SmileDirectClub officially shuts down, leaving some customers in limbo
Customers of SmileDirectClub, the telehealth orthodontics provider of teeth-straightening aligners, have been left to fend for themselves amid a company shutdown.
SmileDirectClub announced in a statement posted to its website on Friday that the company made “the incredibly difficult decision” to immediately cease its global operations, which includes Canada. The decision comes less than three months after SmileDirectClub filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
The company functioned mainly by offering direct-to-consumer teeth aligners that were sent to customers through the mail. The service was designed to be more affordable, and more visibly subtle, than traditional braces.
SmileDirectClub purchasers would take their own teeth moulds at home in order to have their aligners custom-made. (If a user lived near one of several hundred “Smile Shop” retail locations, they could also have their teeth scanned there.)
A traditional SmileDirectClub aligner cost around $2,830 — though financing options, including $115 a month for 28 months (with a $300 downpayment), were available to customers who wanted to spend less up front.
SmileDirectClub was founded in 2014 and served more than two million people internationally, according to the company.
Now many of the company’s customers have been left in limbo, and without the finished smile they’d hoped for. Since users are typically required to wear their aligners consistently for four to six months, customers in the midst of treatments have been left by the wayside.
The company apologized and said it will no longer continue any treatment through its platform, including 60-day check-ins for aligner users. Its lifetime guarantee is also now void.
“If you wish to continue treatment
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