Byte Review: Better than Invisalign and SmileDirectClub?

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Until recently, the only options for adults seeking straighter teeth were braces or Invisalign — but luckily, this is no longer the case. Today, at-home teeth straightening services like Byte offer a safe, convenient, and affordable alternative to traditional orthodontic treatment.

Byte has made it their priority to deliver a high-quality product and customer experience. Plus, they use industry-leading technology that can deliver highly efficient results. But is Byte the right fit for your smile goals? Read on to find out!

Is Byte A Good Treatment Option?

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Your perfect match for orthodontic treatment will depend largely on your personal priorities, your budget, and your dental condition. That said, Byte is an affordable, high-quality treatment option for most people with mild-to-moderate cases of misalignment. They scored 4.3/5 overall based on our five review criteria (effectiveness, affordability, convenience, appearance, and customer experience) — a higher rating than any other provider.

If you decide Byte is the right treatment option for you, be sure to take advantage of this special promotion. Byte is currently offering its impression kit for just $17.95 ($80 off its list price). In addition, as part of this offer Byte will include with your impression kit a free whitening pen to help you brighten your teeth on the go. Enter the code SMILEBRYTE at checkout to claim this promotion.

What is Byte?

Byte is an online service that ships custom clear aligners (also called “invisible braces”) directly to your home. Their aligners look and feel similar to Invisalign—they’re made of smooth, clear plastic, and designed to fit the contours of your teeth. However, unlike Invisalign, Byte treatment doesn’t require a single trip to the dentist.

Instead, Byte has a team of licensed dentists and orthodontists who prepare and monitor their treatment plans remotely. This allows them to offer clear aligner treatment for a fraction of the price of traditional aligners like Invisalign.

Byte is backed by Dentsply Sirona, one of the largest and most experienced dental manufacturers in the world.

In late 2020, Byte was acquired by Dentsply Sirona, a reputable dental manufacturing company that makes cleaning instruments, scanning machines, retainers, and virtually any other dental equipment you can imagine. Odds are, if you’ve ever been to a dentist or orthodontist, you’ve had a Dentsply Sirona product in your mouth.

So, what does this mean for potential Byte customers? It means their products are highly trustworthy and well-designed.

The “HyperByte” is a high-frequency vibration device that helps seat your aligners to provide a more comfortable aligner fit and encourage faster teeth movements.

There’s evidence that high-frequency devices like this can encourage faster dental shifts, and in Byte’s case, they boast an average treatment plan length of just 4-5 months. Just bite down on the HyperByte device for five minutes a day and the gentle high-frequency vibrations may help your aligners fit more comfortably and your teeth shift more easily. Of course, every smile is different, so the HyperByte will be more effective for some than others.

Once you’re done with Byte treatment, however, their Byte for Life Guarantee will keep your smile straight forever. If your teeth ever shift after treatment (though no fault of your own), even years down the road, Byte will correct it for free, as long as you replace your retainers every six months and wear them as instructed.

Byte Aligners & HyperByte

Byte Impression Kit

Before & After Byte Treatment

Pros & Cons of Byte

Before you decide to move forward with Byte treatment, weigh the benefits and drawbacks to make sure it’s the right fit for you. We’ve sifted through the details of Byte’s service and compiled a list of the most important pros and cons:

Byte Effectiveness

Just like other home-based clear aligner treatment products, Byte is primarily designed for cosmetic issues and can’t correct significant teeth and jaw misalignments like Invisalign can. However, we feel that Byte stands out among competing at-home aligner systems through its use of innovative technologies – including HyperByte and SmileScience – that are designed to contribute toward high quality treatment results.

Byte is best-suited for mild and moderate misalignments.

Byte can effectively correct mild crowding and spacing, and potentially slight bite issues, which is fairly standard among at-home aligner treatments. But when it comes to severe cases and jaw misalignments, their treatment can’t often deliver the same results.

In-office clear aligners like Invisalign provide hands-on care from a dentist over a longer period of time and can incorporate attachments that encourage more complex shifts, allowing them to treat a wider scope of dental and jaw issues.

Byte works with licensed dentists & orthodontists to prepare and oversee their treatment plans.

Byte’s remote dental team can safely and efficiently correct most mild-to-moderate dental misalignments, including crowding, spacing, and minor bite issues. To make sure Byte is a good option for you, the company provides a 3D preview of your “after” shot, how your teeth will look post-treatment. If you like what you see, they’ll produce and ship your aligners right away. But if you have concerns, there’s no obligation to continue.

You won’t have as much oversight throughout Byte treatment as you would with traditional options like braces or Invisalign.

Most clear aligner brands offer some type of regular oversight. Some employ “remote monitoring” throughout the process — photo check-ins every few weeks — while traditional in-office options like Invisalign and ClearCorrect require office visits every 4–6 weeks. This helps the dentist or dental team keep you on track and handle any issues that arise. Byte, however, doesn’t incorporate either kind of oversight unless you have a certain complex condition.

Byte recommends that you regularly upload photos of your teeth through their My Byte app, but they don’t require it unless you have certain conditions. If you complete these photo check-ins, Byte’s dental team can keep your treatment on track and ensure that you get the results you want.

Byte uses high-frequency vibration technology to help achieve faster and more comfortable dental shifts.

Something that makes Byte stand out from other clear aligner treatments, including Invisalign, is their use of technology to improve treatment effectiveness. They are constantly looking to blaze new trails in the industry and have developed two key technologies that no other company offers: Smile Science and HyperByte.

Byte’s Smile Science treatment development software is unique. According to Byte, it analyzes your entire facial structure, rather than just your teeth (like most other options, including Invisalign). They also employ special training procedures outlined by Byte founder and Chief Cosmetic Dentist, Dr. John Marashi.

But how does Byte achieve such customized and impressive adjustments so quickly? The HyperByte. It might sound like a comic book name, but HyperByte applies gentle, high frequency vibrations. Some studies have found that this form of vibration can accelerate teeth movement and bone remodeling. According to Byte, using the HyperByte tool for five minutes a day helps seat your aligners for a more comfortable fit and may facilitate shorter treatment plans. Byte is the only provider that includes this type of device in their aligner bundle.

Byte’s aligners are made from a special PETG material.

Byte Affordability

Historically, the high price tag for braces and Invisalign has made teeth alignment a significant investment. And because it’s often a purely cosmetic treatment, some health insurers don’t cover it, or they only reimburse a portion of the cost.

A major benefit of at-home teeth straightening systems like Byte is the price point, especially compared to in-office treatments like Invisalign or ClearCorrect, which can cost $3,000–$8,000. Byte can’t claim the lowest price on the at-home aligner market, but they still present a pretty solid value.

The total cost to purchase an aligner kit from Byte is $1,999 for All-Day aligners and $2,399 for At-Night treatment. This is higher than some other at-home aligner options but includes free whitening, aftercare retainers, and the HyperByte device.

This sticker price covers the cost of your treatment plan, clear aligners, teeth whitening, and the HyperByte device, but not your impression kit (which is $95). Byte also includes your first set of retainers with the purchase price, which will save you some money at the end of your treatment. Other services, like SmileDirectClub, do not include retainers in the initial price and instead upsell the retainer at the end of treatment for around $100.

That’s a strong value, especially when you compare Byte’s price to in-office clear aligner options like Invisalign, which usually cost at least $3,000 and can be as much as $8,000.

Byte offers multiple payment plan options.

Even though Byte is much cheaper than braces or Invisalign, not everyone has $1,999 sitting under their mattress. To help make treatment more financially accessible, Byte offers a couple of flexible payment options.

Interested in financing? Their in-house financing plan, called BytePay™, requires a $249 down payment followed by $70 per month for 36 months. Choose Byte At-Night, however, and that increases to a $299 down payment, then $84 per month.

You can also apply for financing through one of Byte’s third-party financing partners like Affirm, whose payment plan requires no down payment.

The “Byte Protection Plan” costs more up front, but can save money in the long run.

Instead of paying $129 for replacement retainers every six months, with the Byte Protecion Plan, you’ll automatically receive new retainers for five years, whether you lose them, break them, or another six months have simply passed. If you choose to finance your treatment via BytePay, you can add the Byte Protection Plan to your financing plan for as little as $22/mo. It may cost more initially, but over the course of five years, you’ll spend less than you would purchasing replacements individually.

If your insurance plan has orthodontic benefits, Byte treatment may be partially covered.

Since home-based clear aligner treatment is fairly new, the process of claiming insurance reimbursement can be complicated. More and more insurance providers are working out the kinks and starting to cover this form of treatment, but getting reimbursed for treatment can still be a hassle.

Byte has worked hard to make this process as easy as possible for its customers. With Byte, every patient that has insurance coverage gets their own dedicated insurance specialist (separate from their Byte advisor). This specialist helps them speak to the insurance companies and process the reimbursement forms.

Insurance companies can be more likely to cover in-office clear aligners like Candid or Invisalign than Byte and other at-home options. Plus, if your dentist or orthodontist accepts your insurance, they’ll handle the entire process. You’ll just provide them with your insurance info, and they’ll take it from there.

Byte Convenience

Aside from cost, one of the biggest barriers to pursuing a more comfortable smile is the time commitment of traditional orthodontics. Finding time to visit the dentist’s office in between all of your other responsibilities might not top your priority list.

Home aligner services like Byte make the process more convenient by shipping the aligners to your home, so you spend less time in the patient chair and more time living life. Most home aligners treatments achieve your desired results in half a year, much faster than the typical 18+ months for braces and 12 months for Invisalign. And Byte takes it to the next level, with an average treatment plan length of just 4-5 months.

At-home teeth straightening is, in general, more convenient than seeing a dentist month after month, but Byte goes above and beyond to make teeth straightening as efficient and user-friendly as possible.

To get started, you’ll need to take molds of your teeth using Byte’s impression kit.

Many customers find that the most difficult part of at-home teeth straightening is getting started. To create your treatment plan, the company will need a way to analyze your current smile. All at-home options, including Byte, offer a kit that you can use at home to make molds of your teeth.

To create these impressions, you mix together two different types of putty and place the mixture in a teeth tray. Then, carefully bite down on the prepared tray and the putty will surround your teeth, creating a mold. Using this mold, the company will determine whether you’re a suitable candidate for treatment and, if so, prepare your treatment plan.

Most people have never taken a mold of their own teeth, so the impression kit can be challenging. But Byte thought ahead. To help customers succeed, they send two sets of putty and teeth trays. So if you mess up the first one, there’s no need to panic. Customer support is also available to walk you through the process and make sure everything goes smoothly. Still, some customers find that taking impressions can be surprisingly tricky. Don’t worry, though — if Byte can’t use your first sets of impressions, they’ll send you another kit in the mail.

This isn’t as convenient as going to a professional for dental scans, which is an option with some other clear aligner options. SmileDirectClub, for example, maintains 300+ retail locations where you can receive free scans. Or, if you go with an in-office option, your dentist or orthodontist will take X-rays and scans at your initial office visit.

Expect to wait around four weeks total before you start treatment.

After you order your impression kit, assuming you complete and send back the kit ASAP, you can expect to receive your clear aligners within four weeks of your purchase date. This is faster than many competitors.

Byte also offers a nighttime-only treatment option

If you have a busy lifestyle or you’re not confident sticking to an all-day aligner schedule, you’re not alone. That’s why Byte provides an alternate, nighttime-only treatment called Byte At-Night. Using this plan, you only need to wear your aligners for ten hours per day (presumably while you sleep) instead of 22+ hours per day. This extends the average treatment plan length to 5-6 months, but you won’t need to wear your aligners to work, on dates, or for other special occasions.

This is Byte’s premium treatment, and the aligners are specially designed to exert more force over shorter periods of time, so it also costs slightly more. You’ll pay $2,399 for At-Night treatment compared to $1,999 for an All-Day plan.

Byte’s All-Day treatment plans are 4-5 months long on average.

Most at-home aligner treatment plans last around six months, and in-office options like Invisalign often take one year or more. Byte, on the other hand, boasts an average treatment plan length of just 4-5 months, thanks in part to their HyperByte device. However, your overall treatment time depends heavily on your specific condition, so some aligner plans might take longer.

Keep in mind that choosing the nighttime-only schedule will lengthen your treatment time. On average, Byte’s nighttime treatment plans are 5-6 months long, which is still fairly efficient compared to most clear aligner options.

Byte includes teeth whitening as part of your treatment.

Some whitening products aren’t compatible with clear aligners, so you’d need to wait until after your treatment to use them. But you can pump BrightByte whitening foam directly into your aligners before putting them on, straightening and brightening your teeth simultaneously.

Byte Appearance

Adults hoping to straighten their teeth are often reluctant to attend an interview, date, meeting, or special occasion sporting metal brackets. For this reason, clear aligners’ low profile—especially when compared to braces—is a key selling point. Because they’re so discreet, clear aligners are aesthetically pleasing options, and Byte is no exception.

That said, not all clear aligners look exactly the same. While all clear aligners use transparent, BPA-free plastic, each brand looks slightly different due to variations in materials and manufacturing processes.

Byte uses smooth, shiny plastic to craft their aligners.

This material looks slightly different than the slightly frosted aligners from Candid, SmileDirectClub, or Invisalign. Frosted aligners can look somewhat more natural than shiny ones because natural teeth are porous (that’s why they can absorb stains from coffee and red wine).

Those pores make natural teeth appear matte, not smooth and shiny, so matte aligners may draw less attention. But different people have different aesthetic preferences, and some customers actually like the plastic’s shininess. They feel it makes their smile gleam. The smooth, shiny plastic Byte uses shouldn’t necessarily deter you, but it is something to consider when making your decision.

Byte cuts their aligners straight across the top, rather than trimming them to follow the gumline.

Since Byte’s straight-cut aligners cover the gums, others may be able to see where the aligners end when you smile, but most customers don’t find straight-cut aligners more noticeable than scalloped ones.

Besides, straight-cut aligners serve an important function. With in-office clear aligner treatments like Invisalign, a dentist will typically place special attachments on the teeth that help anchor the clear aligners in place, shifting the teeth more effectively. Since home aligners like Byte don’t involve in-person visits, these attachments are not an option. A straight cut, though arguably less ideal appearance-wise, helps grip the teeth better and can apply up to 4x the amount of force.

Byte doesn’t add any attachments to your aligners.

Invisalign and ClearCorrect can add elastics and affix small attachments to your teeth surfaces to help their aligners make more complex dental shifts. While incredibly useful, these attachments also make your aligners more noticeable.

Byte doesn’t use any supplementary attachments, so their aligners are slightly less powerful than in-office brands, but they’re also more discreet.

With Byte At-Night, you won’t even need to wear your aligners in public.

Remember the nighttime treatment option? Go that route and no one will ever notice your aligners because you’ll never wear them out during the day. Just pop them in after dinner, then remove them as part of your morning routine.

Like other clear aligner brands, you’ll want to take out your aligners before eating and drinking to avoid stains.

All clear aligners are susceptible to stains from food and beverages—that’s why it’s important to remove them before eating or drinking anything other than plain water. Byte aligners are reasonably stain-resistant, although we certainly wouldn’t recommend drinking anything other than water with your aligners in.

Byte Customer Experience

Dental treatment is expensive, and you only have one set of teeth. It’s important to feel completely confident that your treatment provider will treat you right and have your back if anything goes wrong. Byte provides a more supportive, satisfying customer experience than most of their at-home competitors, although it’s still not quite as personalized as the care you’d receive from a dentist with an in-office option.

Byte offers 100% US-based customer support and is very responsive on all channels.

Byte provides several avenues to contact support and offers extensive online resources, so it’s easy to get your questions answered. Byte is available by phone on weekdays from 8am–6pm Pacific time as well as via email and social media. If you reach out on social media, you can expect a response within 24 hours.

In addition, each patient is assigned their own Byte advisor, who also helps answer questions and checks in via email throughout the patient’s journey. It’s like having your own personal guide to the process.

This doesn’t quite give you the same hands-on touch of treatments that incorporate in-person care like Invisalign and Candid, since you won’t have consistent access to your specific dentist. But for a fully remote treatment, Byte does a great job providing personalized support.

The My Byte app makes it easy to keep track of your aligners, track your progress, and contact customer support.

This convenient mobile app contains all your custom treatment information and helps you stay on top of your aligner plan. On this central hub, you can get notifications for when to change aligner sets, upload your check-in photos for review, track your HyperByte usage, and chat with customer service representatives. It’s an easy way to make sure that your teeth are progressing as expected and stay in touch with Byte.

The Byte for Life Guarantee means your new smile is forever.

Byte’s refund policy is standard compared to most other home aligner companies. If Byte determines you are not a good candidate for treatment, they will refund the cost of your impression kit. They don’t usually offer a refund if you’re simply dissatisfied with your treatment progress. However, if your teeth aren’t shifting as expected, they’re happy to work with you to create free refinement aligners, as long as you’ve followed your aligner plan exactly and used your HyperByte every day.

Their Byte for Life Guarantee takes customer care to the next level. After completing your treatment, if your teeth shift at any point in the future, the company will send you new aligners to help you regain your smile, free of charge. Be sure to wear your retainer as instructed and purchase new ones every six months, or you may void this guarantee.

What Are Byte Customers Saying?

When we review a company like Byte, we start by digging through online user reviews to understand the common issues customers face. Generally, Byte users express positivity and satisfaction with their experience. They often say they chose Byte because they appreciated the convenience of a shorter treatment plan, and liked that the HyperByte device could eliminate much of the discomfort associated with orthodontic treatment.

Some customers, however, have noted that Byte’s aligners didn’t straighten their teeth as much as they’d expected, and they had to seek refinements, extending their treatment time quite a bit. Others expressed satisfaction with their results, but frustration with the customer service back-and-forth. These cases seem to be the exception rather than the rule, but they’re definitely something to consider as you research various aligners.

In the cases where something goes wrong, it seems like Byte worked to resolve the issue. Many users also note that the HyperByte device really helps their aligners feel more comfortable, and that they notice more discomfort if they’re not using HyperByte regularly.

Byte vs. Invisalign

Although Invisalign and Byte have a lot in common, there are some important differences to note. Both treatments involve clear aligners designed to improve the patient’s smile, but Byte is more convenient and affordable since it’s a direct-to-consumer company. Invisalign can only be administered at a dentist or orthodontist, making it more expensive and time-intensive, but it’s a more personalized treatment, capable of correcting more severe cases and jaw misalignments. Below we’ll compare these two options in terms of cost, convenience, effectiveness, and the details of their treatment plans.

Cost

Byte is much more cost-effective because it does not require in-person visits with a dental professional. These office visits make up a large percentage of Invisalign’s price, so by eliminating them, Byte drastically reduces its sticker price. Byte’s total cost is $1,999 or $2,399 (before insurance), while Invisalign costs between $3,000 and $8,000 (before insurance).

Convenience

Since Byte is delivered by mail and does not require in-person visits, it fits a busy lifestyle more easily than Invisalign. On top of that, the 4-5 month average treatment plan means you’ll spend a lot less time wearing your aligners than the 12 months (on average) required for Invisalign. Their nighttime-only treatment plans, which typically last 5-6 months — are still much shorter than Invisalign. However, this difference is in part because Invisalign often treats severe misalignments that require more time to correct.

Effectiveness

For smiles that only need mild-to-moderate adjustments, Byte is just as effective as Invisalign. Invisalign shines in correcting complicated dental issues, like severe bite misalignments. Invisalign is a better option for complex cases because the in-person treatment allows a dentist to apply advanced techniques as part of your treatment plan. An Invisalign treatment plan may include the use of attachments, buttons, and bands — which cannot be applied at home but may be required for the best results.

Treatment Plan

When a patient signs up to receive Invisalign treatment, their dentist or orthodontist can either be very involved with the treatment plan or not involved at all. What does this mean? Let’s say you go to see your dentist and opt to begin Invisalign treatment. The dentist takes images of your teeth and then sends them to Invisalign, where a technician creates your treatment plan. Your personal, hometown dentist can either make changes to your technician-created plan or leave it as is.

Byte assigns you a licensed dentist who will create your aligner plan. If there are any complications during your treatment, your Byte advisor can elevate them to this dentist, who can make adjustments or request refinements. Although if you’re looking for hands-on, in-person care, Invisalign could be a better fit.

Byte vs. Other Home Aligners

Byte is a great clear aligner company, and we’re confident they will give you a great treatment experience. But you shouldn’t jump to a decision without weighing all your options, both in-office and at-home.

Invisalign is the primary in-office option, and while it is more expensive than home aligners, dentists can achieve more advanced teeth movements by adding attachments and appliances. The clear aligner field is crowded, and there are a couple of great options worth considering.

Candid vs Byte

Candid blends in-person care with at-home monitoring to deliver an innovative hybrid treatment approach. They have a network of 300+ providers nationwide, and you’ll schedule an office visit with one to start your treatment. This dentist will provide Candid service and remain involved throughout the process. After that onboarding appointment, you’ll use their CandidMonitoring system to submit images of your teeth every 14 days. Your dentist and Candid’s team will evaluate these photos and collaborate to keep you on track.

Because Candid treatment is administered by a local dentist, their price is higher than Byte’s — typically $3,500 or more, depending on your dentist’s rates. And their average treatment time is 6–9 months. But if you’re looking for hands-on care paired with at-home convenience, it’s definitely worth a look.

SmileDirectClub vs Byte

SmileDirectClub stands out as the largest and most popular at-home clear aligner brand. They have 300+ retail locations across the country, which makes getting started slightly easier depending on where you live. They’ve also served over 1.5 million customers, making them the most experienced home aligner company out there.