Smile Direct Club Before and After

It’s said a warm smile is the universal language of kindness. But when you feel self-conscious about your smile, you tend to hide it. And that doesn’t help anyone, right? It dims who you are and it hides your own joy from being a part of the world. Sure there are ways to fix your smile, but maybe expensive cosmetic dentistry or cumbersome braces aren’t for you right now.  If you are looking for a great way to save on braces, Smile Direct Club might be right for you.  Today, I can’t wait to share with you my Smile Direct Club Before and After! 

Smile Direct Club Before and After 

I thought about getting braces, but as I started looking into it, I learned braces were $4000 to $8000 in my area, and not only that, they took 16-24 months to work. What?!  I don’t want to invest that kind of money OR time. And being a “metal mouth” or a “brace face” – no way! LOL!

Luckily I found out about Smile Direct Club.

It’s been about four months since I started wearing my aligners from Smile Direct Club, so I am finally done with my treatment. I am so happy with the results I have gotten in such a short amount of time! And, true confession, I have been having fun splurging (or rather saving!) on fun lipstick colors now that I don’t mind drawing attention to my smile! You can learn some of my best tricks to save at Sephora in this post. 

The Results

If you remember from my earlier videos, I was most concerned about my bottom teeth. For the longest time, I felt one was a little higher and set behind all the rest, so it bothered me when I talked or did videos.  I am happy to report that is no longer so apparent; it looks so much more natural now! 

Even though my treatment is more or less finished, I have to say I am a little frustrated that my bottom teeth aren’t “perfect.”  I was expecting them to be in a straight perfect line, and honestly one of them is still just a tad bit in front of the other.  Is it a huge improvement from where I started? Yes, of course! Is it perfect? No, but it’s really okay. 

My husband also used the Smile Direct Club aligners. He had concerns with a gap between his front teeth. His treatment is taking a little longer, and right now he is on month three of his progress. Already there is such a huge difference: the gap has closed in his front teeth and he is ecstatic! 

Adjusting to Aligners

I have to admit when I first got my aligners, I couldn’t stand wearing them for the first few weeks. It was really, really irritating. 

Smile Direct Club does offer further treatments for a refinement process, but right now I am not going to opt for that. It’s already been a 4-month time investment, 22 hours a day, even sleeping with my aligners in. I only took them out to eat. So right now, I just want a break from wearing them. That’s my focus rather than having my teeth perfectly straight. 

It was really nice being able to take the aligners out to eat and brush my teeth properly. People with traditional braces struggle with this. In addition to saving lots of money and time, this was another huge benefit to the Smile Direct Club aligners.

After-Care

Since I have finished my treatment I did receive a set of retainers. These are made of a harder plastic and pop in.  I can tell my teeth are trying to move back and the retainer is working to keep them where they are supposed to be, so they actually hurt a bit right now. Smile Direct Club suggests you wear your retainer for two weeks after you’re done your treatment, so I will take responsibility and say I haven’t done that. Oops

In recognizing how much time I put into wearing my aligners and seeing that my teeth are already starting to shift back to their original position in such a short amount of time, I am going to be more disciplined in wearing my retainer. 

Getting Started

One thing I liked was the ability to do the impressions for the aligners at home. The kit is free and sent right to your door. If you want to watch a video where I did my own at-home impressions, you can see it here. There is an option to go into one of their Smile Care Clubs, which is like a pop-up shop, and you can get a scan to get your aligners made. You can get a walk-through of my experience in a Smile Care Club in this video. So whichever is best for you. Some people like the privacy and convenience of being able to do it at home. Other people prefer getting the scan because it may be more accurate and less messy. 

At-home impressions aren’t an option with traditional braces and neither is having each of your steps delivered to your door. All appointments and adjustments are done in the orthodontist’s office which means more time and money traveling back and forth.

When I was researching the DIY aligner sets, I know Invisalign wanted me to pay $9,000, and Smile Direct Club was only $1800 for pretty much the same thing. I mentioned earlier, traditional braces average between $4000 and $8000 where I live, so Smile Direct Club was still the clear savings winner! 

Smile Direct Club Overall 

Overall I am thrilled with my experience of Smile Direct Club before and after! I am no longer self-conscious thinking I have a snaggletooth on the bottom (#firstworldproblems), the process was super simple, and the investment was less than competitors. Smile Direct Club can also fix a variety of cosmetic dental issues from my crowding to my husband’s gap.  They have a refinement service if you need additional care after your initial treatment. 

I do still plan to follow up with my dentist about a whitening treatment and see if he will file down the one tooth a little more just so it seems more even with the rest of them.

Even though I loved my results and found these a great way to save on braces and get a winning smile, you might need some tips for setting aside the $1800 investment. You can download my free budget pack to get you started saving money in your budget and saving for things most important to you.