Browsing teeth straightening treatments can feel like shopping for a new car. It’s a big decision, there’s a wide variety of quality options, and costs can be intimidating. Depending on your condition and which treatment you choose, you’re still looking at anywhere between $1,500 and $8,000. But this isn’t an impulse buy — it’s an investment in your well-being.
At-home aligner systems like SmileDirectClub are usually more affordable than in-office ones (like Invisalign) because they cut out the expense of office visits. SmileDirectClub’s sticker price is already pretty affordable, but there are a few factors that can slightly alter your expenses. In this guide, we’ll lay out everything that could contribute to your all-in treatment cost.
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Sticker Price
If you visit SmileDirectClub’s pricing page, you’ll see that their sticker price is $2,050. This includes your full aligner treatment, an aligner case, “bright on” whitening, lip balm, the “outie” tool (for easy aligner removal), and “chewies” to help seat and fit your aligners. It doesn’t include common home aligner expenses like the impression kit and aftercare retainers.
Additional Costs
Beyond your initial payment, here are some other expenses and factors that could impact the cost of your home aligner treatment:
Impression Kit
To develop an effective treatment plan and ensure that it can deliver the desired results, SmileDirectClub needs to first get a look at your teeth. So, you’ll need to submit impressions or scans of your dental arches. Their impression kit, which allows you to create molds of your teeth, costs $59 (although we’ve seen it as low as $9 on sale).
But this isn’t the only option. SmileDirectClub also has 300+ SmileShops across the U.S., where you can receive a free teeth scan instead. So, sending impressions could be an added expense, but not if you take advantage of a SmileShop.
On top of that, SmileDirectClub has an extensive partner network that includes 1,500+ dentists nationwide. These dentists will take your teeth scans in their offices and get the process started with SmileDirectClub, who will take over from there. So if you feel more comfortable with a dentist taking your scans, that’s an option for you too. Just know that you might need to pay for this appointment, and the rate depends on the dentist you choose.
Retainers
After you complete your aligner treatment, you will need to wear retainers to ensure that your teeth don’t shift back. Typically, you’ll need to keep them in all day for the first two weeks after treatment, then overnight after that. These retainers are with you for the long haul, as SmileDirectClub recommends wearing them for the rest of your life.
Each set of retainers costs $99 and you will need to replace them every six months. They’re not included in the cost of treatment, so this is an ongoing expense you’ll need to write into your budget.
Whitening Products
SmileDirectClub’s $2,050 sticker price includes one full whitening treatment. However, if you want to keep up your “brightest bright,” the company recommends using one whitening kit every six months, and each kit is $30-90, depending on which kit you buy.
Refinements
What if your treatment doesn’t go quite as planned? If you’re not seeing the desired results from your aligners, SmileDirectClub can issue an “aligner touch-up,” or refinement, which provides extra aligners to finish the job. These are seldom necessary if you’re following your aligner plan and wear schedule, but not out of the question.
The good news is that after you’re approved for a touch-up, it won’t cost you any extra. To get approved, you’ll need to contact SmileDirectClub’s customer support and submit photos and/or get another scan of your teeth. Then, their dental team will work with you free of charge to make the necessary adjustments.
In fact, SmileDirectClub takes it a step further. Their Lifetime Smile Guarantee will provide free aligner touch-ups after treatment forever. Each touch-up typically includes a couple of new aligners to further straighten your teeth if they ever shift. To qualify, however, you must order two sets of retainers ($99) per year and wear them as prescribed.
Discounts & Promotions
Who doesn’t love a good sale? SmileDirectClub has various promotions that can lower your costs. They will sometimes run promotions on their website or send promo codes via email that knock a couple of hundred dollars off the sticker price.
At certain times around the year, like the holidays, they will run additional promotions. If you’re seriously considering SmileDirectClub, it could be worth waiting to take advantage of one of these discounts.
Sometimes you can also find coupons on third-party sites. Just make sure that the sites you’re browsing are reputable and trustworthy. Groupon and RetailMeNot are both quality options that offer consistent, reliable coupons.
We stay on top of the latest SmileDirectClub discounts, and you can take advantage in our SmileDirectClub discounts guide.
Financing Options
Instead of paying $2,050 all at once, it can be easier and much more affordable to split it up into monthly payments. But to do so, you’ll need to qualify for a financing plan. One attractive perk SmileDirectClub offers is financing for all customers, regardless of credit score, called SmilePay. Other companies require a credit check to qualify, so financing isn’t an option for every customer.
SmilePay requires a $250 down payment, but after that, you’ll only pay $89 per month for 26 months. If you do the math, you’ll notice that this is a total of $2,564, so it’s cheaper overall to pay up front if you can swing it.
What About Insurance?
Your dental insurance probably covers most (if not all) of your necessary procedures, things like cleanings, fillings, root canals, etc. The issue with clear aligner treatment is that some insurance providers will consider it a cosmetic treatment and, therefore, not eligible for coverage. This is especially true for at-home aligners which typically treat milder misalignments. You’ll want to consult your insurer to determine whether they offer orthodontic benefits specifically for SmileDirectClub treatment.
The good news is that SmileDirectClub is considered in-network for UnitedHealthCare, Aetna, Anthem, Empire, MetLife, and Dominion National. So, if you have one of these insurance providers, you could receive coverage, depending on your specific plan.
Even if your insurance does provide coverage, it will likely only be for part of the total cost. Plus, SmileDirectClub cannot accept direct payments from your insurance provider. Instead, you will need to work with them to apply for reimbursement. Alternatively, if you have a Health Savings Account (HSA) or a Flexible Spending Account (FSA), SmileDirectClub accepts payments from either. These tax-free funds — which may receive contributions from your employer — could be more convenient than paying out of pocket.
How Does The Cost Compare to Other Treatment Options?
At first glance, $2,050 might seem a little steep, but on the entire spectrum of clear aligner companies, SmileDirectClub is actually fairly affordable. Among at-home aligner companies, the total cost is fairly standard, but compared to in-office treatments, it’s much less expensive. Invisalign, for example, can cost between $3,000 and $8,000, and lingual (incognito) braces can be up to $10,000.
While other home aligner companies like AlignerCo and NewSmile are cheaper, SmileDirectClub gives you superior experience and convenience. Since they began in 2014, SmileDirectClub has successfully transformed over one million smiles, so they have a solid reputation and a long track record of results. Plus, their 300+ SmileShops nationwide and nighttime-only aligner option make getting started and continuing treatment much more convenient than the competition. If that sounds appealing, spending the extra few hundred dollars might be well worth it for you.
Learn more about other at-home aligner companies in our review of the top five options. And for the most budget-friendly options, see our guide to the most affordable aligner treatments.
What Are Customers Saying?
Whether you choose SmileDirectClub or another home aligner service, it’s still an investment, and we understand that taking the plunge can be intimidating. Sometimes, the best way to evaluate your options and gain confidence is to see how each treatment worked for other people.
For a realistic look at the customer experience, check out the unbiased SmileDirect reviews we’ve gathered from real users at various stages of the treatment process. Or, check out some of the video reviews our readers have submitted below!
Final Thoughts
Affordability might be one of the primary factors in your clear aligner decision. If so, it’s important to consider all parts of a particular company’s cost, then measure it up against your budget. Consult your dentist and insurance provider to gather all the necessary information and recommendations before you make any snap decisions.
Even though affordability is an important component of your decision-making process, you don’t want to get tunnel vision and choose a certain treatment on price alone. We think that a treatment’s effectiveness, convenience, appearance, and customer support are also essential to a well-informed decision. Keep these factors — along with your budget — in mind and you’ll be on your way to finding the ideal treatment for your smile goals.
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