Byte Aligners Shutdown: What Happened & Top Alternatives 2025

When Byte first started offering at-home clear aligners, their popularity skyrocketed. Their prices were reasonable. Their materials were high-quality. Millions of customers gravitated to their convenience and affordability. They seemed to have everything going for them. Then, in October 2024, their parent company (Dentsply Sirona) announced that they were suspending Byte sales. So what happened?

It’s a complicated web of sales figures and regulatory precedents, but we’re here to untangle it for you—plus provide some insight on where Byte might be headed, what current customers can do, and some viable Byte alternatives.

Why Did Byte Stop Selling Aligners?

Companies don’t just stop selling their goods without a good reason, and Byte had a couple. It might seem sudden, but there were multiple issues brewing below the surface that bubbled up and caused trouble for Byte—as well as the at-home aligner industry at large.

The FDA Investigation

Even though direct-to-consumer aligner companies employ dentists and orthodontists, they’ve always had a somewhat rocky relationship with the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO). The organization has expressed concern about the treatment’s quality for years, while at-home aligner advocates have argued that the AAO simply felt threatened because their members were losing patients.

Either way, in September 2024, the AAO issued a call for its members—about 19,000 orthodontists—to report cases of patient adverse events from direct-to-consumer aligners. Orthodontists listened, and reports spiked. Presumably in response to the surge in reported cases, the FDA opened an investigation into Byte. Dentsply Sirona consulted with the FDA before pausing sales of Byte, and intends to continue collaborating with them.

Declining Sales

Certain states have begun implementing additional regulatory requirements for at-home aligner companies, like providing evidence of office visits and X-rays. This is actually something Byte always recommended to customers, but these official regulatory requirements decreased demand.

At Dentspy Sirona’s Q3 2024 earnings call, their CFO said Byte “declined 7% year-over-year and 19% sequentially, primarily due to lower conversion rates and other adverse impacts from legislative challenges in certain states.” The company has cited this decline as one reason they decided to halt Byte’s operations.

Patient Selection Challenges

A large part of ensuring safe and effective at-home aligner treatment is selecting the right patients. If someone has certain underlying conditions, moving the teeth could prove detrimental to their dental health, causing the types of adverse events that the AAO wants orthodontists to report.

However, assessing potential patients has always been a challenge for remote companies. They don’t want to turn away customers, yet they also have to develop effective systems to ensure patients are suitable for treatment. It’s a tough line to walk, and we thought that Byte did this more thoughtfully and effectively than some competitors.

For example, according to SmileDirectClub’s CLO, the company accepted 95% of applicants, which led to a significant number of complaints about their treatment’s safety and efficacy. Byte accepted a much lower percentage, but it appears they still ran into difficulties setting the right screening mechanisms in place, especially considering evolving regulatory standards.

SmileDirectClub’s Closure

SDC was the largest and most well-known at-home clear aligner company, and their bankruptcy and subsequent closure in late 2023 may have had a ripple effect on the industry. Particularly because SDC had a larger cache of customer complaints, stemming from their inadequate patient screening process. Customers also said SDC refused to provide refunds after promising them, and according to an action from Washington DC’s attorney general, they allegedly required customers to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) before receiving their refunds.

In our opinion, these unfair and deceptive business practices may have reflected poorly on the at-home aligner industry as a whole, possibly turning off customers who may have otherwise seen it as a viable treatment. That critical feedback might also have contributed to Byte’s decline in sales.

Is Byte Closed for Good?

Technically, no. Dentsply Sirona has said they’re evaluating the possibility of resolving the FDA’s regulatory concerns and reopening Byte. But they’ve remained non-committal on whether they think this will actually happen.

If you ask us, the situation doesn’t look particularly promising. In their Q3 earnings call, Dentsply Sirona executives said they’ve already been laying off Byte employees, ceased all marketing activities, and started an ongoing “redeployment of assets.” Plus, the Dentsply team made it clear that this isn’t simply about an FDA investigation. As we outlined above, there are a few factors, and one of the most significant is deteriorating financial performance. Those comments led some analysts (and us) to think that this might be more permanent than it might seem.

And that’s disappointing, because Byte was an early champion for accessibly priced aligner treatment. The company introduced some innovative ideas to the industry, and helped improve the market through competition. We’re still pulling for them to reopen with improved standards for patient onboarding, although we’re not confident it will actually happen at this point.

What About Current Customers?

If you’re in the middle of Byte treatment, it might be concerning to see that they’ve halted their operations. But don’t worry, they’re not abandoning their current customers. They’re just not taking any new ones.

But that doesn’t mean every Byte patient should continue as usual. In a message to patients on their website, they said: If you are currently in Byte Aligner treatment and have known active periodontal disease, severe open bite, severe overjet, tooth malocclusion requiring surgical correction, mixed dentition, have dental prosthetics or dental implants, or are an adolescent with a skeletally narrow jaw, please stop treatment.” They also recommended that these patients visit a dentist for an examination.

For patients who don’t have any of those issues, they said simply continue your treatment plan. Their customer support team is still fielding questions and concerns, so you can request support through the Patient Account Center or the Byte app.

Byte Alternatives

Byte certainly isn’t the only clear aligner brand available, and there are a few others who might work well for you, depending on your specific misalignment.

Byte certainly isn’t the only clear aligner brand available, and there are a few others who might work well for you, depending on your specific misalignment.

Other At-home Aligners

For anyone still considering remote aligner treatment, several established options remain available. AlignerCo has been in the market for several years and has built a substantial track record with over 3,000 verified customer reviews. NewSmile has also emerged as a reliable option with consistent remote monitoring systems.

There are also newer entrants like Smileie, though when it comes to at-home dental treatment, there’s often value in choosing providers with longer track records and established protocols for patient screening and monitoring.

Regardless of which provider you might consider, it’s extremely important to visit a dentist for an exam and X-rays beforehand to ensure you’re a suitable candidate. This precautionary step has always been recommended, but in light of recent industry developments, it’s more critical than ever.
If you’re researching alternatives after Byte’s closure, you can compare the top at-home aligner options to find one that might be right for your specific situation.

In-Office Aligners

Then there’s the industry stalwart, Invisalign. As a fully in-office treatment, its consistent hands-on oversight makes it one of the safest and most reliable treatments out there. Plus, it can fix a wide range of complex misalignments. It’s just usually a lot more expensive and time-consuming than at-home options.

Hybrid Aligners

To us, hybrid options like Candid and Motto strike a great balance between the intensive oversight of in-office treatments and the affordability of at-home ones. These treatments start with one or two in-person appointments, where a dentist can examine your teeth, apply attachments, and make sure your aligners fit right. Then, you’ll have regular virtual check-ins throughout the rest of the process, plus additional office visits if necessary.

Final Thoughts

Byte has spent years as a driving force in the clear aligner industry, but they’ve come to a temporary halt, and we’re unsure whether they’ll get that momentum back again. It might be a complicated situation, but it doesn’t have to be discouraging. We hope Byte can make a comeback with more comprehensive patient screening procedures, but even if they end up closing for good, there are still some safe and reliable teeth-straightening treatments available. Just remember to get a dental exam and X-rays before diving into any of them.