The popularity of alternatives to traditional metal braces continues to rise, paving the way for dental aligner companies to fill the consumer demand.
Worst Teeth Aligners Brands
Not all clear aligner brands are created equal, with some brands falling a bit short of what customers are looking for. Read on to find out which aligner brands you might want to avoid.
SleepObrace
SleepObrace is a one-size-fits-all retainer system that retails at the low price of $37.45. This falls far below the average Invisalign cost UK. The company claims that its product is a significantly more affordable alternative to traditional orthodontic appliances and can improve overall facial structure in addition to teeth alignment.
Like wearing Invisalign only at night, the SleepObrace device is designed only to be worn at night and is meant to treat everyone regardless of the type of orthodontic misalignment they may have. There are three different “strengths” of aligners offered by this brand, with customers being able to select all three or just one, depending on their personal preference and what they think would suit their specific problems.
Part of the brand’s claim to improve jaw and overall facial structure lies in the fact that there is a part of the aligner that is meant to keep the tongue resting at the roof of the mouth. This is a technique known as “mewing” and can result in subtle changes in the jaw’s appearance for some individuals if done regularly. Typically, this is not seen as one of the benefits of simple teeth aligners. Then, is it SleepOBrace safe? We don’t think so, as there is no dental advice and monitoring and there is no info about the FDA approval of the product.
Does SleepOBrace work? Based on five reviews found on micromarketshop.com, several customers do appear to have positive initial impressions of SleepOBrace. These customers mention being satisfied with the product when they have first received it, but there are no reviews with SleepOBrace before and after photos that give insight into what a patient’s results might look like after using SleepOBrace.
Smilify.com
Smilify offers an expedited version of Invisalign’s clear aligner treatment, claiming that treatment typically costs about $2,400 and takes only six months. Smilify’s website emphasizes that they are not a teledentistry company and that their certified orthodontists work with patients in person throughout all stages of the treatment plan. Many websites offering clear aligners online are teledentistry companies. While these companies claim that their advantages to operating entirely online, Smilify explains that optimal results can only be achieved with visits to an in-person orthodontist.
Smilify claims that it can offer patients all of the benefits of the Invisalign treatment system but within a reduced timeframe. The reviews included on the company’s website are all positive, with each patient claiming that they were successfully treated within the advertised six-month timeframe. There are also images that display the before and after of a patient’s teeth, with the after images demonstrating the alleged success of the Smilify treatment.
Outside of Smilify’s own website, there is a lack of customer Smilify reviews on the brand.
Smilelove
Smilelove is a teledentistry company that operates entirely remotely and is based online. To get started with their treatment, patients must first take impressions of their teeth at home using the dental mold kit that Smilelove sends out. These impression kits are then sent to board-certified orthodontists to approve, and a digital preview of your treatment plan is created.
If you approve of the preview, the next step is receiving and beginning to wear your aligners. The aligners will be shipped directly to you, and each set will typically be worn for two weeks for the duration of your treatment.
Smilelove has a rating of only 2.5 stars on Trustpilot, which is considered a “poor” rating. However, the brand has not been available since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to many of these negative customer Smilelove reviews.
Looshie
Looshie is another one-size-fits-all retainer teledentistry company that promises quick and easy results with their aligner system. They offer two main types of dental aligners, a “hard” and a “soft” version, which are meant to be used to correct different types and degrees of teeth alignment problems. The soft aligners are recommended for those with crossbite, overbite, and underbite, as well as gap teeth. The hard aligners are recommended to those who may have had braces in the past and thus need less drastic adjustment of their teeth.
Looshie has an “average” rating of 3.5 stars on Trustpilot, but over a quarter of those Looshie reviews gave the company a “bad” rating.
Braceless Teeth
The last brand listed in our article is another one-size-fits-all aligner brand called Braceless Teeth. As we have already mentioned, buying this type of aligner is the worst thing you could do to your oral health.
Braceless Teeth promise great results in as little as 6 to 8 weeks, something impossible for any alignment treatment. As the product only costs $44,95, customers don’t hesitate to buy it as they will not spend thousands of dollars. If it doesn’t work, it’s not a big deal as the treatment only costs less than $50; however, using that type of aligner can cause severe and sometimes irreversible dental issues.
There’s no information on the brand’s website related to the owners, how or where the product is made, or if the brand has a dental team.
Regarding customers reviews, as the brand has just launched, there are few customers reviews online. However, we were able to find ONE review, and it was pretty negative.
Check the Best Clear Aligners for You
If you want to know which are the best aligners on the market, check this ranking preview or read our review of the best invisible braces or check out Byte aligners which, in our opinion, are the at-home brand on the market.
IMPRESSIONS
KIT
Click to get the impressions kit for ONLY $17.95, BBP and FREE travel whitening pens!
If you want to know more about Byte, read our review, where you will find the history of the brand, the pros and cons of the treatment or Byte reviews made by real customers, among other things.
How to Know if a Teeth Aligners Brand is Bad?
When searching for the ideal teeth aligner brand, patients tend to look for the best combination of price and quality. Some better-known brands, such as Invisalign, tend to be more expensive and may not be the most affordable option for all customers. This is where other, smaller companies can step in to fill the gap.
However, it is important to be able to look for warning signs that indicate that an aligner brand is too good to be true. The following are red flags that could indicate a low-quality company:
- Non-customized or “one size fits all” aligners: Each patient’s orthodontic problems are unique, and their treatment should reflect this via a custom-made plan.
- Poor customer reviews: If customer ratings outside of the company’s website (which might only select positive reviews) tend to be negative, be wary.
- Shockingly low prices: While quality orthodontic treatment can be made affordable, it does typically involve some degree of investment for the patient. The cheapest braces for teeth are not almost the best.
- Fast timeline: usually, orthodontic treatment takes six months at a minimum. If aligners claim to provide results on a shorter timeline than this, be careful.
Based on the above criteria, it would be wise for customers to remain wary of the brands discussed in this article. They offer mainly non-customizable dental aligners that allegedly work in a concise timeframe, and the prices are unusually low.
Nicely explained about the bad aligner brands, In-office dental aligners will be a better option, as the orthodontist has full control on progress of treatment