Invisalign has always been the M.V.P. of giving you a straight smile without looking like you just chewed on barbed wire. As the years have passed, however, competitors have surfaced and made an effort to dethrone the smile-aligning monarch. The most recent rival to rise in popularity would be Smile Direct Club, claiming to be just as effective as Invisalign while excelling in convenience and cost-efficiency. Is it a true match for Invisalign, or all hype? We’re going to dissect both companies and determine who comes out on top.

Cost
Ah, yes. The money spending part of the review is always the fun part. Invisalign appeared to have more of a range in what the cost would be, leaving a little uncertainty as to what the exact price would be; it would depend on your needs and how much your insurance covers. However, there is also a wide range of payment methods available, making it flexible in the way you pay.

Smile Direct has a more solid and specific price, weighing in at either $1,950 exactly if you want to do a one time payment or $89 a month for 24 months with smile pay, coming out to $2,386. It also had a good variety of payment options, including the exclusive Smile Pay. While both options are flexible regarding payment methods, Smile Direct earns a point in the cost category. It has a more solid pricing compared to Invisalign, giving security to the buyer.

Effectiveness
Invisalign has a sparkling (pun intended!) reputation for giving their customers a five-star smile, literally. Almost every review I came across gave Invisalign 5 stars in giving customers a dreamy celebrity smile. Having existed for approximately two decades, they’ve had plenty of time to master their craft. After all, that’s why they’re still in business and a well-known treatment for a faulty smile.

Smile Direct Club, on the other hand, has had several issues with failure to correct tooth-gapping and other more serious problems that people turn to clear aligners for. This may be a reason why Smile Direct Club only has 3.5 stars in online reviews. They’re going to need a couple decades to master their craft the way Invisalign has.

That being said, a point goes to Invisalign on this one. Smile Direct Club’s success statistics vary too much to be labelled as a reliable alternative to Invisalign.

Service
This category is going to rely greatly on the customer’s daily schedule and attention needs. Part of why Invisalign is so successful is because you get the personal interaction from a dentist or orthodontist that is necessary for determining a clear and effective solution for your dental issues. Don’t have a dentist? The Invisalign website can direct you to a dentist that can evaluate you and help you obtain the perfect clear aligners for you.

However, the biggest draw people have to Smile Direct Club is that it is sold online. In a world so invested in technology and the internet, buying online has become insanely popular, and Smile Direct took advantage of that. Is the convenience of having aligners delivered to your door worth the lack of help from dental professionals?
The answer is probably not, unless your dental issues are very minor and you are an incredibly busy person. If you’re looking for a quick DIY fix for a slight overbite, you might get away with it. Invisalign, however, is taking a point for their professional evaluations and dentist-approved treatments.

This is a classic example of “you get what you pay for.” Smile Direct is cheaper in cost, but that comes with being inferior in overall quality. If you want real results you will be happy and confident with, take a day off, visit your Invisalign dentist, and get a proper examination for your Invisalign.