I would like to be able to order the snap-on-smile online. I don’t want to spend time in dentists offices. I know that all I would have to do is have my teeth impressions taken. I want to do this at home. I also know of a site that claims to do it, but the company has a lot of bad reviews from people that paid their money up front and did’t get their orders. I ask some one at the conpany of the site and I was told that the complaints was from one dissatisfied customer. I’m still leary of them. But I would really like to order the snap-on smile online from someone reliable. Do you happen to know of any reliable online companies?

Thanks for your reply.
– Gibbs from Chicago

Dear Gibbs,
Interesting question.

There’s a reason the site you found that claims to deliver a Snap-on Smile online is a sleazy site that cheats its customers. The reason is that this doesn’t work, doing it online. It would be kind of like getting a haircut online. That was creative of them – to tell you that all the complaints were from one dissatisfied customer. Sounds like you didn’t believe them. I don’t.

You start with the impressions. You could maybe get that without a dentist, but I’m not sure how you’d go about getting that done. The impressions have to be a certain level of quality, without distortion. There’s a certain amount of training required to do that right. Some dental assistants can do a good job of it, but not even all dental assistants could do an adequate impression for these purposes. And then there’s the problem of getting the Snap-on Smile ordered. By law, Den-Mat is required to take orders only from licensed dentists. So you would have to have someone lie in order to get this made without a dentist. And then the question comes up, would YOU trust this person who is willing to lie and break the law. Well, maybe you would. But there are certain things you have to know to tell Den-Mat about HOW you want the Snap-on Smile made. What shade will you tell them to make it? Do you know that terminology? What will you tell them as far as how much facial bulk to allow? Will it fit your bite? How will you figure that out?

But wait, you’re not done. Once you get it back from the lab, the Snap-on Smile has to be fitted. When it is done in the lab according to the model that is sent in, it doesn’t just automatically fit. In most cases it will have to be adjusted. Do you have tools for doing that? Will you know what you are doing? Maybe you’ll trim it here or there and then, all of a sudden, it’s too loose and won’t stay in. What do you do then?

I’m a “think outside the box” and “work outside the box” kind of guy, so I’d be all for creative ways for getting this done and simplifying it. But there are safeguards put in place and the reason they’re put in place is to keep businesses from scamming the public.

If it’s price you’re worried about, and you just want a basic Snap-on Smile that doesn’t need to look particularly great, you can call around and find out who will do it the cheapest, and you should be able to find someone who will do it for a couple of hundred over the lab cost. For front six teeth, the lab cost is $250. For all the upper teeth, the lab cost is $400. What a dentist charges over and above that will vary a lot from dentist to dentist. There will also be great variations in the quality of the result. But if you’re not fussy, you should be able to find someone who will do it cheap. Set a limit of, say $600, and I’ll bet you’ll find a taker if you call around and just ask, bluntly, if the dentist will do it for that, if you’re willing, say, to pay cash up front, so that there’s no risk for the dentist in not getting paid.

Dr. Hall

Links: Read more about the costs of cosmetic dentistry.