If you have been researching clear aligners to straighten your teeth, there is a very good chance you have come across both Invisalign and Smile Direct Club. They look similar on the surface. Both use clear plastic trays. Both promise a straighter smile without metal braces. Both sound appealing.
But the similarities largely stop there.
There is also a critical development that every Australian considering teeth straightening needs to know before making any decision: Smile Direct Club no longer exists. The company filed for bankruptcy in September 2023 and permanently shut down all global operations in December 2023, leaving thousands of customers mid-treatment, without support, without refunds, and without a clear path forward.
This blog is here to give you the complete, honest picture. We will break down how Invisalign and Smile Direct Club differed, what went wrong with the direct-to-consumer model, why professional supervision is not optional when it comes to moving your teeth, and what the Invisalign experience actually looks like when it is done properly at a trusted dental clinic like Bigger Smiles in Gymea, Sydney.
Invisalign is the world’s most established and clinically supported clear aligner system. It was developed by Align Technology and launched in 1999, and in the decades since, it has been used to treat millions of patients across the globe for everything from minor crowding and spacing issues to complex bite correction cases.
Invisalign works by using a series of custom-made, removable clear aligner trays that fit snugly over your teeth. Each tray in the series makes gradual, carefully planned movements that shift your teeth into the correct position over time. Treatment is designed, monitored, and adjusted by a licensed dental professional at every stage.
The aligners are made from SmartTrack, a proprietary flexible thermoplastic material that is exclusive to Invisalign. This material is designed to apply consistent, controlled force to teeth and allows for more precise tooth movement than generic aligner materials. It is also BPA-free, latex-free, and gluten-free.
Invisalign can treat a very wide range of orthodontic concerns, including:
Smile Direct Club was a direct-to-consumer teeth straightening company founded in the United States in 2014. The company expanded to Australia in 2019 and positioned itself as a more affordable, more convenient alternative to traditional orthodontic care.
Their model worked like this: customers either visited a scanning location or received an at-home impression kit by post. Impressions or scans were reviewed remotely by a licensed dentist or orthodontist, a treatment plan was created, and a full set of aligners was mailed directly to the customer’s home. From that point, progress was checked virtually, typically every 90 days, and no in-person dental visits were required.
This was the core appeal, and it was also the core problem.
In September 2023, Smile Direct Club filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States, disclosing nearly $900 million in debt. Despite promises to continue normal operations through a restructuring process, the company was unable to secure a financial partner and permanently shut down all global operations on 8 December 2023.
The closure was immediate and with very little warning. All customer orders that had not yet shipped were cancelled. Customer support ceased entirely. The company’s “Lifetime Smile Guarantee” became worthless overnight. Customers who had financed their treatment were still expected to continue making repayments, even though no further service would ever be provided.
For Australian customers, the situation was compounded by the fact that Smile Direct Club had already attracted legal scrutiny here. In 2022, the Federal Court of Australia ordered the company to pay AU$3.5 million in penalties for misleading Australian customers about private health fund rebates. In 2024, the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia ruled against Smile Direct Club in a case brought by Invisalign, finding that the company had made false and misleading representations comparing its treatment quality and value to that of Invisalign.
The British Dental Association perhaps put it most plainly in a statement following the closure: “It shouldn’t have taken a bankruptcy to protect patients from harm. Dentists are left to pick up the pieces when these providers offer wholly inappropriate treatment.”
Setting aside the company’s closure, the single most important distinction between Invisalign and Smile Direct Club was always the level of professional oversight involved in treatment.
When you start Invisalign at Bigger Smiles, the process begins with a comprehensive clinical assessment. This includes:
Using advanced 3D imaging technology, your dentist creates a precise, customised treatment plan that maps out every stage of your tooth movement from your current smile to your final result. You can actually see a digital preview of your expected outcome before treatment begins.
Throughout treatment, you attend check-up appointments approximately every six to eight weeks. At these visits, your dentist assesses whether your teeth are tracking correctly with your aligners, makes any necessary adjustments to your plan, and ensures your gum and bone health is being maintained. If something is not going according to plan, your dentist catches it early and corrects it.
Under the Smile Direct Club model, there were no in-person dental visits. There were no X-rays taken before treatment began. The remote check-ins that occurred every 90 days were conducted through photo submissions assessed by contracted dentists who had never physically examined the patient.
What this meant in practice was that conditions like active gum disease, bone loss, or bite problems that were contraindications for aligner treatment could be missed entirely. Teeth were being moved without anyone physically present to catch issues as they developed.
The American Association of Orthodontists noted after the company’s closure that most Smile Direct Club customers had never received an X-ray or in-person examination, which are critical to an accurate diagnosis and a safe treatment plan.
Orthodontists around the world saw the consequences of this model first-hand in their clinics. Reports of gum disease developing during treatment, bite problems worsening, tooth root issues, and patients presenting mid-treatment with nowhere to turn were well documented long before the company shut down.
Learn more: https://biggersmiles.com.au/invisalign-vs-smile-direct-club-australia/
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