treatments correct misalignments using clear aligners, but that’s where the similarities stop. Invisalign is an in-office treatment that requires frequent visits to your dentist or orthodontist, and it’s significantly more expensive than any at-home alignment company.
The other big difference is that Invisalign can fix major alignment problems like crossbite, overbite, and underbite. This is because your dental professional can add attachments to your aligners to coordinate major shifts.
How long does home aligner treatment take?
Treatment times vary based on the severity of your condition and which company you choose. However, most at-home aligner companies can straighten your smile within about 4–6 months.
What other companies should I consider?
Byte is definitely worth a look, as they’re our favorite at-home aligner company in Australia because of their efficiency and innovative technology. Other than that, we also think SmilePath is an intriguing company because of their low prices.
How much do home aligners cost?
Your costs can vary by roughly $1,000 based on which company you choose. SmilePath only charges $1,899, making them the most affordable option, while the most expensive choice, SmileDirectClub, costs $2,965.
Does insurance cover home aligners?
Insurance typically does not cover home alignment because it’s usually a cosmetic treatment. Most insurers consider teeth alignment an optional service. However, feel free to check with your insurance company.
Are home aligners safe?
Yes! It’s completely understandable if you have some doubts about aligning your teeth at home, but millions of people have had success with at-home aligners. Your alignment process will be planned and supervised by professional orthodontists and/or dentists, and these companies have robust customer support teams if any issues arise.
Do home aligners hurt?
It is possible that you experience some discomfort whenever you start using a new set of aligners because they’re tighter than you’re used to. It should subside in a day or two. Otherwise, you’ll likely barely even notice you’re wearing them!