What SmileDirectClub's Closure Means for Its Customers

SmileDirectClub filed for bankruptcy on September 29, 2023, and announced on December 8, 2023 that it was shutting down^1,2. Its aligner service, app, and customer support ended, and so did the Lifetime Smile Guarantee. The case became a Chapter 7 liquidation in January 2024².

If you were a customer, what you should do now depends on where the closure left you. This guide covers four situations: you were mid-treatment, you finished and need retainers, you are owed money or still paying SmilePay, or you want your records.

One company comes up in every stage. SmileSet was started by the people who founded SmileDirectClub and says it builds on SmileDirectClub’s technology and treatment records³. It does not honor SmileDirectClub’s old guarantees, warranties, or refunds. Our SmileSet review covers the company in full.

Where Are You?

Find the stage that matches you and skip the rest. Each one tells you what is true now, what to do first, and what we recommend.

• I was mid-treatment and still have unused trays.
• I finished and need new retainers.
• I’m owed a refund or still have a SmilePay balance.
• I want my records, including my scan or treatment plan.

In every stage, the plain alternative is the same: see your dentist. Nothing on this page replaces an exam of your own mouth.

I Was Mid-Treatment When SmileDirectClub Closed

The dentist who supervised your case is no longer checking on you. The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) told SmileDirectClub patients to book an in-person exam with a licensed orthodontist and to share their past treatment there⁵. Most had never had an X-ray or an in-person exam, and the AAO called both critical to safe treatment.

Do not switch trays on your own. Moving teeth without knowing the state of your gums and bone is risky. The ADA lists bone loss, gum recession, bite problems, jaw pain, and tooth loss, some of it permanent⁶. You cannot check your own bone or gum attachment, which is why no professional body supports finishing a tray series unsupervised.

Here is what to do first:

• Book an exam with an orthodontist or your dentist. Bring your treatment plan, your progress photos, and every tray you have, labeled by number.
• Ask about your current tray when you book. Do not move on to the next tray while you wait. The AAO says a previous aligner that still fits comfortably can be worn temporarily if your orthodontist advises it⁷. Let the clinician decide, not a website.
• Contact your state dental board if you cannot reach the dentist who supervised your SmileDirectClub case⁵. Every state board has a complaint process.

Our recommendation: get the exam, then decide how to finish. If you want to finish at home, SmileSet starts every aligner case with a new impression and a dentist-reviewed plan. It does not continue your SmileDirectClub plan. Aligners cost $1,295 (list $1,795, depending on when you buy)⁸.

The at-home aligner safety guide explains what to check before you order from anyone. Or see your dentist and finish in an office.

If you were on SmileDirectClub’s nighttime plan, do not restart that 10-hour schedule on your own. Our nighttime aligner guide covers who fits night-only wear and what the evidence says.

I Finished Treatment and Need Retainers

SmileSet says it can still make retainers from your SmileDirectClub file with no new impression. They cost $149 for one arch or $199 for both, with free shipping^9,10. Order with the same email address or phone number you used at SmileDirectClub so SmileSet finds your file.

That path only works if your teeth are still where SmileDirectClub left them. A retainer holds teeth in place and does not move them back.

If your last retainer will not seat, or only seats with force, your teeth have moved. A new one made from the old file has the same shape, so it will not fit either. If your retainer has been out of your mouth for months, assume the same until a dentist checks.

In that case, you have two options. Take a new impression with a kit, which SmileSet and other online retainer companies sell at the same price. Or see your dentist for custom retainers, which costs more but starts with someone looking at your teeth.

A retainer made from a new impression holds your teeth where they are now, shift included. Moving them back is aligner treatment, not a retainer.

You do not need to replace a retainer every six months. That number was a condition of SmileDirectClub’s guarantee, not a clinical rule, and no professional body sets a calendar interval. The AAO says to replace a clear retainer when it warps, cracks, or stops fitting¹¹.

Our recommendation: if your retainer still fits, order from your SmileDirectClub file through SmileSet. It is the fastest and cheapest route, and it skips the impression kit. Or see your dentist, especially if you have any doubt about fit.

I’m Owed a Refund or Still Paying SmilePay

The special refund program has closed. In December 2024, the New York attorney general announced a $4.8 million plan that refunded or credited more than 28,000 SmilePay customers nationwide⁴. Customers who never received their aligners had their balances canceled and payments returned. The deadline to request additional relief under that plan was March 11, 2025².

SmilePay balances did not go away. Healthcare Finance Direct (HFD) still services those accounts. HFD says customers who finished treatment before the closure, or who have a balance left after refunds, remain responsible under their contracts². Whether you owe anything depends on your contract and what you received, so call HFD at 877-874-3877 before you stop paying or pay off a balance.

If you paid up front and never got your order, the bankruptcy case is where that money went. It is a Chapter 7 liquidation, and the court’s deadlines for filing claims have passed. Former customers who did get money back describe three routes worth trying:

• Your card issuer. A charge for a product you never received is a standard dispute reason. Card networks set time limits, so a 2023 charge may be past the window, but it costs nothing to ask.
• Your state attorney general. Every state takes consumer complaints. The New York office is the one that produced the 2024 refund plan.
• The credit bureaus. If a SmilePay balance shows up wrong on your credit report, dispute it in writing with the bureau and with HFD as the furnisher¹².

Keep your expectations low. Some customers report that their card issuer sent them back to HFD instead of treating the charge as a merchant dispute. Nothing here is legal advice, and a consumer attorney or legal aid office is the right place to ask if real money is at stake.

Our recommendation: SmileSet does not owe you a refund, and it says so. Sort out your SmilePay account with HFD first.

If you want to finish treatment somewhere, get the in-person exam first (see the mid-treatment stage above). After that, SmileSet is our pick for a new at-home plan, or see your dentist. See what other brands charge before you commit.

I Want My SmileDirectClub Records

HIPAA gives you the right to a copy of your health records, including images and treatment plans. A provider that holds them has about 30 days to respond¹³. The problem is that nobody has publicly documented who holds SmileDirectClub’s patient files after the liquidation. There is no records portal, and no court order names a custodian.

Start with the dentist who supervised your case. The name is on your treatment plan and your consent form, and that dentist is the person HIPAA obligates to help you. If a provider does not have your file but knows who does, it must tell you where to send the request¹³. If you cannot reach the dentist at all, call your state dental board next⁵.

SmileSet says it can use a former SmileDirectClub customer’s file to make retainers and night guards without a new impression⁹. That is the practical path if what you want is a product, not a paper record. It is a company statement, and we have not seen proof of who holds every file.

Some former customers on Reddit ask whether a new company should be using their scan at all. If that bothers you, the impression-kit route costs the same and does not touch the old file. You can also file a complaint with the HHS Office for Civil Rights if you believe your records were mishandled¹³.

Our recommendation: ask your supervising dentist for your records, and use SmileSet for a retainer from your file if that is what you need. Or see your dentist and start fresh with a new scan.

Frequently Asked Questions

What replaced SmileDirectClub?

No company took over SmileDirectClub’s customers or obligations. SmileSet, started by SmileDirectClub’s founders, sells aligners, retainers, and night guards and says it builds on SmileDirectClub’s technology and treatment records³. It does not honor SmileDirectClub’s guarantees or refunds. Other at-home brands, and any local orthodontist, are also options.

Can I still sue SmileDirectClub, and is there a lawsuit?

The company is in Chapter 7 liquidation, and the deadlines for filing claims in the bankruptcy case have passed. The New York attorney general’s 2024 agreement handled the SmilePay refunds⁴. A lawsuit against a liquidated company rarely produces money for customers. If you were physically harmed by treatment, talk to a consumer or malpractice attorney about the dentist who supervised your case.

Will SmileDirectClub ever come back?

No. The company stopped operating in December 2023 and its case converted to a liquidation in January 2024². Its founders now run SmileSet, which is a separate company with its own terms.

Was SmileDirectClub as good as Invisalign?

No. SmileDirectClub moved teeth without an in-person exam or X-rays, which the AAO calls critical to safe treatment⁵. Invisalign is prescribed and adjusted by a clinician who sees you. At-home aligners suit mild crowding or spacing in a healthy mouth, while bite problems need in-office care.

How much does a SmileSet retainer set cost?

SmileSet retainers cost $149 for one arch or $199 for both, with free shipping¹⁰. Former SmileDirectClub customers pay the same and skip the impression kit, because SmileSet makes the retainer from the old file.