SmileDirectClub Nighttime Aligners Review: Too Good to Be True?

For most adults, clear aligners are an appealing option because they’re removable and much more discreet than braces. Still, wearing them for 22+ hours/day poses some daily inconveniences. You have to remove them every time you eat or drink, and before you put them back in, you have to brush, floss, and clean your aligners.

Nighttime aligners can be a more convenient option. They’re designed similarly to standard aligners, but you only wear for ten continuous hours overnight instead of all day long. And SmileDirectClub’s Nighttime Aligners are just one available option. Are they right for you? Let’s find out.

How Are SmileDirectClub’s Nighttime Aligners Different?

All-day aligners require 22 hours of wear each day, but nighttime aligners only need ten. This has to mean that these two products are very different. Right?

Actually, they aren’t — at least not with SmileDirectClub. Their daytime aligners and nighttime treatment are identical; the difference is in the wear schedule.

With all-day aligners from SmileDirectClub, you wear them for 22 cumulative hours a day and each aligner is typically worn for a week before moving to the next in the series. With the nighttime plan, you wear them for ten consecutive hours each day and wear each aligner for two weeks before moving on to the next in the series. As for the total length of treatment, SmileDirectClub claims their all-day plans last an average of 4–6 months, while their nighttime aligners typically take 8–10 months.

Advantages of SmileDirectClub Nighttime Aligners

Given that all-day aligners are so similar to nighttime ones, you might wonder why you should consider the latter as a treatment option. For those who choose these plans, it comes down to a few key advantages of nighttime-only wear.

Nobody Has to Know

Clear aligner therapy is so popular largely because it’s more discreet than traditional appliances. People around you will almost never realize you’re wearing them. The problem with all-day treatment is that you need to remove and replace your aligners multiple times a day, and depending on your job, you might not be able to do this in total privacy. Nighttime aligners let you skip all that.

No-Stress Mealtimes

You cannot wear your aligners while eating or while drinking anything besides plain water. This is because the plastic can stain and won’t stand up to biting pressure. You need to make sure you always have a case, toothbrush, and toothpaste on hand, and you can’t eat without easy access to a sink. That’s a lot to remember. With nighttime aligners, you can finish eating for the night before you put them in, and you won’t remove them until breakfast.

A Fit for the Typical Routine

One of the hardest parts of realigning your teeth is making your therapy match with your routines and lifestyle. Nighttime aligners make this easier since they fit right into the typical bedtime routine. The only additional steps are inserting your aligners, brushing them when you brush your teeth, and remembering to remove them in the morning.

Drawbacks to SmileDirectClub Nighttime Aligners

There are a lot of advantages to nighttime-only treatment. So many that it might feel like the entire concept is too good to be true. The truth is that SmileDirectClub Nighttime Aligners are legit, as are similar systems from other companies. But they aren’t without their drawbacks.

Longer Treatment Time

You might have a specific event when you want to debut your brand new smile, like a wedding or graduation. Unfortunately, with nighttime treatment, you’ll need to give yourself more of a head start. Usually, these systems take twice as long as all-day treatment. While SmileDirectClub claims their standard treatment plans average 4–6 months, their Nighttime Aligners typically take around 8–10.

Increased Discomfort

Wearing clear aligners should never be painful, but sensitivity and a little soreness are common at the start of treatment and with each new aligner set. All-day plans let your teeth get used to the pressure, so this soreness subsides fairly quickly. However, it takes the teeth longer to become accustomed to each new aligner with overnight wear, so the discomfort can last longer. For some patients, it only subsides when they remove their aligners, and it can impact their quality of sleep.

Smaller Changes

SmileDirectClub is an at-home clear aligner company, and that means that it can only address cosmetic issues, not medical ones. However, their nighttime treatment is even more limited. Because of the additional back-and-forth your teeth go through with nighttime treatment — they shift back a bit during the day — larger movements just aren’t feasible.

Is SmileDirectClub the Only Option for Nighttime Treatment?

SmileDirectClub is one of the biggest names in at-home nighttime aligner treatment. But it isn’t the only one — NewSmile also offers nighttime aligners.

NewSmile takes the same approach to nighttime aligners as SmileDirectClub: they use the same aligners as all-day treatment, require 8–10 hours of continuous wear, and often double the total length of treatment. Where they differ is in their pricing structure. With SmileDirectClub, you pay the same for nighttime treatment as you do for all-day aligners, but NewSmile charges £100 more for nighttime-only wear.

For a deep dive on NewSmile aligner treatment, check out our full NewSmile review.

What About In-Office Options?

Invisalign, ClearCorrect, and Six Month Smiles all offer in-office clear aligner therapy, meaning you need to get their products from a dentist or orthodontist and see this doctor regularly throughout treatment. Unlike at-home aligners, these companies do not offer nighttime-only treatments. Your doctor will give you directions on how to wear your aligners, and you should follow them carefully.

Still Undecided? Here’s Our Recommendation.

All clear aligners require dedication, and this is even more true with at-home treatment, since you don’t have a doctor keeping you on track. Nighttime aligners make this easier because you’ll take them out far less often. However, nighttime-only plans typically take longer and can’t treat quite the same scope of misalignments.

If you feel confident in your ability to follow your treatment plan, we would recommend going with SmileDirectClub’s all-day option. It’s faster and can address more significant gaps and crowding.