01/31/2023
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MAIL ORDER ALIGNERS
JANUARY 31, 2023
IS SMILE DIRECT RIGHT FOR ME????
Smile Direct Club, Byte and Candid are all large companies that take the private practice orthodontist or dentist out of the process and provide inexpensive clear aligners direct to consumer. The low cost of the service is very attractive to consumers but there are significant differences in treatment a patient should be aware of before joining the “Club”.
Impressions
In spite of what Smiledirect Club suggests, taking an accurate and usable Impression in your kitchen isn’t as easy as you might think. The initial impression is the basis for your whole treatment plan and should be perfect. That is the reason all our impressions are totally digital. There is no method or technique that is more accurate than digital impressions. Furthermore, unlike mail order impression kits, there is no charge for this service. All your aligner trays are fabricated from this initial impression, so it is critical that your teeth are represented accurately for you to achieve the optimum result.
Aren’t all aligners the same?
They are all similar in appearance but that’s where the similarity ends. Invisalign and Berkshire Clear Align aligners are clearer, more comfortable, more resilient, and deliver a more consistent gentle force than any of the mail order aligners. Invisalign uses their proprietary material and Berkshire Clear Align uses Zendura Flex. Even a casual inspection will clearly illustrate why these materials are considered far superior.
Treatment
With all the mail order aligner companies, your treatment is assigned to a dentist who monitors your movement every 90 days through a televisit. When we use either Invisalign or Berkshire Clear Align, our protocols typically consist of remote “virtual” well checks at week one and week 4-6 This is followed by an “in person” check at week 10-12. In my opinion, it is not possible to accurately determine if a patient is “tracking” perfectly unless you see that patient in person. Tracking means that the aligner must be totally seated and fitting perfectly. For me, that is difficult to determine from a “bite selfie” that is submitted on an online portal. In our office, with either Invisalign or Berkshire Clear Align, you are closely monitored by an orthodontist. In person visits are essential to achieve optimum results. Tooth alignment is a fluid process and unexpected movements can happen. To move teeth efficiently and accurately, you must be able to reevaluate the treatment plan and modify as necessary. This is not possible with mail order aligners without starting at the beginning with another “kitchen” impression. With Invisalign and Berkshire Clear Align this is done by means of a convenient and easy refinement scan. With Berkshire Clear Align software, we can digitally modify a tooths position with the patient sitting in the chair and watch the change on the monitor. If the patient likes the changes, we can start the aligner processing the same day. This is the beauty of in-house aligners such as Berkshire Clear Align.
Cost
There is no question that Smile Direct Club at a cost of $1850 – $2570 is less expensive than Invisalign at a cost of $3500-$8000. Clearly this is a large price difference, but you often must make significant compromises for that low cost. Until now. If your objective is just alignment/cosmetic correction, Berkshire Clear Aligner treatment would be $1895-$2495 and take 4-6 months. The same as the cost of SmileDirect but without all the issues and deficiencies described above. HOW CAN BERKSHIRE CLEAR ALIGN be so affordable???
• In-house fabrication of aligners using state of the art digital scanners, 3-D printers, thermoformers, and treatment software
• No markup or fees paid to outside companies
• Reduced clinical visits due to greater range of motion of aligners
• Reduced appointments with remote monitoring
• Faster movement, fewer appointments, and shorter treatment time due to superior materials
