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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallSmileDirectClub’s shutdown took effect on December 8, 2023, ending its aligner service and customer support. What former customers owe or may recover depends chiefly on who processed the payment, whether treatment was complete, and the customer’s account status. HFD’s published compensation plan applied only to certain U.S. SmilePay customers; it did not cover direct payments to SmileDirectClub. Anyone whose treatment was interrupted should arrange an assessment with a local dentist or orthodontist.
What happened when SmileDirectClub shut down?
SmileDirectClub filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 29, 2023, then announced a global wind-down effective December 8, 2023. The company stopped offering aligners and other services, ended customer support, canceled orders that had not shipped, and said its Lifetime Smile Guarantee would no longer be honored. HFD says the bankruptcy cases converted to Chapter 7 on January 26, 2024. HFD’s SmileDirectClub FAQ and the New York Attorney General’s 2024 release describe the shutdown and related consumer issues.
How to work out what happens to your payments
Start by identifying the payment processor, then check your treatment status on December 8, 2023. HFD says it collected SmilePay installment payments in the United States and Canada, but the compensation plan described in its FAQ is for eligible U.S. customers. Its terms are not an individual account determination.
| Payment and treatment situation | What HFD says |
|---|---|
| Eligible U.S. SmilePay customer who never received initial aligners | HFD says the customer was not obligated to continue payments, the remaining contract balance would be canceled, and HFD-collected installment payments would be refunded. |
| Eligible U.S. SmilePay customer whose treatment began on or after November 8, 2023 | For customers within the first 30 days of treatment, HFD described an automatic refund of three $89 installments ($267). An additional step-up refund and cancellation of the remaining balance could be requested, subject to the FAQ’s cap and conditions. |
| Eligible U.S. SmilePay customer whose treatment began before November 8, 2023 and was incomplete on December 8, 2023 | HFD described an automatic adjustment equal to the lesser of one $89 installment or the pro-rata contract balance. A further step-up adjustment could be requested, subject to the plan cap and conditions. |
| Customer whose treatment was complete before December 8, 2023 | HFD says completed-treatment customers were outside the compensation plan and that any outstanding SmilePay balance remained payable under the Retail Installment Contract. |
| Down payment processed by SmileDirectClub, or an aligner purchase paid in full directly to SmileDirectClub | HFD says these payments were not covered by its compensation plan. Its FAQ directs customers seeking recovery to the SmileDirectClub bankruptcy process; that route does not guarantee a refund or a particular recovery. |
HFD’s plan also required that an eligible customer have an active SmilePay retail installment contract on December 8, 2023, be current on payments, and likely still be in treatment based on records available to HFD. HFD says any balance remaining after applicable adjustments continued to be due under the contract. Check your contract and account records and ask HFD how the terms apply to your case. Its FAQ lists patient support at gohfd.com/smile-direct-club-faq/ and gives the phone number (877) 874-3877.
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The additional-refund deadline has passed
HFD’s FAQ set March 11, 2025, as the deadline to return the form for an additional step-up refund. That date has passed. The FAQ does not say whether late requests or another remedy are now available, so contact HFD directly rather than assuming a late request will be accepted.
What the $4.8 million recovery means—and does not mean
In 2024, the New York Attorney General announced a $4.8 million recovery related to customers who were wrongly charged after SmileDirectClub closed. That is an aggregate consumer recovery, not a promise of an equal payment to each former customer or proof that every kind of SmileDirectClub payment qualifies. HFD separately describes a $4.8 million cap for its compensation plan; the two figures refer to different statements and should not be treated as individual entitlements. The Attorney General’s release also says most customers used SmilePay, which generally involved $250 upfront and 26 monthly installments of approximately $89, totaling more than $2,500. Those are historical general terms as described by the Attorney General; individual contracts could vary.
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How to continue orthodontic care
If your treatment was interrupted, contact a local dentist or orthodontist for an examination and a dentist-supervised plan before deciding whether to keep wearing your aligners, change treatment, or stop. The American Dental Association advised dentists to help former customers find dental homes and continue care under professional supervision. The ADA’s December 2023 guidance supports getting an individual assessment; it does not prescribe the right treatment for a particular patient.
Bring whatever records you have so the clinician can understand your treatment and its timing:
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- Your dental or orthodontic records and any treatment plan
- The aligner sequence, trays, and packaging you still have
- Payment records, your SmilePay contract, and account statements
- Messages or other communications from SmileDirectClub or HFD
SmileDirectClub’s legacy customer FAQ said SmileSet could provide custom retainers using records held by a customer’s treating doctor’s practice and that the platform no longer offered aligner treatment. The legacy page does not establish whether SmileSet can currently take orders, so treat it only as a service to check—not as guaranteed availability. SmileDirectClub’s customer FAQ is the source for that legacy information.
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- Adjustable Thickness Options: Choose from two thicknesses (1.0mm, 1.5mm) to suit your personal preferences at different stages.
- Smart Material Architecture: Featuring a patented tri-layer biocompatible polymer - rigid enough to maintain position yet flexible for comfort, completely free from BPAs, phthalates, and allergenic compounds.
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