WonderSmile vs. Smile Direct Club: A 2022 Comparison

A million dollar smile is great and all, but what about getting one as an adult?

No one past their teen years wants to deal with the “brace face” life (or relive it if the effects of their braces have worn off).

Thankfully, home teeth aligners make it possible to straighten your teeth from the comfort of your home. No braces, no wires, no office visits.

These clear aligners have become a popular alternative to braces. Why? They’re much cheaper than braces and Invisalign. They’re also much more convenient.

There are a few popular home teeth aligner companies on the market today, including WonderSmile and Smile Direct. In this comparison review, we’ll help you decide which of these two services is the better option for your unique circumstances.

Spoiler | WonderSmile Wins!

Thanks to their flexible treatment options, fee-free financing, and friendly support team, WonderSmile wins!

Learn More About WonderSmile Compare Top Providers

The Rundown: How WonderSmile and Smile Direct Stack Up

Smile Direct Club was the very first company to bring clear aligners directly to the consumer using a teledentistry platform. Thanks to the fact that they were the first, they established a large customer base. Meanwhile, WonderSmile has certainly established a pretty good reputation in a relatively short time. But they aren’t as much of a household name as Smile Direct seems to be.

Both providers have plenty going for them, let’s see how they compare:

Intrigued? That’s just the flyby! Let’s dig into the differences between Smile Direct and WonderSmile in more detail.

Product Quality

At first it might seem like all clear aligners are exactly the same. Which makes sense, after all; the clear aligners we review are made of safe, BPA free plastic and gradually align your smile. Aside from some core similarities, there are a few differences worth noting, too.

Typically there are two ways to trim an aligner: straight across, or scalloped to match the gumline. There are pros and cons to each approach. Straight cut aligners overlap with the gums, so the aligners can use the gums as an anchor and exert more force. However, that overlap makes them more noticeable than scalloped aligners, which are more discreet. It’s a tradeoff either way, but we typically prefer the straight cut.

Another way in which clear aligners differ across providers is their transparency. This probably sounds a little counter intuitive, but ultra clear looking aligners aren’t necessarily the most discreet. Some providers opt to make aligners from slightly frosted plastic, which blends in better with the porous surface of our teeth. Highly transparent plastic has a slight shine, which can draw attention to your treatment.

Let’s see the ways WonderSmile and Smile Direct manufacture their aligners:

All things considered, Smile Direct’s aligners are slightly more discreet than WonderSmile’s, since they are made with frosted plastic. That said, don’t forget that appearance is subjective; so all you need to worry about is choosing the aligner that works for you.

We wish that WonderSmile disclosed who manufactured their aligners. Many providers partner with respected dental suppliers, and this relationship helps their customers feel confident in the quality of the product. One thing we love about WonderSmile’s treatment is that their nighttime aligners are made of thicker materials. So if you’re an overnight teeth grinder; don’t worry, you won’t have to rule out WonderSmile’s NightClear treatment.

Smile Direct recently pivoted to manufacturing their aligners themselves. So far it seems like you can expect the same high quality aligners as before (when their aligners were manufactured by Align Technology). Since transitioning to making their own aligners, Smile Direct has introduced their Comfort Sense system, which uses plastic of varied firmness all throughout the aligners to offer a better fit. It’s still a new offering, but it could make the aligners more comfortable.

Treatment Oversight

These treatments happen remotely, but that doesn’t mean your providers leave you high and dry. WonderSmile and Smile Direct Club each keep an eye on your progress through photo updates you’ll submit throughout treatment. Each provider goes about their oversight a little differently, though; let’s take a look at how WonderSmile and Smile Direct compare.

WonderSmile has slightly more frequent treatment oversight than Smile Direct, but the systems are pretty comparable overall. We love that both providers use a streamlined app for their photo check-ins.

If you’re stressing about capturing quality images of your teeth, don’t worry—both WonderSmile and Smile Direct include a cheek retractor to move your cheeks aside to help you take clear photos of your smile.

Outside of these regular check-ins, if you need anything during your treatment you can reach out to customer support.

Customer service is one of the categories where WonderSmile truly shines. In their third party online reviews, customers frequently thank their support reps by name.

Smile Direct has some room for improvement in their customer service department, but we’re happy to see the changes they’ve already implemented. For perspective, Smile Direct experienced near-explosive growth in 2017 and their service department couldn’t quite keep up (you’ll see more complaints from 2017 than any other year on online reviews).

In general, we’ve found that Smile Direct support is adequate, but WonderSmile is much more consistent and helpful thanks to a smaller customer base.

Bang For Your Buck

A million dollar smile is exciting, but you shouldn’t have to pay a million dollars to get it. Let’s take a look at the nitty gritty expenses from WonderSmile and Smile Direct.

WonderSmile and Smile Direct both offer free 3D scans at retail locations, as well as at-home impression kits for purchase. If you’re hoping for a convenient treatment startup, then it’s hard to beat the free scans offered by WonderSmile and Smile Direct.

If these scan locations aren’t convenient for you, then you can always opt for the at-home impression kit. The price of WonderSmile’s impression kit gets refunded if you choose to buy aligners, but if you opt out of treatment, you’re out of luck.

The most notable price perk of WonderSmile is their single-arch treatment: qualifying customers who only need the top or bottom teeth treated will get $500 off their aligner kit. This isn’t an extremely common occurrence, but it’s worth noting for eligible customers.

Smile Direct’s aligner package includes a nice number of perks. You’ll get all of your aligners, two sets of post-treatment retainers (SmilePay customers only), and a bottle of BrightOn whitening. One thing we do appreciate is that Smile Direct charges the same amount for both daytime and nighttime treatment.

Can’t pay all at once? Thankfully, both services offer financing without any credit checks, so anyone can get financing.

A big perk to WonderPay is that you won’t spend anything extra for financing; you’ll just spread it out. First, you’ll need to pay at least a 20% downpayment. For example, for daytime treatment, that would be $478. After that, you’ll pay the remaining balance over 12 months.

Smile Direct’s in-house financing plan, SmilePay, requires a $299 deposit followed by 24 monthly payments of $119.

If you’re planning on breaking your treatment price up into affordable monthly payments, then go with WonderSmile. It’s tough to argue with the fact that WonderSmile doesn’t charge anything extra for financing.

Customer Experience

Of course price and quality are important factors to consider when deciding on a provider; but so is how you’re treated throughout the process. In this section we’ll cover what you can expect from the customer experience when you choose WonderSmile or Smile Direct.

Reviews

For many shoppers, customer reviews can make or break purchase decisions. If you’re one of those shoppers, we’ve got you covered. We’ve done the legwork for you to see what customers across the web are saying about WonderSmile and Smile Direct.

Smile Direct has a mixed bag of reviews depending on what third-party website you look at. For example, they don’t rate so well on Consumer Affairs, but Trustpilot gives them a better score. This mixed bag is largely due to their mixed customer support experience. But they do have thousands of those reviews, so we’re pretty confident in their score.

WonderSmile doesn’t have the same sheer number of reviews, but most of them are positive. Yes, there are negatives, but they’re largely pretty well-received by their customers (most complaints are from people who misunderstood terms and conditions of the process).

Guarantees

As with any purchase, there’s always the nagging question: what if it doesn’t work out? WonderSmile and Smile Direct both have very individualized approaches for treatment guarantees.

WonderSmile promises to correct your smile at no extra cost if your teeth shift back out of alignment within the first year after treatment. To be eligible for this guarantee, you must wear your aligners and post-treatment retainers compliantly. Additionally, this guarantee only applies to the teeth originally treated by WonderSmile. Implants, bridges, or similar dental procedures may void the guarantee.

Smile Direct gives you 30 days to change your mind about your nighttime aligners. If you try it out and decide it’s not right for you, you can return them for a full refund.

Additionally, Smile Direct offers free touch-ups for life. If your teeth ever shift out of alignment—even years later—Smile Direct will send you free aligners to bring your smile back to its former glory. Just stay on top of wearing and replacing your aftercare retainers to stay eligible.

What if I break an aligner?

If you break an aligner, be sure to reach out to your provider right away; they’ll consider where you’re at in your treatment plan and determine the next steps.

Generally, WonderSmile advises their customers to move on to the next aligner if one is lost or broken. But if WonderSmile determines that it would be best to replace the aligner, they’ll do so for $50. It takes time to manufacture and ship additional aligners; so it’s usually best if you can avoid this delay in treatment.

Smile Direct generously replaces one broken or lost aligner for free. You will need to pay for subsequent replacements, but the exact amount will be determined by Smile Direct’s dental team.

Refinements

If you reach the end of your original treatment plan and your teeth need a bit more movement, you’ll need refinements (extra aligners). Both WonderSmile and Smile Direct have generous policies when it comes to refinements.

As long as you’ve stayed on top of your aligner wear and are up to date with your photo check-ins, your refinements will be covered by WonderSmile.

If you’re not totally satisfied with your Smile Direct results at the end of the treatment, you can request a re-evaluation and get new aligners to finish the job.

To be eligible for free refinements you must check in with your assigned doctor every 90 days and follow your prescribed treatment to a T. You’ll also need to submit for refinements within 30 days of completing treatment in order to be eligible.

Teeth can be a little stubborn sometimes, so generous refinement policies can give you peace of mind throughout your treatment that your results are essentially guaranteed.

Which Is the Best Home Aligner for You?

When it all comes down to it, WonderSmile and Smile Direct are both good options. But at the end of the day, you can only pick one.

If you want our honest opinion, we prefer WonderSmile, but it’s not by a huge margin. Frankly, the two are pretty comparable. The biggest difference is that WonderSmile has better customer reviews across the board. If you rely on word of mouth “advertising,” then you will probably feel more peace of mind with WonderSmile.

Choose WonderSmile if

You want an easy start-up process, or you think you might be a good candidate for single-arch treatment and you’d like to save $500.

Choose Smile Direct if:

You want the confidence that comes from working with a well-established brand. Smile Direct has served more than 1.5 million customers, so they’ve probably already seen a case just like yours.

Final Verdict | WonderSmile Wins!

Thanks to their flexible treatment options, fee-free financing, and friendly support team, WonderSmile wins!

Learn More About WonderSmile Compare Top Providers

Frequently Asked Questions