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 NewSmile offer a safe, convenient, and affordable alternative to traditional orthodontic treatment.
An exciting newcomer to the industry, NewSmile has made it their priority to offer excellent value to their users. But is NewSmile the right fit for you? Read on to find out.
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Is NewSmile Legit?
NewSmile is one of the youngest clear aligner services we’ve reviewed, but they’re also one of the most affordable. For $1,395, they include your impression kit, aligners, retainers, and three months of teeth whitening. Plus, their financing plans make treatment even more accessible.
NewSmile has offered our readers a special promotion. Save $100 on your aligner bundle by entering SMILEPREPME at checkout. You can also finance your treatment for just $77 per month ($6 per month less than normal).
What Is NewSmile?
After seeing the success of numerous online clear aligner services like SmileDirectClub and Byte, NewSmile joined the party in early 2020. Like the companies that came before them, they offer clear aligner treatment designed remotely and administered from home, no office visits necessary.
Like other at-home clear aligners, NewSmile is considered a primarily cosmetic treatment. It’s designed to treat mild-to-moderate cases of teeth crowding and spacing, along with some minor bite issues. You’ll simply wear your NewSmile aligners for 22 hours per day to gently shift your teeth to their aligned positions. NewSmile’s dental team will supervise your treatment remotely, and you can expect final results within 4-6 months.
NewSmile was founded in Vancouver, B.C., and currently operates in the U.S. and Canada. A combination of low prices and high-quality treatment has laid a solid foundation for their future growth.
How Do I Get Started?
NewSmile needs to see your teeth before you begin treatment to ensure that their aligners can deliver the smile you want. And you have two different choices for how to kick off your aligner plan.
You will first need to decide if you want their Fast Track plan, or their Preview First option. With the Fast Track plan, you will pay for everything upfront ($1,395 for all-day aligners). The Fast Track plan is best suited for a patient who knows NewSmile is the right company for them and wants to move forward as quickly as possible.
NewSmile’s Preview First option is for a more cautious buyer. For $49, you will receive an impression kit and — after you return your dental impressions — a treatment preview, which will help you determine if this is the right path for you before committing to the full cost of treatment. If you like what you see in your preview, then you’ll be all set to move forward and begin wearing your aligners!
Pros & Cons of NewSmile
Before we get too deep into our NewSmile analysis, let’s quickly run down some of their biggest advantages and disadvantages. After taking a look at all of their important characteristics, we think these are the most important for you to know:
NewSmile Pros
- While NewSmile doesn’t have the absolute lowest price point for at-home clear aligners, their $1,395 price tag is still quite reasonable. This is lower than most of their at-home competitors and significantly more affordable than in-office options like Invisalign.
- Those low prices get even more impressive when you consider that NewSmile includes your impression kit, retainers, and whitening kit. That’s a couple of hundred dollars worth of bonus products at no extra charge! Most other at-home aligner services charge you for at least one of them.
- NewSmile’s 4-6-month alignment schedule is much faster than Invisalign or ClearCorrect, although that’s typically because those in-office options are often used to correct more severe misalignments.
- With NewSmile, you can choose a nighttime-only treatment, which only requires you to wear your aligners while you sleep. This is an excellent option If you want to be as discreet as possible.
- NewSmile offers financing plans that don’t require a credit check, ensuring that their alignment services are accessible to as many people as possible.
NewSmile Cons
- NewSmile doesn’t have any retail locations where you can get an in-office teeth scan. The at-home impression kits they provide can get quite messy and many people prefer to get a professional scan instead.
- There aren’t many reviews of NewSmile’s services available on reputable third-party websites. While most of their competitors have hundreds of reviews online, NewSmile has far fewer. To be fair, most of that feedback is positive, but we would still like to see more of it.
So, Do The Pros Outweigh The Cons?
In many cases, yes. NewSmile offers effective clear aligner treatment for mild-to-moderate cases of misalignment, and it’s much more convenient and affordable than braces or Invisalign.
Effectiveness
Aligning your teeth requires a significant investment of both time and money. Therefore, you don’t want to fork over your hard-earned money before determining that the company you choose can provide the results you want. NewSmile is as effective as most other at-home services, but can’t match the power and comprehensiveness of in-office options like Invisalign.
Much like their competitors in the at-home teeth alignment industry, NewSmile’s services are solely for minor crowding and spacing issues. If your bite is misaligned due to a significant overbite, underbite, or crossbite, it’s unlikely that you’re a candidate for their services, and you may need hands-on care from a dentist with in-office clear aligners.
Once you complete your impressions and send them back to NewSmile, they will determine whether they can correct your particular misalignment. If so, they will produce a preview image of your potential finished smile. After you approve this preview, NewSmile will produce your clear aligners and ship them directly to your home.
When you receive your aligners, you simply need to start wearing them. If you choose their all-day alignment plan, you’ll wear your clear aligners for 22 hours per day, only removing them to brush, floss, eat, and drink. If you opt for their Night Aligners, you will only need to wear them for roughly ten hours each day.
Over the next several months, your teeth will gently shift into their new positions. Every 14 days, NewSmile will request that you send photos of your teeth via email so their team can evaluate your progress and keep you on track. This is more frequent than some at-home aligners, but it’s not as intensive as the office visits you’ll attend every 4-6 weeks with Invisalign or ClearCorrect.
Within 4-6 months for all-day wear or 8-10 months for Night Aligners, your alignment will be complete and you’ll just need to wear your aftercare retainers while you sleep to maintain your progress.
Affordability
Braces and Invisalign both require significant monetary investments. Additionally, insurance providers sometimes view teeth alignment as an optional, cosmetic treatment, and refuse to cover the costs.
Perhaps the biggest advantage of at-home aligners is how much more affordable they are than traditional orthodontics. Especially when we’re discussing NewSmile, one of the cheapest options available for teeth alignment in the US today, pricing is a massive pro.
While Invisalign typically costs $3,000-$8,000, NewSmile can straighten your smile for $1,395. That’s even a few hundred dollars cheaper than many of their at-home aligner competitors. Even more impressively, NewSmile includes your initial impression kit, a pair of retainers, and a premium whitening solution at no additional cost. However, if you want their nighttime-only aligners, the price will be $100 higher, at $1,495.
What if you need help affording NewSmile treatment? Don’t worry — financing is available! With daytime aligners, financing starts $83 per month for eighteen months, and for nighttime aligners, it starts at $88 per month for eighteen months. It’s also worth mentioning that NewSmile offers military discounts. If you serve in the military, NewSmile will deduct $100 from their already-low prices. It’s a great offer that most of their competitors can’t match.
Convenience
In addition to pricing, convenience has traditionally been a make-or-break factor for many people seeking a straighter smile. Frequent trips to the dentist can be inconvenient because, let’s face it: many people simply don’t have time for that.
Furthermore, in-office alignment takes much longer than at-home aligners, and it can often be well over a year before you’re done with Invisalign — braces take even longer, up to three years in some cases! With that in mind, NewSmile’s 4-6 month average treatment time is quite impressive. Although that time discrepancy is often because in-office aligners typically take on more severe cases, which take longer to correct.
NewSmile is undoubtedly more convenient than traditional orthodontics. But do they also compare favorably to their direct competitors in the at-home clear aligner industry? That’s a more complicated question.
Let’s start at the beginning, which means sending images of your teeth to the aligner company. NewSmile’s at-home impression kits can be a messy hassle, as taking molds of your teeth is harder than it might sound.
While many of their competitors offer in-office professional teeth scans as an alternative to the DIY molds, NewSmile does not — at least, not in the United States. NewSmile gives its Canada-based customers the option of an in-office scan, but they have no retail locations or dental partnerships in America. This means that you’re stuck with taking impressions of your own teeth. NewSmile does offer some tips and tricks for getting the best results possible, but it’s still not ideal.
We appreciate how NewSmile offers the option to align your teeth strictly at night, which is more convenient than wearing them all day long. If you live a busy lifestyle full of meetings and outings, it might not be realistic for you to wear clear aligners 22 hours per day, so it’s great to have the nighttime option.
Appearance
Clear aligners from any company are going to look much more natural than metal braces. Most clear aligners are slightly noticeable if people know you’re wearing them, or if they’re in close quarters, but you might be surprised by how much aligner appearance can vary from company to company.
NewSmile uses completely transparent aligners that they claim are nearly invisible. However, they can actually be more noticeable than some competitors. This is because your teeth aren’t naturally shiny. Rather, your teeth are porous and have a matte appearance that doesn’t reflect light.
NewSmile’s clear aligners can make your teeth appear shiny and reflective. While some people think this looks unnatural, others say that they like how these transparent aligners make their teeth gleam.
Some of their competitors — like Invisalign and SmileDirectClub — use translucent frosted plastic instead of entirely clear aligners. In our opinion, these aligners are less noticeable than NewSmile’s, since they more accurately mimic the look of your actual teeth.
The other big differentiator between different companies’ clear aligners is whether they’re cut straight across the gums or scalloped to match your unique gumline. NewSmile trims their aligners to match your gums, which is the less noticeable option. If a company cuts its aligners straight across, they will slightly overlap your gums, while NewSmile’s aligners blend into your mouth with ease.
If you choose an in-office treatment like Invisalign or ClearCorrect, your dentist might supplement your aligners with elastics or attachments. These will help correct more severe and complex misalignments, but they will also make your aligners more visible. Since NewSmile doesn’t require any hands-on care from a dentist, they can’t incorporate similar attachments, maintaining their low profile.
As with any clear aligners, we do not recommend eating or drinking anything other than water while wearing NewSmile’s aligners. Clear aligners are somewhat stain-resistant but the last thing you want to do is stain them with coffee, red wine, or other dark beverages. In this scenario, you might have to continue wearing stained aligners until you’re ready to switch to your next set, which undermines the discreet nature of clear aligner treatment!
Customer Experience
It’s important that you have the utmost confidence in the company you choose to align your smile. After all, you only have one set of teeth, and aligning them can be expensive and time-consuming. NewSmile’s support is quite responsive, though it’s not quite as personalized as in-office options, since it’s difficult to match hands-on care with a fully remote team.
You can contact NewSmile’s support team via phone, email, or social media. NewSmile reps are available from 9:30am – 4:30pm PST Monday through Saturday and 10:30am – 3:30pm PST on Sunday, and by all accounts, they provide excellent service.
We have found that NewSmile representatives are quite responsive if you contact them during their office hours. Their reps are knowledgeable and friendly, and they’ve been able to answer every question we’ve asked them. Even so, remote support isn’t quite as comprehensive as contacting or visiting a dentist’s office that knows you and your teeth intimately.
When it comes to refunds, NewSmile is average compared to its competitors. They offer refunds for your entire purchase if they determine that you’re not a good candidate for their aligners. However, you cannot return your impression kit for a refund unless it’s “unopened, unused and in the same condition that you received it.”
What Are NewSmile Customers Saying?
We always like to take a look at what customers have to say when analyzing an at-home teeth alignment company. Some companies in this industry have hundreds or even thousands of reviews, that’s not the case for NewSmile, as they’re a newer and somewhat smaller company than some other options.
They don’t have a wealth of online reviews, but many of the reviews we could find were positive and enthusiastic. NewSmile’s customers generally love the quality and effectiveness of their aligners, as well as the friendliness of their support team. Those who did register complaints were often disappointed in delayed turnaround times and issues with manufacturing defects — although these complaints are few and far between.
NewSmile vs. Invisalign
There are some commonalities between NewSmile and Invisalign — chiefly, they both straighten customers’ teeth using clear aligners. However, their procedures are vastly different.
Cost
Invisalign typically costs $3,000-$8,000, depending on the severity of your misalignment. This is because Invisalign treatment requires frequent in-office visits with a dental professional, while NewSmile is 100% remote. NewSmile’s $1,395 price point is about 60% cheaper than Invisalign’s lowest average cost.
Convenience
Because NewSmile doesn’t require any office visits, it’s significantly more convenient than Invisalign. Beyond that, NewSmile can align your teeth in just 4-6 months, whereas most people have to wear Invisalign aligners for at least a year, although that’s usually because Invisalign takes on severe cases that take longer to correct.
Effectiveness
This category all depends on your specific condition. If you only have a mild crowding and spacing issue, NewSmile and Invisalign are both capable of straightening your smile. However, if you have issues like a severe overbite, underbite, or crossbite, Invisalign might be your only clear aligner option.
Invisalign’s in-office treatment means that your dental professional can add attachments to your aligners, allowing them to exert more force when straightening your teeth. This isn’t an option with NewSmile.
Treatment Plan
These companies have quite a few differences in their treatment plans. Invisalign starts with an in-office teeth scan, while NewSmile begins with an at-home DIY impression kit. The next step is the same for either company: they produce your aligners and ship them.
However, Invisalign adds a step that NewSmile skips. While NewSmile sends your aligners straight to your front door, Invisalign sends them to your dentist or orthodontist, who will then walk you through the process of wearing them and determine if they need to make any adjustments or add any attachments.
NewSmile vs. Other Home Aligners
NewSmile is an excellent option for at-home teeth alignment, but they’re far from the only choice you have. There are several other reputable companies offering clear aligners for home application these days, so let’s see how NewSmile stacks up to a couple of the top options one-on-one.
NewSmile vs. Byte
Byte is a highly efficient treatment, achieving final results in as little as four months for some customers — and they guarantee those results for life. However, Byte also has much higher prices than NewSmile. While NewSmile charges $1,395 for all-day or $1,395 for night-only alignment, Byte has an $1,895 price point for their all-day plan and a $2,295 sticker price for nighttime treatment.
NewSmile vs. Candid
Candid has a hybrid at-home and in-person treatment model. While you’ll complete your entire NewSmile treatment from home, you’ll receive Candid treatment from a local dentist. After an initial in-person consultation and examination, you’ll check in virtually via their CandidMonitoring service every 14 days for the rest of the time. By keeping a local dentist involved for the entire process, Candid offers a level of quality care that sets them apart. However, this level of involvement comes with a major trade-off: Candid treatment costs $3,500+, which is much more expensive than NewSmile.
NewSmile vs. SmileDirectClub
SmileDirectClub was the first company to start selling at-home clear aligners, and today they’ve perfected more than one million smiles. SmileDirectClub has a big advantage for experience, but they charge $2,050 and they have a somewhat hit-or-miss customer support department. However, they have hundreds of retail locations where you can get professional teeth scans, and their experience delivering at-home aligner treatment is unrivaled.
Is NewSmile Right for You?
Out of all the at-home teeth alignment companies we’ve reviewed, we rank NewSmile at #5. They offer affordable prices paired with fast alignment times and a nighttime-only option. While they don’t have any retail locations for in-office scans or extensive experience, they’re still a solid choice for high-quality clear aligners at reasonable rates.
Our top pick, Byte, has considerably higher prices than NewSmile, but they use technology to deliver efficient treatment, and their Byte-for-Life guarantee ensures the quality of your smile for the rest of your life.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does NewSmile offer discounts?
We are not aware of any NewSmile discounts. However, their $1,395 sticker price is already the second-lowest price point for home alignment in the U.S., so they don’t really need any sales or rebates to provide a solid value.
Can NewSmile correct my condition?
It depends. If you only have moderate crowding or spacing, it’s quite likely that NewSmile can align your smile with no problems. However, more serious issues may require traditional orthodontics.
What about Invisalign?
Invisalign is still the gold standard for clear aligners, and they offer a much more personalized alignment process. As opposed to at-home alignment, Invisalign requires regular office visits where your dentist or orthodontist can adjust your treatment, add attachments to exert more force, and more.
NewSmile has faster alignment times and lower prices, but Invisalign can fix a wider variety of misalignments. For more information about Invisalign, check out our full review.
How much will I end up paying?
It depends on whether you choose all-day or night-only alignment, whether you use their financing plan, etc. The sticker price for NewSmile is $1,395 but many people pay more or less than that depending on the specifics of their purchases.
How do I get started?
The first step is to use NewSmile’s at-home impression kit to take impressions of your teeth. Once you successfully complete your molds, you will send them back to NewSmile so they can analyze whether you’re a good candidate for their alignment and send you a preview image of what your final smile could look like.
How long will it take?
For most people, NewSmile’s all-day aligners take 4-6 months and their Night Aligners take 8-10 months, but it depends on the severity of your condition.
Does insurance cover NewSmile treatment?
This varies depending on the specifics of your insurance plan, so you should contact your insurer for more information if you’re not sure. However, we will point out that most insurance companies consider teeth alignment to be an optional cosmetic treatment and therefore do not cover it.
What is the cheapest home aligner service?
AlignerCo charges just $1,145, making them the cheapest home aligner service available in America. They also sometimes offer discounts driving their great rates even lower.
What is the most effective clear aligner company?
Overall, you can’t beat Invisalign. The regular hands-on care you’ll receive from your dentist, combined with Invisalign’s ability to incorporate attachments, means it can treat even severe misalignments. Candid’s hybrid model is also a great option, and for at-home aligners, Byte’s efficiency and lifetime warranty make them a highly effective choice.
Do clear aligners hurt?
You may experience some level of discomfort for a day or two whenever you switch to a new set of aligners, but for the most part, you’ll barely even notice them.
Is home aligner treatment safe?
Yes. While it might sound daunting, the fact is that at-home teeth alignment companies have safely aligned thousands upon thousands of smiles, and serious incidents are extremely rare. We feel that you can have as much confidence in at-home alignment as you would with traditional orthodontics.
Edd-Lainia says
Good Morning,
I recently came across your article about NewSmile. I wanted to share some of my experience with you.
At first NewSmile was nice but then their attitude changed when I requested a refund. Also many of their positive reviews are from them prompting customers to post a review after their Impression session but before they have gotten their preview or before they have completed treatment.
NewSmile is starting to get negative reviews and after reading them, these reviews seem to be largely based on two areas, getting a refund or getting the right amount refunded, and the treatment results not being what the customer expected and being charged additional monies to have a revised treatment plan done.
My experience falls in the 1st category. I pre-paid for my aligners and after receiving my initial preview I was disappointed that the teeth I wanted corrected were not corrected in my initial preview. I have a protruding lower side tooth and a gap between my molars. It was at this time, I learned that NewSmile’s treatment focuses on the front six teeth. They told me that their dental team would review my case and get back to me. I told them if my treatment requirements were outside of their scope, that was fine and to refund my money minus the $49 for the Impression kit.
They responded by saying that their dental team said I need to get IPR done on my bottom teeth to allow for space to move the side tooth (which is technically out of their treatment scope) and they couldn’t move the molar. IPR is shaving some of the enamel off of your teeth to make more room.
After going back and forth with them for several weeks regarding a refund, I was told that they would penalize me $200 and the rest of the refund would take 90 days to process the approval and then 14 additional days to do the actual refund.
A few things you should be aware of or look into. NewSmile does not have a US office. They have a warehouse in New York. They claim they work with licensed dentists and orthodontists but will not allow you to know their names or have any direct contact with anyone on their “dental team”. They wanted me to have my teeth shaved based on what customer service told me but would not give me any information on the dental professional who supposedly said I should do this.
When comparing them to other companies, I’m beginning to wonder just how legitimate this company really is. I have since found a different company that does move all teeth and they give you the name and information of the dental professional that created, approved, and is managing your treatment program.
I am still fighting with NewSmile regarding my refund amount as they will say you are a good candidate when in reality, you may not be. And they will not allow you to talk with a dentist/orthodontist associated with their company. It makes a person question if they even work with any dental professionals to begin with. While their calls show up as British Columbia, customer service seems to be based out of the Philippines. I think I’m beginning to believe that they have 3D printers and a computer simulated program and just make these aligners with no dental professional input or consultantion.
I’m curious, if you were to dig a little deeper into the company, what you would find.
Thank you for your time,
P.S. I have emails and pictures, if you ever want to review them.