Help

BI’s Article search uses Boolean search capabilities. If you are not familiar with these principles, here are some quick tips.

To search specifically for more than one word, put the search term in quotation marks. For example, “workers compensation”. This will limit your search to that combination of words.

To search for a combination of terms, use quotations and the & symbol. For example, “hurricane” & “loss”.

Login Register Subscribe

Nothing to smile about, orthodontists sue

Reprints
Smile

Almost everything that is pesky about wearing braces is practically eliminated by a do-it-yourself version of teeth aligners created and marketed by SmileDirectClub: visits to the orthodontist for tightening; rubber bands, navigating dental flossing between the metal wires and more.

But orthodontists, now suing the company that just went public, claim the company is skirting another issue: federal law. A group of orthodontists and consumers on Wednesday filed a putative class action in a Tennessee federal court against the Nashville-based company alleging that the company committed fraud and misled customers, according to media outlets in Nashville.

Specifically, the orthodontists are seeking damages tied to lost profits, alleging that SmileDirectClub has undercut their business by breaking federal law, the complaint states.

“Despite having been found to be illegally operating as dentists, despite a business model that is destined to fail, and despite thousands of bona fide consumer complaints, SmileDirect is waging a war against longstanding regulatory authorities and its own customers to prevent the pot from boiling over while it raises money in the public markets without proper disclosure as to its illegal, improper business practices and ineffective orthodontic treatment,” according to the complaint, accessed by several media outlets.

 

 

 

 

Read Next