Clear Aligners in 2026: Costs, Brands Still Operating, and the SmileDirectClub Lesson
The at-home aligner market has shrunk twice. SmileDirectClub collapsed in late 2023, and Byte, the second-largest player, stopped taking new patients in January 2025. What is left is a small group of remote-only brands selling for under $1,200, a regulator that says it has not authorised that model, and dentist-prescribed aligners at in-office prices. Here is the current state of it.
SmileDirectClub: What Happened
SmileDirectClub (SDC) was the largest at-home aligner company in the US, listing a $2,050 single-payment price on its pricing page in June 2023, with treatment based on home impression kits or in-person "SmileShops", with treatment plans reviewed remotely by a dentist or orthodontist rather than at in-person visits.
The model had structural problems from inception. Treatment was supervised by a network of remote-access dentists and orthodontists who reviewed scan data but had no in-person contact with patients. When problems arose (broken trays, pain, bite changes) customer service response was inadequate. The FDA and multiple state dental boards had ongoing regulatory concerns.
SDC filed Chapter 11 on 29 September 2023. On 8 December 2023 it abruptly ceased all operations, cancelling outstanding aligner orders and leaving customers mid-treatment with no replacement trays, retainers, or clinical support. The case was converted to Chapter 7 liquidation on 26 January 2024, and the general bar date for creditor claims had already passed on 27 November 2023.
The billing did not stop with the treatment, and that is the part worth remembering. The New York Attorney General found that SDC's website carried on telling consumers they had to make their remaining monthly instalment payments in full after the company had closed. On 2 December 2024 the office announced it had recovered $4.8 million for more than 28,000 consumers nationwide (2,265 of them New Yorkers) who were improperly charged after SDC stopped providing services. Refunds ran through Healthcare Finance Direct: some were automatic, and consumers who had to submit a Refund Request Form had until 11 March 2025. Both windows are now shut.
The lesson is not that all clear aligners are dangerous. It is that an unsupervised mail-order treatment plan carries both a clinical risk and a balance-sheet risk, and the low price buys you neither protection.
Sources: New York Attorney General, 2 December 2024; SmileDirectClub bankruptcy docket (Kroll). Checked 3 October 2026.
Byte: Closed to New Patients Since January 2025
Byte, acquired by Dentsply Sirona in 2021, was the second-largest at-home aligner provider. On 24 October 2024 Dentsply Sirona announced "the voluntary suspension of sales and marketing of its Byte Aligners and Impression Kits" while it conducted "a review of certain regulatory requirements related to these products", a decision it said was made in consultation with the FDA.
The suspension never lifted. On 14 January 2025 the company confirmed that it "is not reinstating the at-home Byte Aligner Systems and Impression Kits", and that it would continue to provide support for non-contraindicated Byte patients already undergoing treatment. In its 2024 annual report Dentsply Sirona recorded $187 million of impairments against Byte assets, including the trademark, and a $35 million reduction to net sales for expected customer refunds and reimbursements.
So there is no Byte plan fee to quote in 2026. If you are reading a current page that still lists one, it is pricing a product you cannot buy. If you are a Byte patient who was mid-treatment, the support channel Dentsply Sirona committed to is the route to replacement trays and retainers, and your treating clinician (if you had one) is the route to an assessment of where your case stands.
Sources: Dentsply Sirona press releases of 24 October 2024 and 14 January 2025, both filed with the SEC, and the FY2024 Form 10-K. Checked 3 October 2026.
What the FDA Actually Says About Mail-Order Aligners
Clear aligners are prescription devices. The FDA's patient guidance on clear dental aligners, current as of 9 September 2026, is blunt about the direct-to-consumer category: "The FDA has not authorized clear aligners that are marketed directly to consumers without supervision by a dentist or orthodontist," and "the lack of appropriate professional supervision may increase the risk of complications." The harms the agency lists from unauthorised direct-to-consumer aligners are new or worsening dental pain, jaw pain, bite problems, worsening tooth misalignment, and new gaps between teeth.
The agency also separates two phrases that aligner marketing blurs. FDA registered means only that a manufacturer has listed its facility and its products with the FDA. FDA authorised means the FDA reviewed that specific product and cleared or approved it. A brand can say the first truthfully while not holding the second, and both phrases appear in the same marketing copy. If you want to check a specific aligner yourself, the FDA points you at its 510(k) database under product code NXC.
This is the frame to read the rest of this page through. It does not make the remaining at-home brands illegal, and it does not mean nobody finishes treatment happily. It does mean the regulator has publicly declined to vouch for the model, so the price difference between $725 and $3,000 is not a bargain you found: it is a risk you are carrying yourself.
Source: FDA, Clear Dental Aligners, content current as of 9 September 2026. Checked 3 October 2026.
Brands Currently Operating in 2026
| Brand | Lowest published plan | Supervision model | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Byte | No longer sold | At-home kit, closed to new patients | CLOSED to new patients, January 2025 |
| Candid (CandidPro) | Not published | In-office, prescribed by your dentist | Active, dentist-directed |
| NewSmile | From $1,095 | At-home impressions, remote plan review, no in-person exam | Active, remote |
| ALIGNERCO | From $725 | At-home impressions, remote plan review, no in-person exam | Active, remote |
| SmileDirectClub | N/A | Shut down 8 December 2023 | CLOSED |
Prices are the lowest pay-in-full single-patient plan published on each company's own site on 3 October 2026: NewSmile Fast Track at $1,095 against a $1,795 list price, and ALIGNERCO All-Day at $725 against a $1,095 list price (its NightOnly plan is $925 against $1,295). These are promotional prices that move often, so treat them as floors rather than quotes, and read the list price as the number the discount is measured from.
Candid no longer sells to patients at all: candidco.com now redirects to candidpro.com, treatment is prescribed through a dental practice, and the company publishes no patient price because the treating dentist sets the fee. That makes it an alternative to Invisalign rather than a mail-order product, and it is why the table says "not published" instead of guessing a range.
Red Flags When Shopping Clear Aligners
Treatment should not begin without someone physically examining your teeth, bite, and jaw. Home impression kits cannot detect bone loss, gum disease, or complex bite issues that would contraindicate treatment. This is the specific gap the FDA names.
At-home plans start around $725 to $1,095 in 2026, a fraction of in-office treatment. The gap is not a discount on the same product: it is the supervision, the records, and the clinician who is liable for the outcome.
FDA registered only means the manufacturer listed its facility and products with the agency. FDA authorised means the FDA reviewed that specific product. A brand can truthfully claim the first and still not hold the second.
When SmileDirectClub closed, the billing carried on: the New York Attorney General recovered $4.8 million for more than 28,000 consumers charged after the company had stopped providing services. Read what happens to your payment obligation if the company fails mid-treatment, not only what happens if you are unhappy.
You should be able to name the licensed dental professional responsible for your treatment plan and verify their credentials with your state dental board.
No at-home aligner brand has peer-reviewed evidence of comparable outcomes to in-office supervised treatment across a broad case range. Treat such claims with healthy scepticism.