A US-based dentistry firm left British people in the lurch and with crooked teeth after it went bankrupt and collapsed, angry customers claimed.
SmileDirectClub, which offered teeth aligners for thousands of pounds, told customers treatment was no longer available after it made the “incredibly difficult” decision to close down.
One British customer who spent £2,500 on the scheme to coincide with her wedding said she felt ignored by the company and was left with crooked teeth despite four years of treatment.
“I’ve been fobbed off and ignored,” Jade Newbold told The Independent. “The aligners made spacing in my back teeth, which caused pain and extra dentist trips.”
Have you been affected by this? Email alexander.butler@independent.co.uk
Ms Newbold started an 18-month treatment plan in 2019 but says she was repeatedly sent aligners that didn’t work. “My teeth are still crooked and I’ve paid the full amount of about £2,500 over two years now,” she added.
Another UK customer, who was due to receive her last set of aligners after months of treatment costing £1,450, said she was left in the lurch by the company after she discovered it had closed down on a social media group.
Thirty-year-old Lizzie Durkin said SmileDirectClub had left people in the lurch after it went bust— (Lizzie Durkin)
Zookeeper Lizzie Durkin, 30, from Colchester, said: “It does feel like they have just walked away. They have left people in the lurch. It’s almost like we are still waiting for something to happen. We don’t know where we are at. It still feels up in the air.”
Ms Durkin explained she didn’t receive any communication informing her the company had closed in the UK.
The firm filed for bankruptcy in October 2023 and a last-ditch rescue attempt to save the company failed in December.
Despite offering a “lifetime smile guarantee”, the company recommended customers contact their local dentist if they wanted to carry on with treatment.
Customers were drawn to SmileDirect Club, founded in 2014, because of its low prices compared to regular forms of teeth straightening.
Customers spent hundreds or even thousands of pounds on treatments— (Getty Images for SmileDirectClub)
In the UK, adults have to pay for private treatment with dentists if braces are required for cosmetic reasons. Clear aligner-style braces typically cost up to £4,500, nearly double the cost of products offered by SmileDirectClub.
Traditional “train-track” braces can cost anywhere between £2,000 and £2,500 through a private dentist, according to research. Treatment with SmileDirectClub typically took between four to six months and customers had online check-ins with registered dentists.
A statement on their website read: “Smile Direct Club has made the incredibly difficult decision to wind down its global operations, effective immediately.
“For new customers interested in Smile Direct Club services, thank you for your interest, but aligner treatment is no longer available through our telehealth platform.
“For existing customers, we apologise for the inconvenience, but customer care support is no longer available.”
