SmileDirectClub vs Candid: what happened to both?

How the two used to compare

At the time, both brands offered at-home clear aligner treatment. SmileDirectClub used a home impression kit or a scan at a SmileShop. Candid used a home kit or a scan at a Candid Studio. Choosing between them meant weighing fees, monthly plans, replacement trays, and retainers. Those numbers no longer apply.

SmileDirectClub

On December 8, 2023 SmileDirectClub said it was winding down its global operations after it could not find a recapitalization partner. Aligner treatment on its platform stopped, customer support stopped, and the lifetime guarantee was withdrawn. Orders that had not shipped were canceled. People mid-treatment were told to see a local dentist. The SmileDirectClub page covers payment plans and what former customers were left to sort out.

Candid now

Candid's January 24, 2022 announcement ended the direct-to-consumer service and closed the Candid Studios. The company has since worked through CandidPro.

Treatment starts in a dental office. The dentist examines you and prescribes the aligners, and later progress is often checked from photos you take at home. The practice sets the fee.

The CandidPro review is the current account of that service.

CandidPro is the service Candid itself uses now. SmileDirectClub's customers remained with that company's wind-down.

What you can look at instead

Former SmileDirectClub customers who need a clinician can start with an in-person examination, which is also what the American Association of Orthodontists advised after the wind-down. Anyone comparing treatment types now can use:

• How at-home aligner treatment works
• Invisalign and at-home aligners
• What clear aligners cost in the US
• CandidPro, for the current doctor-directed Candid service