NewSmile

NewSmile makes big promises – clearer aligners giving you straighter teeth in a faster time. They’re a low-cost clear aligner provider with a fully at-home service, claiming to give you a better (and whiter) smile in just 4-6 months. But do they live up to the hype, and are they the aligner provider for you?

First Glance

NewSmile is a completely at-home dental aligner provider, giving you the option of all-day aligners or night-time only aligners. You start your treatment with an impression kit that you do yourself at home, with a video call available if you need help. Then, licensed dentists and orthodontists will create your custom aligners.

Pros:

• Choice of all-day or at-night aligners
• Good value compared to other providers
• Suitable for 13 year olds and up
• Video call support if needed

Cons:

• No clinics for in-person consultations
• No guarantee you’ll get the results you expect

Who is behind NewSmile?

NewSmile is an aligner company that was originally formed in Canada in 2017. They created a partnership with SmileLove, an existing US aligner provider, working together to serve customers on both sides of the border under the SmileLove name. However the team behind NewSmile then decided to split and create their own company, now acting as a competitor to SmileLove.

Who is NewSmile suitable for?

NewSmile aligners are available to anyone aged 13 or over, but you’ll need to have lost all of your baby teeth before you can start.

Clear aligners, from any provider, can’t tackle every problem with crooked or uneven teeth. Aligners are designed for anyone with mild to moderate issues, including overcrowding, gaps between teeth, or teeth that have come in at an unusual angle. If your teeth are extremely crooked or the gaps are too large, you might need to consider another form of treatment – your dentist can advise you.

In general, clear aligners are suitable for anyone who wants a straighter smile without the intrusive or uncomfortable treatment offered by wired braces or other severe options.

However, most people are suited to treatment with NewSmile. All you need to do to find out is to order an impression kit. It’ll be sent to you with return mailing already sorted, so you just need to take your impressions and send it. Your impressions will be analysed and if it turns out you aren’t suited to clear aligner treatment, you’ll be able to claim a refund for the full cost of the impression kit – so there’s nothing to lose.

In general, clear aligners are suitable for anyone who wants a straighter smile without the intrusive or uncomfortable treatment offered by wired braces or other severe options. They are discreet, thanks to their transparent design, meaning you can wear them without others even noticing. And if you don’t like the idea of wearing them all day, choose the at-night aligners. Treatment is slower, but you only need to wear them for 10 hours at a time.

How are the aligners manufactured?

NewSmile’s clear aligners are made by a specialist manufacturer using a BPA-free plastic that is completely approved by the FDA as safe to use. Each manufacturer is custom-made to fit your mouth, based on your impressions. Your aligners will shift your teeth by less than a millimeter with each set, over time nudging them into the correct position.

You’ll need to make sure that you use the impression kit correctly – if it’s not accurate then your aligners won’t be manufactured in the right way. They might be painful and they most certainly won’t correct your smile. If you’re not sure what to do, then NewSmile give you the option of a video call with one of their specialists so that they can talk you through it step-by-step and answer any of your questions.

What options are available?

NewSmile have two different treatment options available. Many customers prefer the all-day aligners. These need to be worn for 22 hours every day, only being removed to eat, drink or to brush your teeth. The second option is at-night aligners which only require you wear them for 10 hours a day. Bear in mind that 10 hours is longer than most people sleep, so you can’t just pop them in before you go to bed and remove them in the morning.

Night aligners are slightly more expensive than all-day aligners and treatment tends to take longer. As clear aligners are discreet enough to not be noticeable when you’re with others during daytime hours, it often makes sense to choose the cheaper, faster all-day option. But if you’re adverse to that for any reason, the night aligners provide a useful alternative.

There are no clinics to visit with NewSmile so no matter whether you choose day or night aligners, you’ll have to use an impression kit at home to see if you’re suitable for treatment.

What is the duration of treatment?

NewSmile is a very new company and are still finding their feet but they have their past experience of working with SmileLove to draw on, and their expertise. They estimate that most people using all-day aligners will complete their treatment in 4-6 months, which is faster than many other aligner providers. Night aligners will usually take longer, as your teeth aren’t being consistently pushed into their new position. The average treatment time is stated as 8-10 months.

The NewSmile app

NewSmile have just launched a smartphone app to accompany their treatment. We’ll review this once it is more established but it is designed to provide ongoing reminders and support during your treatment.

What is the cost of NewSmile aligners?

The cost of NewSmile aligner treatment varies depending on whether you choose all-day aligners or night aligners, and whether you want to pay upfront or spread the cost with a finance plan.

Impression Kit

When you first apply for NewSmile aligner treatment, you’ll need to order an impression kit. This is then sent to your home for you to make an impression of your current smile, so that the dentists and orthodontists can plan your treatment and check that you’re suitable.

The impression kit is advertised at a standard cost of $139 but that’s often reduced on the website to $49. The kit includes 4 dental impression trays with the putty you’ll need, a mouth widener and instructions. You’ll also get a 1-to-1 video call to support you, and once your impressions have been analyzed you’ll be sent a 3D preview of how your new smile will look. If it’s determined that you’re not a good candidate for treatment, you can get the cost of your impression kit refunded in full.

Treatment

Again, the price of your treatment with NewSmile varies depending on whether you’re opting for all-day aligners or night aligners. The all-day aligners cost $1,295 while the night aligners cost $1,395, making them $100 more than the all-day aligners. Both treatment plans include whitening foam that you can use alongside your aligners. You get three months of whitening foam included as part of the plan, which is worth $39.

Retainers

When you’ve finished your treatment, you’ll need to wear retainers to ensure your new smile is kept in place. You should wear retainers for 22 hours a day for the first two weeks after your treatment, and then for 10 hours a day for the next six months. After that, it’s best to wear a retainer while you sleep.

You get a set of retainers included with your treatment at no extra cost. After that, replacements cost $149 a set. NewSmile don’t have a set time for replacing your retainers but most aligner providers suggest you change them every 6 to 12 months.

Refinements

NewSmile don’t offer a guarantee of treatment success, but they also don’t sell refinement aligners if you wanted further work done once your treatment is complete. If you aren’t happy with the results once you’ve finished using your last set of aligners, you should speak to the NewSmile team and try to resolve it – they may offer you a bespoke solution.

What payment options are available?

Not everyone can afford to spend more than $1,000 at once on aligner treatment, which is where the monthly plans are very useful.

There are two monthly plan options. If you're eligible for an interest-free plan with Affirm, you'll pay over 18 months, and the check won't impact your credit score. If you aren't eligible for Affirm, then instead you'll pay over 12 months.

For the all-day aligners, the interest-free option costs $77 a month for 18 months, while the alternative with interest is $84 a month for 12 months, with a $295 deposit.

The nighttime aligners cost $83 a month on the interest-free option, or $92 a month if you need to pay interest, with the same $295 deposit.

Treatment in Canada

NewSmile have announced a new pricing structure for Canadian customers who wish to enjoy a straighter smile.

For all-day aligners, the full upfront cost is $1,799, or you can choose to split the cost for 24 months, paying $92 a month for a total cost of $2208. There's no down payment needed.

If you'd prefer nighttime aligners, then the full upfront Fast Track cost is $1,999, or spread the cost for $101 per month over 24 months, a total of $2,424 and again with no down payment.

Is there a warranty or guarantee?

NewSmile don’t offer any warranty or guarantee. If the treatment doesn’t work, which can happen on rare occasions if your teeth or gums don’t behave as anticipated, you’ll need to speak to them to work out a solution.

What is the minimum age for treatment?

You need to be 13 years or older to be eligible for treatment with NewSmile, with all of your adult teeth.

How good is the customer service?

NewSmile is a very new company but even in the few months of operation they have racked up over 800 customer reviews on their own website with an average rating of 4.8 out of 5. The reviews talk about the results as much as the customer service, and with time we’ll be able to judge how good the support is, especially as more third party reviews come in.

There is no live chat facility on the website, but you can email for support or call between the hours of 9.30am and 3pm PST Monday to Friday. Compared to other aligner providers these hours are quite limited, and there is no customer support at weekends. But they do include a free video call with an expert when you do your impression kit, something other aligner providers do not.

NewSmile: The Verdict

Availability

Because NewSmile is a completely at-home aligner provider, you don’t need to worry about availability – you can have the impression kit sent to your home no matter where you live in the US. The only drawback will be if you want to speak to a specialist face-to-face. You do get a video call with your impression kit, but some people prefer to have a discussion in-person at a clinic, and to have a professional do their impressions for them. NewSmile cannot offer this service.

Cost

NewSmile’s pricing, providing the discounts are permanent as they seem to be, is extremely favorable when compared to other aligner providers. At just $1,295 if you pay upfront, you could be paying a few hundred dollars less than some comparable providers and as much as $2,000-$5000 less than Invisalign.

Ease of use

A lot of customers worry about whether they’re going to make a mistake with an impression kit, so the offer of an included video call with a NewSmile expert is a huge bonus – it helps to make sure you get the impressions right first time. Beyond that, it’s as simple as making sure you follow the instructions and wear your aligners as instructed for two weeks per set, in the correct order.

The NewSmile app has only recently been launched as of writing, and will continue to offer support to make sure that you stick to your plan and are reminded on when you need to move to your next set of aligners.

Treatment options

Most aligner providers only offer all-day aligners, although a couple have started to introduce an at-night aligner option. For NewSmile to have both of these options available immediately from their launch is a positive, as it means you can decide whether you want slightly cheaper treatment that is likely to be quicker, or the extra convenience of only wearing your aligners for 10 hours overnight each day.

Beyond these two options, you can also decide whether to pay upfront in full or in monthly installments.

Customer reassurance

The actual availability of customer service agents with NewSmile is a little disappointing. Phone lines are only open for less than 6 hours per day, Monday to Friday, with no phone support at the weekend. There is no live chat service either so if you can’t call, or don’t want to, then you’ll need to wait for an email response.

But again it is worth mentioning the free video call you get with your impression kit – something that isn’t offered as standard with other providers.