Historically, the only way to transform your smile was to get braces or Invisalign from your dentist, but that’s no longer the case. Today, clear aligner brands like Candid make achieving your ideal smile both affordable and convenient.
Candid stands out for their personalized clinical oversight throughout treatment with a unique hybrid model that incorporates in-person and remote care. But is Candid the right fit for you? In this review, we’ll walk you through everything you should know before deciding whether or not to move forward with treatment.
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Is Candid Legit? Why They Score 4.3/5 Overall
Yes! Candid initially made their mark on the clear aligner industry by offering premium at-home clear aligner treatment. Recently, they transitioned to “CandidPro,” a new hybrid service that offers the convenience of at-home treatment with the hands-on care of a local dentist.
Although CandidPro is a relatively untested model with few reviews at this point, Candid has a long history of satisfied customers who they’ve treated 100% remotely over the years. We’re hopeful that this new hybrid service will allow Candid to truly offer the best of both worlds.
What Is Candid?
Founded in 2017 and based out of New York City, Candid is a company that offers convenient and affordable clear aligners, empowering you to transform your smile from home. Their aligners look and feel similar to Invisalign — they are made from clear plastic and fit snugly over your teeth, much less visible than traditional braces.
Candid began as a completely remote clear aligner service. They’ve since evolved into a hybrid treatment that requires an initial consultation with a local dentist, who collaborates with Candid’s team and remains involved as you complete your treatment. However, most of Candid treatment still takes place remotely thanks to their unique remote monitoring system, CandidMonitoring. CandidMonitoring allows you to submit biweekly scans of your teeth to your dentist and the Candid team from the comfort of your home.
Candid has a network of 200+ dentists across the U.S., and it’s constantly expanding. Because Candid treatment now requires in-person dental appointments, it’s only available to people who live near a dentist in Candid’s network.
What Is CandidMonitoring?
There are three main components to the CandidMonitoring system: the ScanBox device, a cheek retractor, and a mobile app.
The first step to getting started with CandidMonitoring is to download the Candid app from the App Store or Google Play Store and sign in to your Candid portal. Every 10-14 days, the app will notify you that it’s time to submit new scans of your teeth for review.
To complete these scans, sign into the Candid app and hit “Take Scan,” connect your phone to the front of the ScanBox, use a cheek retractor to reveal your full smile, and hold the device over your mouth. The app will scan your teeth and upload them for review. Using artificial intelligence and human analysis, your dentist and Candid’s team will collaborate to review your scans, ensure you’re on track, and alter your wear schedule if necessary. If any issues arise, they might suggest scheduling additional office visits.
How Do I Get Started?
To get started with Candid, you’ll need to schedule an appointment with one of their 200+ network providers. At this appointment, your dentist will provide an initial consultation, determine if you’re a good candidate for treatment, and take intraoral teeth scans.
They’ll send your intraoral scans to Candid’s orthodontic team, who will use them to design your treatment plan and develop a 3D preview of your post-treatment smile. Once you approve the treatment plan, Candid will produce and ship your aligners to your door!
Candid Pros & Cons
Before you decide to move forward with Candid treatment, it’s a good idea to weigh the benefits and drawbacks to make sure it’s the right fit for you. We’ve sifted through the details of Candid’s service offerings and compiled a list of the most important pros & cons to keep in mind:
Candid Pros
- Candid is among the more well-established brands that incorporate remote care. They were founded in 2017 and have transformed 70,000 smiles so far.
- Every Candid patient starts their treatment in-person with a local dentist who will collaborate with Candid throughout the treatment process. Completely remote clear aligner services like Byte and AlignerCo don’t offer this benefit.
- Candid’s treatment plans can straighten all your teeth, rather than just the front ones — another advantage they have over totally remote aligner services.
- The CandidMonitoring system allows you to send digital scans of your teeth to your dentist and the Candid team via their mobile app, so they can evaluate your progress every step of the way. This makes Candid treatment much more convenient and streamlined than options like Invisalign and ClearCorrect, which don’t incorporate remote monitoring.
- You have easy access to Candid’s support team via the CandidApp seven days a week. Most at-home aligner services rely heavily on phone, email, and sometimes webchat for their customer support.
Candid Cons
- Candid treatment is currently best-suited to treat mild and moderate cases of misalignment. For complex cases, a more comprehensive in-office treatment like Invisalign may be a better choice.
- Candid treatment is only available if you live near one of their 200+ local providers.
- Because Candid treatment incorporates in-office care, it’s quite a bit more expensive than entirely remote services like Byte. However, it’s still often less expensive than Invisalign.
- Many fully remote clear aligner services (like Byte) offer nighttime-only treatment options, but Candid is intended for all-day treatment only. Your dentist will prescribe your wear schedule, but you should assume you'll be wearing your Candid aligners for at least 22 hours per day.
So, do the Pros Outweigh the Cons?
In many cases, yes! Their hybrid treatment model, robust remote monitoring system, and extensive experience make Candid a great option for many people.
Effectiveness
Orthodontic treatment is an investment, so you don’t want to dive in without being sure that it can deliver the results you’re after. In this section, we’ll go over what type of results you can expect from Candid treatment.
Candid’s mission is to offer the best of both worlds between at-home and in-office care, and they take a unique approach to achieve it.
Even though you’ll complete the majority of your Candid treatment at home, having a local dentist involved can be a huge benefit. Not only will they help you start treatment without a hitch, but depending on your dentist and your unique needs as a patient, they may be quite involved throughout the whole process.
The level of involvement varies based on the provider, so if you’d like your dentist to be highly involved, you should discuss it with them before you begin. Either way, you’ll have someone who has examined your teeth in-person in the loop in case any problems come up that Candid thinks require additional office visits.
Even so, Candid is still primarily suited for treating mild and moderate cases of crowding and spacing. If you have a particularly complex case, you might require a more comprehensive treatment option like Invisalign or braces.
Candid works closely with your dentist to ensure your treatment plan is tailored to your specific goals and needs.
Candid bases their treatment design on the objectives your dentist determines by examining your teeth and discussing your primary concerns. So, instead of relying on dental molds you take at home — like many fully remote services — Candid treatment revolves around the expert evaluation of someone who has looked at your teeth in person, considered your specific goals, and taken accurate intraoral scans. That makes for a highly precise and personalized aligner plan.
Candid treatment can adjust your entire dental arch, even the molars, when it’s necessary.
Fully-remote clear aligner services like Byte, and even some in-office options like Six Month Smiles and Invisalign Express, focus mainly on shifting your front six teeth. Unfortunately, in some cases, moving the front teeth without appropriately adjusting the rest of your dental arch can negatively impact your bite.
Candid, on the other hand, has the ability to move all of your teeth, molars included, instead of just the “social six” front teeth. By moving the molars, Candid’s treatment plans are able to create the necessary space in your dental arches, laying the groundwork to move your front teeth without negatively impacting your bite.
CandidMonitoring gives your dentist and Candid’s team regular updates on your progress so they can keep you on track.
Every 14 days, you’ll submit images of your teeth to your dentist and Candid’s team so that they can make sure your teeth are moving as expected. This allows them to make adjustments to your wear schedule if necessary, or recommend further office visits if they spot a more serious issue.
All of this takes place using Candid’s mobile app. The CandidApp walks you through the process of scanning your teeth with easy-to-follow instructions, and serves as your home base for receiving treatment updates and communicating with Candid.
CandidMonitoring helps to ensure quality results and provides the peace of mind that comes with expert oversight.
Candid’s aligners are cut straight across the top to exert more force on the teeth.
Candid’s aligners are cut straight across the top above your gumline, rather than scalloped to perfectly match your teeth. This is a major advantage, since research has shown that scalloped aligners exert significantly less pressure against the teeth. By cutting their aligners straight across and over the gumline, they can use the gums as an anchor to apply up to 4 times more force to the teeth.
Additionally, Candid uses 3D printers to manufacture their aligners. They say these printers capture the details of the dental scans more accurately than other providers’ methods, yielding potentially more powerful and precise aligners.
Candid’s aligners are manufactured in-house in Silicon Valley using high quality, BPA-free thermoplastic.
Candid used to partner with ClearCorrect, a reputable dental manufacturer that uses a high-quality, BPA-free plastic material called Zendura FLX. However, Candid recently moved their manufacturing in-house.
Through this transition, Candid seems to have kept up the quality of their product. Their aligners are still made using Zendura’s comfortable and highly durable tri-layer plastic, and they tell us that in-house manufacturing has given them the control necessary to deliver the sophisticated dental shifts they promise.
Affordability
A major benefit of completely remote clear aligner services like Byte and AlignerCo is the massive savings they offer compared to traditional options like braces of Invisalign. However, since Candid incorporates direct in-person oversight from a dentist, treatment is significantly more expensive than these fully-remote options. While potentially less expensive than Invisalign, Candid is still a considerable investment.
The total cost of Candid treatment is $3,500 or more, depending on your provider.
This price includes everything you’ll need from start to finish — your office visits, treatment plan, aligners, CandidMonitoring equipment, and whitening foam. The sticker price might be intimidating, but considering what’s included, it’s still a decent value.
Candid’s price varies based on the location of your provider, but will likely cost at least $3,500, and potentially much more if you live in a part of the country where the cost of living is high. If you’re looking for the most budget-friendly clear aligner option on the market, you’ll be better off with a purely remote clear aligner service instead.
Patients can enroll in payment plans through their dentist’s office.
For many people, paying $3,500 all at once is a long shot. Fortunately, you probably won’t have to. Most dentist’s offices offer financing plans to help make the cost of treatment more manageable. The terms vary depending on the dentist, so you’ll want to contact the office for details on their options.
Insurance coverage and HSA or FSA accounts can help pay for your treatment.
Since a local dentist provides your Candid service, you may receive insurance coverage if your plan includes orthodontic benefits. Some providers consider clear aligner treatment cosmetic and refuse to cover it, especially if it’s correcting a mild misalignment. But others will provide partial coverage. The only way to know for sure is by contacting your insurance provider.
If you have a Health Savings Account (HSA) or a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), your dentist’s office may accept payments from either. These tax-free funds — which may receive contributions from your employer — could be more convenient than paying out of pocket.
Convenience
Aside from cost, one of the biggest barriers to pursuing a more comfortable smile is the time commitment of traditional orthodontics. When the daily grind is running you ragged, repeated dentist visits aren’t exactly convenient. And taking time off from work each month for your appointments isn’t ideal either. Not to mention that traditional orthodontic treatments like braces and Invisalign typically take longer, so if you have a big event coming up this year (not two or three years down the road) and you want to finish treatment ASAP, it may not be complete in time.
If you live near one of Candid’s network providers, it’s easy to get started.
Many people find that the hardest part of clear aligner treatment is taking the first step. Fortunately, Candid makes it quick and painless. You’ll simply book an appointment with a local provider, during which they’ll take scans, photos, and X-rays of your teeth and submit them to Candid.
Most fully remote aligner services typically have customers purchase an impression kit and create molds of their teeth from home, which can be tricky and require multiple tries. Having a dentist take your teeth scans in person eliminates that potential for errors and any frustration that might come with it. And if you haven’t had dental X-rays in a while, you should get them before any clear aligner treatment to help ensure safe, effective teeth movements. Candid builds these X-rays into the startup process, so you won’t have to make a separate appointment.
If you don’t live near a network provider, however, you’ll either have to travel for your appointment or go with a different treatment option.
CandidMonitoring’s virtual check-ins provide a more streamlined experience than Invisalign.
More comprehensive in-person treatments like Invisalign involve office visits every 4-6 weeks throughout treatment. These appointments can be time-consuming and require you to take time off of work or school. But Candid replaces them with virtual check-ins. After your initial Candid office visit, you’ll complete the rest of your treatment remotely, submitting photos of your teeth every 10-14 days for evaluation. It’s a quicker, easier, and overall more efficient process.
If your case is especially complex, or if you run into issues during treatment that require hands-on care, your dentist may suggest additional in-person appointments. However, there will still be far fewer appointments than with traditional clear aligner treatments like Invisalign.
Expect to wait around 5-7 weeks before beginning treatment.
After you complete your initial office visit, Candid usually takes two weeks to prepare your treatment plan. This is somewhat slower than some other clear aligner companies. For instance, SmileDirectClub promises to complete this step in just 72 hours. After receiving and approving your treatment plan, Candid will take another 3-5 weeks to produce and ship your aligners, which is fairly standard.
Start to finish, treatment takes 6-9 months on average.
As long as you’re using your aligners properly and wearing them at least 22 hours per day, you can expect the process to last about 6 months. This makes Candid treatment much shorter than Invisalign or braces, but not quite as fast as some fully remote clear aligner services (like Byte).
As you weigh your options, consider your calendar and goals. If your wedding is in four months, Candid’s timeline might not align with yours.
Candid doesn’t offer nighttime-only treatment.
Fully remote clear aligner services often offer two different treatment schedules: all-day and nighttime-only. However, Candid is intended for all-day treatment only. There may be a small amount of leeway here, but your dentist will most likely require you to wear your Candid aligners for at least 22 hours/day, removing them only to eat, drink, and brush.
Nighttime-only aligners are increasing in popularity because of their added convenience. Since you don’t wear them during the day, you don’t have to worry about lisping, taking them out to eat, or any other daily maintenance involved in wearing aligners for 22 hours/day. Because Candid treatment requires all-day wear, we think it’s a bit less convenient than options like Byte and SmileDirectClub.
Appearance
When it comes to teeth straightening treatments, most adults agree: the less visible, the better. They often don’t want to attend business meetings, dates, or special occasions sporting visible metal brackets. Clear aligner products pride themselves on being far more discreet than braces. For this reason, all clear aligners tend to excel aesthetically, and Candid is no exception.
That said, not all clear aligners are created equal in terms of appearance. While they’re all made from transparent, BPA-free plastic, variations in manufacturing processes cause each brand to look slightly different.
Candid uses a frosted plastic in their aligners, giving them a matte appearance.
Candid’s aligners are made from tri-level Zendura FLX plastic, a matte plastic material that appears frosted. Many people think that frosted aligners look more natural than smooth ones. Teeth are naturally porous — which is why coffee and red wine can stain them — and these pores give a matte appearance. Candid’s frosted plastic mimics this matte look, while smooth aligners are more reflective, and can make teeth look unnaturally shiny.
Candid cuts their aligners straight across the top and doesn’t incorporate any additional attachments.
Completely in-person treatments like Invisalign can affix tiny attachments to the surfaces of your teeth and even incorporate elastics. While these attachments help induce more complex shifts, they also make the aligners more noticeable. Candid, however, doesn’t use any attachments or elastics, preserving their low profile.
The company says that even without attachments, their aligners can achieve significant power thanks to their cut and manufacturing precision. As we mentioned earlier, Candid aligners are cut straight across at the top (rather than scalloped to follow the gumline), which makes them more effective, but also slightly more visible. Since they partially cover the gums, others may be able to see where the aligners end when you smile. Even so, most people don’t find straight-cut aligners to be more noticeable than scalloped ones.
You’ll want to take out your aligners before eating & drinking to avoid stains.
All clear aligners are susceptible to food and beverage stains — that’s why it’s important to remove them before eating or drinking anything besides water. Candid’s aligners are crafted from Zendura FLX, an innovative plastic that has three separate layers. The inner layer is flexible, making them comfortable to wear, while the outer layer is firm which resists staining more than other materials.
Still, we certainly wouldn’t recommend drinking coffee, red wine, or other dark liquids while wearing them.
Patient 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 any issues arise.
If you’re looking for a company that truly cares, Candid is a great choice. Even though your dentist will be the one administering your treatment, Candid also gives you access to their reliable, courteous support team.
You get the expertise of the local dentist, backed by remote support features.
Candid’s patient support is two-fold. Your dentist will provide the service, and you’ll also have near-constant access to the Candid remote care team, who can answer your questions and bring your dentist into the loop if necessary.
The most convenient way to contact their team is via live chat on the CandidApp. However, service representatives are also available by phone, chat, and email every day (including weekends) from 9am-7pm. If you reach out on social media, expect a response within 24 hours.
Your dentist and Candid’s team will be involved in your entire treatment via CandidMonitoring.
With the implementation of CandidMonitoring, your dentist and Candid’s team will collaborate to keep you on track, monitoring your progress via remote teeth scans every two weeks or so. This gives you assurance that your treatment is progressing as planned.
Though Candid plans your entire treatment up front, teeth don’t always move as expected. If their team or your dentist notices any issues in your regular check-ins, they may recommend going in for another office visit.
Candid wants to make sure you are completely satisfied with your smile.
If your dentist determines right off the bat that you’re not a candidate for Candid treatment, you will receive a full refund for any upfront payment you may have made.
But let’s say you’re three months into your treatment and your smile isn’t progressing the way you expected. In this case, Candid will not offer a refund. However, because they’re committed to successful smile transformation, you can work with their team and your dentist to alter your treatment and achieve the results you’re after.
What Are Candid Patients Saying?
When we review a company like Candid, we start by digging through their reviews to understand common issues and concerns.
Unfortunately, the “CandidPro” model is so new that reviews are virtually nonexistent at this time. That said, Candid’s fully remote treatment option long inspired rave reviews, which speaks to the quality of their results and support.
The general sentiment from these reviews is that patients feel satisfied and valued. Often, they chose Candid because they appreciated having consistent remote oversight throughout their treatment. Most had very few issues with their clear aligners and expressed excitement about starting and continuing their treatment. In cases where something went wrong, Candid took care of it efficiently and inspired patient satisfaction in the outcome.
For a realistic look at the Candid patient experience, check out the unbiased Candid reviews we’ve gathered from our readers who have completed treatment, or some of the video reviews they’ve submitted at various stages of the treatment process. (Keep in mind that these are reviews of Candid’s old fully remote treatment offering, not the new CandidPro hybrid model.)
Candid vs. Other Clear Aligners
While Candid is a great clear aligner company, there are other at-home and in-office options to consider. Invisalign is the primary in-office option, and there are several fully remote aligner options worth exploring too, especially if you want the shortest treatment time or lower prices.
Invisalign vs. Candid
Candid requires one office visit, followed by remote check-ins every two weeks or so. Invisalign, on the other hand, is fully in-person, so you’ll need to schedule office visits every 4-6 weeks.
Invisalign’s aligners can incorporate tiny SmartForce attachments — small square attachments are fixed to the front of the teeth — giving them the power to correct more severe dental and jaw misalignments. This gives the dentist significant agency in customizing your treatment. Instead of attachments, Candid focuses on their aligner cut and precise 3D printing to increase their aligner effectiveness — and they largely handle the aligner design, making it simpler for your dentist, but also giving them slightly less flexibility. Keep in mind, however, that every attachment added to your aligners also makes them less discreet.
Invisalign typically takes 12-24 months to achieve its final results and can cost $5,000 or more. With a 6-9-month average treatment time and fewer office visits, Candid is slightly less expensive: often $3,500 or more. With either company, your price depends largely on your specific condition and your provider’s rates.
Byte vs. Candid
Although they entered the scene a bit later than Candid, Byte has quickly gained popularity for a few important reasons. First off, Byte’s treatment timelines are generally shorter than Candid’s — just 4-5 months on average for standard “All-Day” treatment. Byte also offers “At-Night” treatment, which requires only 10 hours of daily wear and takes 5-6 months on average.
Byte’s All-Day plan is $1,895 and their At-Night aligners go for $2,295 because they incorporate premium materials. That’s a lot less than Candid’s $3,500+ price tag, but it also doesn’t incorporate any office visits, remote oversight, or the expertise of a local dentist. Byte’s treatment is still highly effective, and for anyone with a mild-to-moderate misalignment looking for an efficient, fully remote treatment, it could be a great option.
SmileDirectClub vs. Candid
SmileDirectClub stands out as the largest and most experienced at-home clear aligner brand, having transformed over one million smiles so far. Like Candid, they partner with dental practices nationwide, where you can kick off your treatment with an in-person appointment. However, unlike Candid, the local dentist does not stay involved throughout the whole treatment process.
SmileDirectClub charges $1,950 for clear aligner treatment — much less than Candid. And just like Byte, SmileDirectClub’s aligners are primarily designed to treat cosmetic cases of crowding and spacing. They’re not as comprehensive as Candid’s holistic treatment plans.
Bottom Line - Is Candid Right for You?
It’s natural to feel cautious about the idea of remote orthodontic treatment. That’s why Candid’s hybrid model could be an intriguing option for anyone who wants to combine the quality of in-person care with the convenience of virtual check-ins.
With Candid, you’ll have a local dentist in the loop for your entire treatment. Plus, thanks to CandidMonitoring, you can rest easy knowing their expert team will be there if anything goes wrong.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I choose CandidPro over fully remote treatment?
By involving a local dentist in the full treatment process, CandidPro provides the peace of mind that, if anything goes wrong, you can receive hands-on care. The initial office visit also eliminates the frustration and room for error that can come with making molds of your teeth at home.
How do CandidMonitoring check-ins work?
Every 14 days throughout your treatment, you’ll need to submit photos of your teeth to your dentist and Candid’s team. To take these photos, you’ll need a phone with the CandidApp, as well as the ScanBox and cheek retractor that are included in your aligner package. Open the app and hit “Take Scan,” then attach your phone to the ScanBox, insert the cheek retractor, and follow the audio instructions to take scans of your teeth. The app will upload them to your Candid portal for review by Candid’s team and your dentist.
Who will review my check-ins?
Both Candid and your dentist will have access to the photos from your check-ins. Candid’s clinical team will review every check-in, and your dentist may review them as well. Otherwise, Candid will bring in your dentist if they spot any problems with how your teeth are progressing.
What if I don’t live near a CandidPro provider?
Right now, Candid has a network of 200+ providers around the U.S., and they expect that number to grow. But if you don’t live near any of them, you might want to consider other clear aligner options. Because there’s only one required office visit, you might be able to travel for it, then complete the rest of your treatment from home. Just keep in mind that if anything goes awry, Candid might request that you return for additional in-person visits.
Does Candid offer discounts?
Candid pricing is determined by the individual dentists in their network, so the company itself doesn’t offer discounts on treatment. Some dentists may occasionally run promotions that discount their prices, but you’ll need to check with their office to take advantage.
Can Candid correct my condition?
It depends. Candid is extremely effective in treating mild and moderate cases of crowding and spacing, but it might not be able to correct jaw misalignments like overbite, underbite, crossbite, etc. The only way to know for sure is to complete an initial assessment with one of their in-network dentists.
How much will I end up paying?
Candid treatment costs $3,500 or more, although the exact amount you’ll pay will depend on your dentist’s location, your insurance coverage, your financing plan, and more.
How do I get started?
Before anything else, one of Candid’s in-network dentists needs to take a look at your teeth. You’ll schedule an appointment where the dentist can examine your teeth and take intraoral scans. Candid’s team will use these images to craft your entire treatment plan with input from your dentist.
How long will it take?
The average Candid treatment lasts 6-9 months, but each case is unique. Quick fixes might be shorter and more complicated conditions may take longer.
Plus, during CandidMonitoring check-ins, your dentist and Candid’s team might advise you to start with your next aligner set sooner than expected, shortening the overall timeline. After Candid reviews your impressions/teeth scans, they’ll send you a treatment plan that estimates how long it will take.
Does insurance cover Candid treatment?
Potentially, yes. Depending on your insurance plan, you could receive partial coverage for your Candid treatment. The only way to know for sure is to consult your dentist and your insurance provider.
What is the cheapest clear aligner brand?
If cost is your #1 priority, check out AlignerCo. Their $1,145 sticker price is several thousand dollars less than Candid. You can also find other budget-friendly options in our guide on the 3 most affordable clear aligner companies.
What is the most effective clear aligner brand?
Invisalign can treat just about any condition that braces can, while Candid’s hybrid model is best suited to treating mild and moderate cases. For more information and other options, visit our review of the three most effective clear aligner companies.
How often do Candid cases require adjustments during treatment?
Approximately 30% of the patient population will need some type of adjustment during treatment. In these cases, Candid’s team will review the case and offer feedback on specific next steps. The most common feedback they provide is for the patient to move ahead to the next step in their treatment or to spend a little more time wearing their current step until it fits better. But if there’s a more serious issue, they might recommend another office visit.
Do clear aligners hurt?
When you switch to a new aligner set every two weeks, you might experience some discomfort for the first day or two, but after that, you’ll hardly notice them.
Mark Hoskins says
Is CANDID a member of the Dental Network of America (Dnoa)?
Smile Prep says
Hi Mark – I’m not sure. Is there a particular reason you ask?