Byte vs SmileDirectClub: what happened to both?

Byte's change came when Dentsply Sirona suspended the at-home aligners and impression kits. In January 2025 Dentsply Sirona said that system would stay suspended.

How the two used to compare

Both companies sold mail-order clear aligners in the United States. You sent off impressions made at home or, with SmileDirectClub, you could have a scan at a SmileShop, and a course of trays arrived by mail. Choosing between them meant weighing upfront prices, monthly payments, replacement trays, retainers, whitening, and a vibration device Byte called HyperByte. At the time, both were available as broadly similar at-home aligner options.

Those prices and conclusions no longer apply, so the useful question today is what happened to each company.

A separate page covers only their night-wear plans: Byte and SmileDirectClub night aligners.

What happened to each one

SmileDirectClub said on December 8, 2023 that it was winding down after it could not find a partner to recapitalize. Support stopped, the lifetime guarantee ended, and unshipped orders were canceled. Former customers, including people still paying a SmilePay plan, can read the SmileDirectClub page.

Byte's path was a suspension, then a decision to leave the at-home system suspended. Dentsply Sirona halted Byte aligner and impression-kit sales on October 24, 2024, in consultation with the FDA. It later wrote off the Byte trademark on the basis that the name would not be used in its future aligner business. Some people already in treatment may still get support if they meet the company's criteria. The Byte page explains what that means for those patients.

The two changes are separate events, a year apart. Each company's customers stayed with that company.

What you can look at instead

If you want aligners now, these pages explain treatment that is available, and how at-home care differs from a clinic:

• How at-home aligner treatment works
• Invisalign and at-home aligners
• What clear aligners cost in the US