We are continuing our series about invisible aligners. At this point, most people know about invisible aligners. But, I’m guessing most of you don’t know about all of the different brands available to you.
Seven different companies offer invisible aligners. We are reviewing the 4 most popular brands. Today, it just happens to be Candid Clear Aligners up for review.
Remember this? “Smile … You’re on Candid Camera!”?? That old television show was known for catching people completely off-guard and putting their faces on camera for all to see.
Well, most people who are embarrassed by their teeth have no desire to be captured on a show like Candid Camera. They are probably thinking, No thank you. Please do not display my snaggle-toothed grin.
Fortunately for those of us who would rather be caught dead than unwittingly caught on camera, Candid Clear Aligners are bringing less fear and more joy back to the word “candid.”
So, let’s get on with the show. This is our review of Candid Clear Aligners.
The Candid Story
Several years ago, a group of five people were sitting around chatting about their teeth. None of them were happy. They all wanted straighter teeth, but none of them were willing to pay $5,000 to make it a reality.
That conversation sparked a little fire that led them to research aligners. They reached out to Dr. C. Lynn Hurst, a well-known orthodontist. Together in 2017, they founded Candid.
The goal at Candid is to put the client’s needs above their bottom line.
Who are the Candid professionals?
Candid makes it a priority to hire orthodontists rather than dentists. According to their website, the people at Candid “believe that outcomes can only be as good as the training and experience of the people designing treatment. So we work exclusively with a carefully curated network of expert orthodontists, not general dentists or ‘dental professionals.’”
It only makes sense that the professional determining whether or not invisible aligners will work for an individual’s teeth should be somebody who intimately studied orthodontia. This way, the person who designs a plan for transforming your smile can truly give educated input.
The orthodontist that each client is paired with is determined by the state he or she lives in. Candid wants the whole process to be as personalized and hassle-free as possible.
What makes Candid Clear Aligners stand out from the competition?
Candid wants every single client to love their new smiles. So before receiving your starter kit, they want you to pick up the phone and schedule a video chat.
This visual conversation allows the orthodontist to take a good look at the patient. The doctor can see how your teeth are situated in your mouth, as well as how your gums look.
Having a live video chat helps them to create your aligners while keeping your face in mind. If there are any inaccuracies in the pictures sent to Candid, having this call should clear it up.
It is one step that the competition doesn’t typically take.
Are teens eligible for Candid Clear Aligners?
If you are over the age of 13, you’re old enough for Candid aligners. Your shy teen doesn’t need to fear a visit to the orthodontist because there won’t be one.
Every teen is paired with their own orthodontist. The orthodontist will help ensure that the child stays on track with the steps and is following a proper oral hygiene plan. (Getting a teenager to follow a plan is a feat in itself!)
Candid can save you around $2600, as opposed to traditional braces.
You can save time, money, and the headache of making in-office appointments while boosting your kiddo’s confidence with a beautiful smile.
Customer Service at Candid
This is all fine and good until somebody needs a customer service representative. Things can go from a little problem to a really angry problem in a jiffy. Ain’t nobody got time for that. No thanks.
So, the client’s customer care experience is a big deal. People want an answer when they have questions or worries. At Candid, your customer care experience is chiefly dependent upon the orthodontist. They are available to you throughout the entire program.
That’s right. The same doctor who helped to design your aligners and your treatment plan is the one who will monitor your progress during your entire treatment program with Candid.
Candid prides themselves on responding quickly to clients. They have experienced multiple complaints about response time. Those complaints can typically be attributed to the spam folder.
So, if you’ve emailed them, check your spam folder. It isn’t always the culprit, but it happens frequently.
You can contact Candid’s customer service team via telephone, online chat service, or through email communication.
New patients can feel free to communicate with Candid as much as they want while waiting for customized aligners. It is a bit of a waiting process. You can expect to wait two months for your magic teeth movers.
How much does it cost to participate in the Candid Clear Aligner treatment program?
Candid Co. aligners come at a price of $2400 for an adult set. To buy the treatment program for teens, it will cost you $2800. These fees will be required in one, lump sum.
These fees do not include retainers. Retainer pricing depends on each individual’s needs.
In addition to the aligner fees, Candid will supply an $95 impression kit and your first retainer set at no cost to you. For any retainers needed after the first set, you will pay a $95 fee.
If you cannot pay the fee all at once, you may try the payment plan. This option requires a deposit of $399 and 24 monthly installments of $99. That brings your total to $2775 for adult aligners.
How do client’s get started with Candid?
You have two options. You can either swing by Candid Studio and have impressions made. Or you can go online, take their 30-second survey, and find out if you are a candidate.
Based on that answer, you can decide whether or not you want to order your starter kit.
If you move forward, you will order the starter kit, you will follow the included instructions, and you will take impressions of your teeth (pretty much like any other standard impression kit for invisible aligners), and send them in for review.
Just in case you’re worried that you might not get the impression right the first time, Candid sends you a backup. For free! That is a bonus in my book.
To top it off, they provide a shipping label to cover the cost of shipping your impressions.
What comes with the Candid Clear Aligner starter kit?
After waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for two months, your kit should be delivered to your door. But before that happens, you will have the option to review 3D images of your current pearly white situation.
If you accept and approve of the plan they’ve devised, then Candid will begin to create and manufacture your custom-fit aligners. The company does this so that their patients can visualize their new smile and what it will take to achieve it.
Based on the fact that Candid only uses licensed orthodontists, the forecasted images of corrected smiles should be pretty spot on—but only if you follow the directions and stick to the guidelines given by the assigned orthodontist.
How long is treatment with Candid Clear Aligners?
The orthodontist will determine the duration of each person’s treatment plan based on the condition of their teeth. Treatment may be complete in as little as three months, or as long as ten months.
Keep in mind that every mouth is different, so every treatment length may be different. As we stated, the orthodontist you are partnered with will decide how long your treatment should last, and they will use their online dental monitoring service to ensure you are sticking to the plan.
Where are Candid aligners available?
Candid Clear Aligners are available throughout the United States. There are brick and mortar storefronts available in several locations.
If no stores are near you, not to worry, you can just order your kit online and take care of it yourself.
There is one fact we must mention, Candid Clear Aligners are only available to United States residents.
This is how Candid Co. aligners work
First Step: Figure out if you are a good candidate.
The easiest way to do this is to take the survey on their site. Just click on the “Am I a candidate?” box. It will take you straight to a short survey.
Second Step: Place your order for a new Candid Starter Kit
Once you’ve decided aligners are the way to go, place your order for the kit. Be sure to put your signature on the informed consent paperwork prior to placing your order.
Your kit will have instructions with photos to make sure you understand what to do.
If the photos and instructions are not doing the trick, then you can have a video chat to help walk you through making your impressions. To be even more thorough, Candid has YouTube videos available to help you out.
In addition to making impressions of your teeth, you also need to take photos of your teeth. The orthodontist will use both the impressions and photos to decide if the person is a true candidate for aligners.
Third Step: Scheduling a video chat.
Candid encourages this step because it can be a challenge to take successful impressions and clear photos.
It’s important that these are done well because it helps the orthodontist make the most educated decision possible in determining aligner qualification. This extra step also expedites the process by eliminating errors.
Fourth Step: Mailing your impressions back to Candid.
Once you’ve completed your impressions, you’ll need to mail them back to Candid. Now you wait to see if you are accepted as a candidate.
Fifth Step: Place your order for new Candid aligners.
Obviously, to get to the fifth step you need to have approval from the orthodontist first. Then, you can place your order on the Candid website.
Plan on waiting three to four weeks before receiving a 3D image of your future smile. Two months after you make the order, you should have your brand spanking new Candid Clear Aligner kit.
Sixth Step: Retainers
After finishing your aligner treatment program, it’s time for retainers. Retainers are used to keep your smile in check.
It’s important to keep up with your retainers and replace them every six months to maintain your transformed smile.
Candid’s Remote Monitoring
Your aligner kit contains materials that allow you to keep up with your treatment without attending a Candid Studio. Hence the program is remote.
A great feature of Candid is their phone app. The app is what you’ll need for remote online monitoring.
The monitoring will be done by the same orthodontist who created your aligners and the treatment program.
In Conclusion
Candid Co. makes a concerted effort to be available to its patients throughout the entire treatment process. Due to the fact that they follow your progress, the outcome for most clients is on the positive side.
When a patient is unsatisfied, Candid doesn’t leave you high and dry. They want you to achieve your desired smile.
Candid claims that they cannot only correct moderately crooked teeth they are able to correct overbites and underbites. This is a correction that many aligner companies do not make.
Like all of the other aligner companies, Candid cannot correct serious issues with teeth.
To end on a positive note, here is one of our favorite things about Candid Co. Every time an aligner kit is purchased, Candid donates $25 to Smile Train. Those funds led to over 1,000 cleft lip and palate surgeries in 2020.
