We are doing a series on invisible aligners. Chances are that if you have crooked teeth, crowded teeth, or an uneven bite, you have wondered about invisible aligners.
Little magic pieces of plastic that improve our smiles. Beautiful smiles can be had by just about everyone … You get a beautiful smile … You get a beautiful smile … And you get a beautiful smile.
So very many of us are self-conscious about our smiles. It’s just the way it is. We cover our mouths when we laugh, consciously keep our lips drawn around our teeth, and learn to smile with our lips pursed tightly together.
Who wants to keep doing that for their entire lives?! Not me, Karen. Not me.
First, it’s time for research. We’re going to review Byte aligners.
What do we know about Byte aligners?
Byte has its headquarters in sunny (albeit smoggy) Los Angeles, California. Dr. Jon Marashi created Byte aligners in 2017 and the company was launched to the public in 2019. Marashi is known around the world as a cosmetic dentist for celebrities. Who doesn’t want a celebrity-perfect smile?
Speaking of celebrities, the beautiful and talented actor Kerry Washington took on the role of Investor and Creative Advisor for Byte.
Byte created invisible aligners that enable people with minor to average teeth issues to get treatment while basically staying at home in pajamas. Pretty nifty.
Their treatment plans are directed by a team of over two hundred licensed doctors, dentists, and orthodontists, spanning the United States. These professionals remotely prescribe and supervise each client’s Byte treatment plan.
Yep, remote. Byte invisible aligners are used 100% at home through the genius of teledentistry.
Byte is a proud member of the Better Business Bureau and the American Teledentistry Association. You can check out their profile on the BBB to see thousands of positive reviews.
Information on Byte is all over the internet. You can find them mentioned in the Seattle Seahawks, the New York Post, Yahoo!, TechCrunch, Forbes, Bloomberg, People, and Business Wire.
Who can use Byte invisible aligners?
In order to use Byte aligners, clients must be at least twelve years of age with all of their permanent teeth and they must obtain approval from a Byte orthodontist stating it is safe for them to use teledentistry.
To be eligible, the Byte customer must have teeth with only minor to moderate issues involving spacing, rotation correction, or crowding.
You have two choices: Byte All-Day or Byte At-Night.
Byte All-Day Aligners
Byte’s All-Day Aligners are made from medical-grade, BPA-free, tear-resistant polymer film. Science has shown that they are much more stain-resistant than other invisible aligners, and they also have a much smoother surface.
Each aligner is custom-made to gently encourage the teeth to move into their desired destination. To achieve your new smile, you will wear each set of aligners for one week before moving on to the next set for the remainder of your treatment.
Twenty-two hours of your day will be spent wearing your Byte All-Day Aligners. Basically, the aligners are only to be removed when you eat and drink.
Byte At-Night Aligners
So, maybe you are not so keen on the idea of wearing aligners allll day long. That is understandable! Byte also offers their Byte At-Night Aligners.
These magical trays straighten your teeth while you sleep. The nighttime aligners are made with a thicker version of BPA-free, grind-resistant, medical-grade polymer.
If you are a teeth grinder, this means you can prevent grinding problems while you straighten your teeth.
Byte At-Night Aligners must be worn for at least ten continuous hours and coupled with daily ten-minute HyperByte sessions.
It is important to note that the nighttime aligners take five to six months to complete the treatment plan, and they are more expensive than the All-Day Aligners.
The All-Night Aligners can be purchased for one payment of $2,295, or with a down payment of $449 accompanied by twenty-nine monthly payments of $99. The monthly payment plan will cost $3,336 in total.
What is the process to use Byte?
3 simple steps, that’s all you need. 3 simple steps and—wait. That’s a song from Special Agent Oso. (Sweet baby Jesus, please take this terrible cartoon song from my head.)
Seriously, it takes three easy steps to sign up with Byte.
Three Simple Steps
Step One: Ask for an at-home impressions kit
The only way to do your teeth impressions is the DIY way. You never deal with a brick and mortar store. Everything is done via snail mail.
To get started, request an impressions kit through the Byte website. The impression kits are usually priced at $95. However, you can regularly find them at a discounted price of $29.95.
Next, you wait patiently for your impressions kit to arrive in the mail. Your new kit contains the supplies you need to make impressions of your teeth:
- Impression Trays
- Molding Putty
- Putty Gloves
- Smile Stretcher
- Return Shipping Box
- Free Shipping
- Orthodontist Review
- Your Custom Treatment Plan
- Impression Sessions
Finally, follow the directions to take impressions of your teeth. The impression process should take fifteen minutes to complete. Next, pack those puppies up, and use the complimentary shipping label that is included in your supply kit to send your new impressions to Byte.
Step Two: Put Your Aligners in Your Mouth!
This is the point in the process when Byte’s Smile Science comes into play. When Byte receives your impressions, they are reviewed by their team of orthodontists. The orthodontists will use the five-point analysis Smile Science to decide how your teeth should be aligned.
A glance through their website shows you that Byte believes, “For a personalized smile, you need more than straight teeth. Those teeth also need to be proportional to each other in relation to your face. We position the teeth horizontally in each dental arch so they’re parallel to your eyes and proportioned to your cheeks. All you.”
By using Smile Science, the Byte team will develop a 3-D image of your new smile plan. The images lay out a visual plan that reveals how the plan will work in the weeks and months ahead, as well as what your resulting smile will look like.
Now you wait.
It should take somewhere between five to seven weeks before your smile-making happies make their way to your mailbox. Follow the instructions and put in your first set of aligners. Then, the magic begins.
Depending on which Byte aligner option you have chosen, you may wear them twenty-two hours per day, or ten hours per night. *You can expect to have some soreness as your teeth begin adjusting to their new placement.
You will also receive BrightByte in your new kit. This is Byte’s version of a whitening treatment for your evolving smile.
Byte also offers access to Snow At-Home Teeth Whitening System. The Snow system safely whitens teeth with no harmful effects. The whitening gel is soy-free, gluten-free, vegan, and lactose-free. Results can be seen in three days.
Step Three: Your Smile Maintenance Plan
Byte has designed their aligners to work rather quickly. On average, their aligners straighten teeth within two to four months.
After your teeth reach their desired alignment, you begin wearing retainers. You will wear Byte retainers 24/7 for two weeks (minus when you eat and drink.) Then, you only keep them in for 8 hours per night.
And, guess what? Your first set of retainers comes at no cost. Yep, they are free. Each set after that is $129.
What is the cost of a new smile created by Byte?
- BytePay: This is the payment plan specific to Byte aligners. You will make a downpayment of $349, followed by twenty-nine monthly payments of $83. This adds up to a grand total of $2,756.
- One Lump Sum: You will save money by choosing this option. If you choose to make a single payment, it will cost you $1,895.
What About Insurance?
Well, Byte doesn’t take insurance. They will, however, give you the appropriate forms to turn in a claim to your insurance. From that point, it’s up to your insurance company as to whether or not they will reimburse you for your treatment.
How is Byte’s customer service?
Clients appear to be very satisfied with the customer service they receive. Byte has a customer support team that you can reach through Facebook messenger, email, phone, or text.
Byte was given a score of 9.9 out of a possible 10 by Best Company in their evaluation. What’s more, nearly 3,000 customers give Byte 4.8 stars on a scale of 5.
Needless to say, Byte’s clients like them. The good, the bad, the ugly. (Well, not ugly.)
What do people love about Byte?
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Byte aligners come with its Byte for Life guarantee! This means the smile you achieved through Byte is guaranteed for your entire lifetime and they will provide you the means to get your pearly whites back on track should they ever move out of place by providing new tools for FREE.*
*If teeth alignment has been altered due to trauma or an accident, that will not be covered. - Byte comes with free stuff. And who doesn’t want a few extras? Free whitening tools and a set of retainers are included at no extra charge.
- Byte treatment is fast. Unlike most invisible aligners, which take ten to twenty-four months, Byte treatment is complete within two to four months.
- Byte treatment comes with their exclusive HyperByte device. Hyperbyte has an amazing effect on reducing treatment duration. Just five minutes each day with this handy-dandy high-frequency vibration device and you could see a new smile in two months.
- Byte is monitored by doctors. Byte uses teledentistry to hop online and visually check in with each client to track their progress.
- Byte is done 100% from home. Many people don’t have time or won’t take the time to go to a doctor’s office. Byte makes it easy for them to straighten their teeth from home.
What don't people love about Byte?
- Safety first: The American Association of Orthodontists have expressed pretty major concerns about straightening teeth from home. The AAO believes this choice for treatment may cause dental issues down the road, leading to teeth issues and/or gum loss.
- Payment plan cost: Byte charges $861 more for their treatment plan if you choose their monthly payment option. That is a pretty big penalty to be paid for using this choice to buy your invisible aligners.
- Not for severe alignment problems: Byte aligners can only be used to effectively treat teeth with fairly minor alignment problems.
- No in-person contact with dental professionals: Byte clients cannot visit a live orthodontist to discuss their treatment.
- Cumbersome insurance reimbursement procedure: Byte does not directly communicate with any insurance companies. Clients must get the claims form(s) from Byte and handle all reimbursement paperwork and follow-up on their own.
Bottom Line
Hundreds of millions of people all over the world look in the mirror and see crooked teeth. A great majority of these people do not have insurance or funds to cover the cost of traditional braces. Byte’s treatment plan is much more affordable than the $5,000 you can expect to pay for braces.
Thanks to HyperByte technology, Byte straightens teeth much faster than a mouth full of metal wires and brackets.
If your smile could use a little pick-me-up, Byte is a great choice.
