‘I woke up and it was no longer a company’: SmileDirectClub’s closure leaves customers in the lurch

More than 2 million clients used tooth-straightening service that advertised itself as faster and cheaper than braces

Audrey Ganus was running late for her SmileDirectClub appointment on Monday, so she called from the car to let a receptionist know that she might show up five minutes past her appointment time. When she heard an automated voicemail say that the company had shut down and was no longer offering services, she assumed the phone number had changed – she’d received a confirmation email just two days beforehand. But when she arrived at the office, she saw the doors were locked, the lights were off, and items were “scattered everywhere” inside, as if workers had left in a hurry.

Things got worse when Ganus, who is 22 and lives in Palm Harbor, Florida, tried to log onto her patient portal. “I was supposed to have records of everything: my retainers, 3D scans of my teeth, progress reports,” Ganus said. “There’s nothing. Now I don’t even have any proof that I’ve ever had my smile straightened. No other doctor is willing to help me without that proof, so the only way I can get help is if I start all over again, and have my teeth straightened for three, four, or five thousand dollars. SmileDirectClub left me with no options, and I’m freaking out a bit.”