Smile Direct Club Responds to Misrepresentations in the Media
February 14 2020 - 7:43AM
SmileDirectClub, the industry pioneer and first direct-to-consumer
oral care med tech platform, issues the following statement in
response to an NBC Nightly News story on the company, which aired
yesterday.
“We are disappointed that though we provided NBC with the
opportunity to obtain all relevant facts as to the safety and
efficacy of teledentistry for the provision of clear aligner
therapy, NBC failed to provide its viewers with a balanced and fair
news story reflecting those facts. The piece misrepresents
SmileDirectClub and the quality of care provided by the over 250
state-licensed dentists and orthodontists across the country who
use our platform to treat their patients. We are surprised by
the journalist’s blatant disregard for the facts and failure to
include all of the accurate information we provided.
Notably, the almost five-minute report and online story does not
include one interview or statement from the more than 750,000
satisfied customers who have used our products to improve their
lives, nor does it include a single interview with any of the
hundreds of dentists who have publicly supported our technology. In
fact, though NBC conducted interviews over the last 30 days with
these doctors and customers under the guise of providing a fair and
balanced story, their statements were not included or referenced in
this story.
SmileDirectClub made customers, doctors and team members
available for hours of in-person interviews, phone calls and email
correspondence. The Company provided a tremendous amount of
critical information that would have allowed NBC to report a more
accurate and balanced story. NBC owes it to its viewers and the
public to correct these errors immediately:
- Just like other telemedicine platforms, SmileDirectClub
customers interact with their treating dentists or orthodontists
via our med tech platform. Each patient’s treatment is supervised
by a state licensed dentist or orthodontist from start to finish,
including the patients interviewed by NBC. Our SmileShops and
those employed at our SmileShops are not engaged in the practice of
dentistry; they simply provide a convenient option for gathering
information from customers for subsequent review by one of the more
than 250 state-licensed dentists and orthodontists in our
affiliated network. Each case is reviewed and approved, where
appropriate, by the treating doctor, who is available to connect
directly with customers at any time before, during and after
treatment. With over 350 SmileShops staffed by over 1,000
team members, across the country, the fact that NBC was able to
find one or two SmileDirectClub team members who failed to follow
SmileDirectClub protocols in informing customers of the importance
and requirement of seeing their regular dentist before commencing
treatment, is not surprising. In a company our size and given our
tremendous and rapid growth, this can be expected and is something
we work to correct every day. Dentists are an integral part
of our business model and we take our commitment to oral care
seriously.
- NBC was provided the opportunity to connect with customers who
either had no concerns with their treatment through the
SmileDirectClub platform, or who did and were able to resolve their
issues with their treating doctor. NBC also conducted interviews
with SmileDirectClub’s Chief Clinical Officer and a dentist who
treats patients through our med tech platform. NBC neglected to
provide its viewers with any of the personal experiences provided
by these customers or commentary delivered by these medical experts
on the safety of remote clear aligner therapy.
- SmileDirectClub has successfully serviced more than 750,000
customers through our network and platform. Less than 1% of these
customers have had any clinical concerns during treatment, a
statistic that is lower than the dissatisfaction recorded from
patients of traditional orthodontics. SmileDirectClub
provided these statistics to NBC, but NBC failed to provide that
information to its viewers.
- There is no investigation into SmileDirectClub by the Federal
Drug Administration or the FTC, and SmileDirectClub is in full
compliance with FDA regulations, including its 510K manufacturing
certification. The letter referenced from members of Congress to
the FDA is based on misinformation originated by dental trade
organizations and is nothing more than the latest in a series of
anti-competitive publicity tactics designed to attempt to limit our
success, which is a direct threat to traditional orthodontia. Of
the nine congressmen who signed this letter, five are dentists, an
interest that should be noted by an organization such as NBC
Nightly News.
- When customers request a refund outside of our published refund
policy, we ask that they sign a general release that contains a
confidentiality provision, similar to the recommendations set forth
by the American Association of Orthodontists and standard business
practice.
- Lastly, the California law states that dentists should review
the “…patient’s most recent diagnostic digital or conventional
radiographs or other equivalent bone imaging suitable for
orthodontia. New radiographs or other equivalent bone imaging shall
be ordered if deemed appropriate by the treating dentist.” The
doctors who use our platform are required to comply with the laws
in every state in which they practice when using our platform,
including the laws of the State of California. While
SmileDirectClub disagrees that the legislature should be setting
clinical standards, we ensure that our model requires compliance
with all laws.
SmileDirectClub and the doctors in our network are committed to
ensuring our customers receive what they signed on for -- a safe,
convenient and affordable choice for teeth straightening. The
licensed dentists and orthodontists who treat patients using our
med tech platform adhere to the same regulatory guidelines and
standards when using our platform as they do when practicing in a
traditional brick and mortar setting. These doctors are responsible
for all clinical decisions and are available to their patients
throughout the treatment process. We ask any concerned customers to
contact SmileDirectClub directly at support@smiledirectclub.com or
800-848-7566.”
About SmileDirectClub
SmileDirectClub, Inc. (Nasdaq: SDC) (“SmileDirectClub”), is the
industry pioneer as the first direct-to-consumer med tech platform
for transforming smiles. Through our cutting-edge teledentistry
technology and vertically integrated model, we are revolutionizing
the oral care industry. SmileDirectClub’s mission is to democratize
access to affordable and convenient care, unleashing the power of a
person’s smile to positively impact their place in the world.
SmileDirectClub was founded by Alex Fenkell and Jordan Katzman in
partnership with Camelot Venture Group. Available in the U.S.,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, and Hong
Kong, SmileDirectClub is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee. For
more information, visit SmileDirectClub.com.
Contact:SmileDirectClub Media Relations:
Press@SmileDirectClub.com
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