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26-799: SmileDirectClub was an American teledentistry company. The company was co-founded in 2014 by Jordan Katzman and Alex Fenkell. It was based in Nashville , Tennessee , United States. SmileDirectClub was shut down in December 2023, less than three months after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy . SmileDirectClub produced 3D-printed clear aligners . SmileDirectClub aligners were a competitor of traditional braces and clear alignment companies like Invisalign . Communication with licensed orthodontic professionals and other SmileDirectClub staff took place virtually. Impression kits were sent to customers, after which teeth molds were reviewed by dentists or orthodontists who oversaw

52-501: A $ 3.2 billion valuation according to Bloomberg . SmileDirectClub was initially funded by Camelot Venture Group. NBA player Draymond Green was an early investor in the company, investing in 2015 after personally using its products. The company expanded into Canada in November 2018, and expanded into the UK and Australia in 2019. During the 61st Annual Grammy Awards , SmileDirectClub announced

78-450: A collaboration with singer Shawn Mendes on a campaign to show "that confidence is gained with an amazing smile." In April 2019, CVS announced that the company would add SmileDirectClub locations to hundreds of CVS stores. In May 2019, HP and SmileDirectClub announced a partnership to produce over 20 million 3D-printed molds over the following year. In August 2019, the company filed S-1 paperwork to go public. On September 12, 2019,

104-405: A secure electronic communications system to a practitioner, who uses the information to evaluate or diagnose the patient's condition outside at a later time. The American Dental Association has designated the code D9996 for this type of teledentistry. Remote Patient Monitoring : Health data collection from an individual in one location (usually outside of a conventional clinical setting), which

130-637: A statement after the shooting, saying it was saddened by the events. On September 29, 2023, SmileDirectClub filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy . During the bankruptcy procedure, the company expected to continue operations normally. However, on December 8, 2023, after a failed last-ditch sale that would help the company to exit bankruptcy, SmileDirectClub announced that it would cease operations, effective immediately. The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) has filed complaints with 36 state dental boards, alleging that SmileDirectClub violates regulatory standards. According to SmileDirectClub representatives, 12 of

156-615: A subset of telehealth exists and that these codes are recognized by the industry. However, largely the dental insurance companies had not made these codes payable to dentists in the event that they were actually billed when a teledentistry service was rendered to a patient. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Dental Association in November 2020, The resolution also states that dental insurers—both public and private—should cover services provided through teledentistry at

182-564: Is not present in this method of teleconsultation. Disadvantages of this can include misinterpretation of messages, privacy issues and insufficient training of the professionals. Teledentistry can provide easier, cheaper and less intimidating way to connect with dentistry. Teledentistry can also be used to assist general dentists with speciality work and improve services to underserved populations such as in rural or less developed areas. The dental insurance industry had adopted ADA codes such as D9995 and D9996 to acknowledge that teledentistry as

208-866: Is the world's oldest and largest dental specialty organization. It represents nearly 19,000 orthodontist members throughout the United States, Canada and abroad. All orthodontists are dentists and may simultaneously hold membership in the American Dental Association . Its headquarters are in Creve Coeur , Missouri , near St. Louis . Orthodontists are dental specialists in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of orthodontic problems who have completed two to four years of advanced training in an accredited orthodontic residency program. Only those dentists who have completed this training may call themselves "orthodontists," and only orthodontists may be members of

234-491: Is transmitted to a provider in a different location for use in care and related support. mHealth : Health promotion and education via mobile devices such as cell phones or tablets. Another method is the Remote Monitoring Method in which dentists communicate with each other through the use of radiographs and other data like the patient's clinical findings, photographs, test results and case history. The patient

260-638: The Department of Defense introduced the Total Dental Access Program (TDA) for the Army. The goals of TDA were to increase soldier's access to care and reduce associated costs. At the time, they used what was called the plain-old-telephone-system (POTS). In the early nineteen nineties, videoconferencing, e-mail, fax , and telephone calls were used but more recently, video conferencing and high-quality image transfer have become easily accessible. These, and

286-482: The Toronto area. While SmileDirectClub approved all four patients for treatment plans, orthodontists asked to review the treatment plan and said that none should have been approved. In one case, the orthodontist said the proposed treatment plan could increase the likelihood of chips and wear. SmileDirectClub disputed this assessment and stated that the treatment plans would all result in an improved smile appearance. Following

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312-534: The COVID-19 pandemic, dental practices were ordered to be shutdown to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. As a means of providing a method by which dentists could still communicate with their patients during the shutdown, teledentistry became adopted across the world. In the US, several laws had been enacted to curb the rise of direct-to-consumer orthodontics which also invalidated the use of teledentistry by duly licensed dentists. These laws were quickly rescinded to address

338-536: The bone." SmileDirectClub's lawsuit claims the story contained more than 40 false and misleading statements. An NBC News spokesperson responded in a statement about the case, "We stand by our reporting and believe this is a meritless claim." In December 2021, the lawsuit was dismissed after a court ruled SmileDirectClub failed to meet its burden under the Tennessee Public Participation Act, the state's anti-SLAPP law . Teledentistry In 1994,

364-528: The cases have been closed and no adverse legal action has been taken against the company. The AAO has stated that only five states confirmed closed cases. In September 2019, a group of customers filed a class-action lawsuit against the company, claiming SmileDirectClub engaged in false advertising and violating FDA regulations. Due to a clause in SmileDirectClub's consent forms that require disputes to be resolved via arbitration , all but two plaintiffs in

390-452: The company went public by offering initial shares at $ 23, above the expected price of $ 19–22 per share. SDC's IPO opened at $ 20.55 and closed at $ 16.67 after the first day, a 28% loss from the initial shares offering. After the loss, the CFO of the company has stated that the focus of the company will remain the same despite market evaluations. SmileDirectClub was awarded a business model patent on

416-537: The company's actions, stating, "When we believe that there is an organized campaign to damage our reputation amongst consumers, dentists, or investors, we will defend ourselves and our mission to democratize access to care every chance we get." In March 2020, CBC News 's Marketplace released an investigative report where they found the company had made misleading claims about their aligners and gave questionable treatment plans. Marketplace sent four potential customers wearing hidden cameras to SmileDirectClub locations in

442-611: The considerable improvements in digital camera technology, have provided radical new opportunities. Nearly a third of all Americans do not visit a dentist regularly enough, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. There are many reasons for this, most notably affordability, access and fear. Several teledental companies operate in the United States. Direct-to-consumer orthodontics companies like SmileDirectClub also utilize teledentistry, but have drawn criticism regarding proper supervision of care. Due to

468-493: The investigative, SmileDirectClub released a list of changes that they were making to the company, including increased training, changes to their forms so customers better understand they need to visit a dentist six months before starting treatment, and making the contact information for treating doctor available as soon as they are approved for treatment. SmileDirectClub filed a $ 2.8 billion lawsuit against NBC News in May 2020, accusing

494-600: The lawsuit withdrew. In January 2020, the New York Times published an article revealing SmileDirectClub's usage of non-disclosure agreements worked to limit information about customers' dissatisfaction with its products, including medical concerns. The company sued Lifehacker ' s parent company for defamation and libel after the site published an article outlining the risks of its products. It also sued state dental boards after making it harder for SmileDirectClub to operate. SmileDirectClub's chief legal officer defended

520-455: The news organization of broadcasting a story with errors. The NBC Nightly News story cited patients who complained of pain after receiving SmileDirectClub's treatment. One patient featured in the report said her orthodontist diagnosed her with a crossbite "possibly caused by" the company's aligners. Another patient gave testimony that his dentist said SmileDirectClub's aligners "moved his teeth so fast that it caused some of them to detach from

546-598: The pandemic and hence teledentistry is now widely used by dentists in the US. Live Video (Synchronous) : Live two-way video between a patient and provider using audiovisual telecommunications technology. Live video is often used to triage patients to the appropriate level of care or for specialty consultations. The American Dental Association has designated the code D9995 for this type of teledentistry. Store-and-forward (Asynchronous) : Transmission of recorded health information (for example, radiographs or digital impressions taken by an appropriately licensed provider) through

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572-544: The process used for plastic aligners for customers on April 28, 2020. SmileDirectClub sued a competitor, Candid Care, calling it "a copycat model". U.S. District Judge Colm Connolly invalidated the patent. On April 14, 2021, the company was the subject of a cyberattack . In a filing, SmileDirectClub reported that they were "able to successfully block the attack, no ransom was paid, and the Company's systems and operations are back online and performing normally." The estimated cost

598-505: The same level as if the services were delivered in a traditional in-person encounter. This recommendation from the American Dental Association was strongly adopted by dental insurance carriers who in turn went a step further to include value added benefits to their dental insurance policies to allow for teledentistry. American Association of Orthodontists Founded in 1900, the American Association of Orthodontists ( AAO )

624-587: The treatment process. The company reportedly worked with 225 licensed professionals. While most business and dentistry was conducted online, the company had 300 retail locations across the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom. The company initially partnered with Align Technology as an exclusive third-party distributor for its aligners. After a dispute over violation of a non-compete clause claiming Align "misused confidential SmileDirectClub information and violated its fiduciary duties ," Align

650-474: Was $ 10 million to $ 15 million in revenue "from the cyberattack and the associated downtime in treatment planning and manufacturing." On August 3, 2021, a workplace shooting occurred at the company's manufacturing facility in Nashville. Two security guards and a manager were injured by the gunman, 22-year-old employee Antonio King, who was then shot and killed by responding police officers. SmileDirectClub released

676-525: Was ordered by an arbitrator to close its retail locations and return its ownership stake in SmileDirect. Align filed an additional arbitration to recoup amount the value of the ownership stake. In 2021, the arbitrator ordered SmileDirectClub to pay Align $ 43.4 million (plus $ 2.1 million in interest) for the ownership stake. In October 2018, SmileDirectClub raised $ 380 million in an investment round led by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and Kleiner Perkins , for

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