Six Month Smiles Review

Key Takeaways

• Offers professional teeth straightening. A dentist will supervise your orthodontic treatment at a dental office.
• More discrete and comfortable than conventional braces. You can choose from removable invisible aligners and fixed clear braces.
• Treats adults and adolescents over 16 years. As long as you have all permanent teeth with mild to moderate misalignment, Six Month Smiles can improve their appearance.
• Short treatment time. You can get straight teeth in 6 to 9 months.
• Flexible payment options. Pay for Six Month Smiles using in-house payment plans or financing options offered by your dentist.
• Insurance can cover it. Some health plans and insurance companies provide dental coverage for this teeth-straightening system.
• Safe and effective way to straighten teeth. Their aligners are safe to use on teeth because they’re made of the same material as Invisalign trays.

What is Six Month Smiles?

Six Month Smiles® is an in-office treatment that straightens teeth in as little as 6 months. The company offers two affordable ways to correct teeth misalignment:

1. Invisible aligners
2. Clear braces 

Unlike at-home clear aligners, Six Month Smiles requires frequent visits to the dentist. Your orthodontist or dentist will adjust your braces or switch you to new aligners every few weeks. This causes your teeth to gradually shift into place. 

How Does Six Month Smiles Work?

In order for treatment to work, you must have all of your permanent teeth. Six Month Smiles’ teeth straightening system is for adolescents and adults aged 16 and over.

It treats common cosmetic problems, such as teeth that are:¹

• Crooked
• Misaligned
• Spaced
• Crowded

Six Month Smiles can close gaps between natural teeth. It can also straighten worn-down teeth, but you’ll need to get them restored with a crown or veneer when you finish treatment.²

People with missing teeth will need implants before they can straighten their teeth. You should see a Six Months Smiles Provider near you if you have an overbite or underbite. They can take a closer look and see if you are a good match.

The average treatment time is 6 months. However, it can last anywhere from 4 to 9 months if you have a complex case.¹

How Much Does Six Month Smiles Cost?

The average cost of Six Month Smiles treatment is $3,500 to $5,000. It can cost you more if your teeth take longer to straighten.¹

You do not need to pay for the entire cost upfront. The company offers Six Month Smiles Everyone™, which starts at $89 per month with a $399 downpayment. 

Many dentists also offer in-house payment plans so you can make small, affordable payments over time. You can further reduce your costs with a Health Savings Account (HSA), Flexible Savings Account (FSA), and/or dental insurance.³

Is Six Month Smiles Treatment Safe & Effective?

Yes. Six Month Smiles is a safe and effective method for teeth straightening.

The company uses Zendura, the same material used in Invisalign aligners. It is the most effective material for bruxism, a condition that causes you to grind and clench your teeth during sleep.⁴ 

Bruxism can damage your dental surface and affect your bite. It can lead to mild malocclusions and tooth misalignment. Zendura is a safe option because it applies enough force to straighten teeth without causing damage.

While it initially causes some discomfort, it is not nearly as painful as traditional braces. You will get used to wearing them and feel more comfortable over time.

Six Month Smiles treatment also involves a dentist who will monitor your progress. They ensure you can safely undergo teeth straightening before starting treatment.

Case studies from various dental clinics show that Six Month Smiles is effective for:

• Mild crowding with some rotations
• Mild anterior (front) crossbite with rotated canines
• Severe crowding with a deep overbite
• Straightening upper and lower teeth
• Aligning crooked front teeth

Some of these treatments lasted 10 to 14 months, which is more than the average treatment time. Dentists also provided additional treatments for complex cases, such as tooth extraction and retainers.^{5, 6, 7}

Pros and Cons of Six Month Smiles

Here are the advantages and disadvantages of this teeth straightening system:

Pros

• Gives you two ways to straighten teeth: clear braces and invisible aligners
• Can treat minor alignment issues and perform complex tooth movements
• Safe to use on worn-down teeth
• Fixes cosmetic issues
• Short treatment time of 6 to 9 months
• Includes full treatment monitoring
• Payment plans let you split payment across several months
• Accepts HSA and FSA

Cons

• Orthodontists do not offer this treatment
• Does not correct bite issues
• Can lead to unpredictable outcomes

Risks of Six Month Smiles

Unfortunately, only dentists, not orthodontists, offer Six Month Smiles treatment. This might be problematic because dentists lack the specialization of orthodontists, who are specialists in correcting malocclusions (bite discrepancies) and straightening teeth. 

Six Month Smiles causes rapid tooth movement, which may lead to unpredictable results.⁸ Because it doesn’t move the full arch (all teeth), it can worsen pre-existing bite problems or cause a normal bite to become misaligned.

A misaligned bite can make it difficult to eat or talk properly. It can also make your teeth wear faster from the uneven friction between your upper and lower arch.

Lastly, your teeth are at risk of sliding back to their original position.

Six Month Smiles vs. Invisalign vs. Braces

Invisalign and Six Month Smiles have several advantages over standard braces. 

Both are in-office teeth-straightening options. They require you to see a dental professional from consultation until you complete treatment.

Unlike metal braces, which are visible, they use clear brackets. This makes them discreet ways to straighten teeth.

Both offer fast treatment times. Six Month Smiles gives you the fastest way to straighten teeth (6 to 9 months) compared to conventional braces (2 to 3 years).

Six Month Smiles offers both clear aligners and clear braces:

• Their invisible aligners are just like Invisalign. They treat minor teeth misalignment. You can remove them when eating or brushing.
• Their clear braces perform complex tooth movements. They are fixed braces but are more discreet because they use clear brackets and tooth-colored wires.

In terms of treatment cost, Invisalign and Six Month Smile cost about the same as braces. However, they offer more financing options.

Besides HSA, FSA, and any special payment plans offered by dentists and orthodontists, these companies provide in-house financing.

Alternatives to Six Months Smiles

Six Month Smiles is not your only choice for getting straight teeth. Here are alternative options:

Invisalign

Treatment with Invisalign takes longer than Six Month Smiles (12 to 18 months). However, Invisalign aligners move all of your teeth, rather than just the front ones. It also provides longer-lasting results and more predictable outcomes.

While some case studies show that Six Month Smiles works, Invisalign is more widely studied. It’s a clinically proven alternative to standard orthodontic treatment.⁹

Invisalign aligners also treat people in different age groups. They have treatments for children, teenagers, adolescents, and adults.

Read our full review of Invisalign here.

Candid

Candid is a hybrid option for straightening teeth. It has the convenience of at-home aligners where you don’t have to see a dentist when switching trays.

At the same time, Candid provides the same quality of care as in-office treatments. They do so by working with orthodontists to create your treatment plan and monitor you remotely.

Candid aligners perform full arch tooth movements and straighten crooked teeth in as little as 4 months. They are also more affordable than Six Month Smiles. Treatments cost an average of $3,300.

Read our full review of Candid here.

Byte

Byte offers at-home aligners for daytime and nighttime use. Your kit will include:

• Hyperbyte device — speeds up tooth movement
• Whitening foam — cleans your tray and whitens teeth

They have a shorter treatment time (4 to 5 months) than Six Month Smiles. They’re also more affordable and cost $1,999 to $2,399. 

Note: Byte only straightens your front teeth. The company also doesn’t offer in-office consultations. Instead, they will send you an impression kit. If you don’t take good impressions, you may end up with ill-fitting trays.

Read our full review of Byte here.

SmileDirectClub

SmileDirectClub (SDC) has day and night aligners. They also have a short treatment time (4 to 6 months) and are within the same price range ($2,250) as Byte. 

This means they are cheaper and can straighten your teeth faster than Six Month Smiles.

You can order an impression kit online or visit a SmileShop near you. SDC providers offer free consultations and teeth whitening treatments.

Once their dentists or orthodontists approve your treatment, you can straighten your teeth from the comfort of your home. SmileDirectClub offers remote monitoring.

Read our full review of SmileDirectClub here.