I’ve been thinking about getting Invisalign but the price is a tad over my budget. I recently received an offer from Candid, which costs a lot less. Unlike the other mail-in orthodontics, they will bill your insurance. If insurance companies accept it, does that make it as safe as Invisalign?
Andy
Dear Andy,
I’m glad you wrote asking about this before moving forward. Billing the insurance company is different than being an accepted coverage. They are actually a tad deceptive about this. Their big print will state that many dental insurance companies cover orthodontics including Candid and without “lifting a finger” your reimbursement check will be in the mail. Way down in the fine print it says they cannot tell you in a case by case basis whether your policy will reimburse you. When you don’t get reimbursed, they point to their fine print.
At a traditional dental office, their billing team is very good at helping patients understand their dental insurance policy along with what will be covered and what won’t.
How Candid and Invisalign are Alike
They both use clear aligners and charge you for it.
How Candid and Invisalign are Different
With Invisalign or a similar company called Clear Correct, you see a dentist all the way through your treatment. While in many cases, things progress smoothly, that isn’t always the case. Everyone’s teeth respond differently to treatment. Sometimes they just don’t go along with the initial plan and changes have to be made to the treatment.
Because you are seeing a dentist on a regular basis, who is personally invested in your case, those problems are caught quickly and dealt with.
Candid will have you send in updates through your phone for an orthodontist to check, but scans don’t always give a full picture. And an orthodontist just going through stacks of pictures to tick off boxes, isn’t likely to be as attentive to your case.
In fact, in their first two years in business Candid had 41 significant complaints lodged against them by patients having issues with their treatment who reached out to the company for help and never heard back from them. That is a big deal and could end up costing someone their teeth!
Can you save money with Candid if everything goes smoothly? Yes. Is it worth the risk? I’m not convinced.
A Fun Benefit to Clear Correct
Your Invisalign (or Clear Correct) aligners can also double as teeth whitening trays. So, your dentist can provide you with professional strength teeth whitening gel to use in your aligners. This allows you to straighten and whiten your teeth simultaneously giving you a mini smile makeover at a fraction of the cost.
This blog is brought to you by Libertyville Dentist Dr. David Potts.