If you were one of the unlucky ones, you remember painful visits to the orthodontist in your teens. The sticky leather chair, picking out your colored rubber bands (orange and black for Halloween, duh), and lots and lots of metal.
It’s safe to say that getting your teeth straightened hasn’t been fun, or even easy. While Invisalign has been a leader in the invisible braces game for awhile now, there are more and more options popping up that allow you to get straight teeth in the comfort of your own home – all while saving you upwards of $4,000.
Let’s take a deeper look into how invisible braces work, as well as some of the most popular options — Candid vs Byte vs Invisalign — to see which option could be best for your smile and wallet.
How do invisible braces work to straighten your teeth?
So you want a better smile. Luckily, with just a few clicks (and no visit to the orthodontist’s office) you can start the journey. Whether you’re opting for Invisalign or one of their newer competitors, like Byte or Candid, the steps to a straight smile are mostly the same.
1. Determine if you’re a good fit for invisible braces.
Depending on what changes you want to make to your smile, as well as your overall dental health, you’ll want to make sure that invisible braces are right for you. Most companies have a quiz or ask you take photos of your smile to help ensure you’re a good fit for aligners – and Byte, Invisalign and Candid all have licensed orthodontists involved, either online or in person, so you can ask questions to make sure this is the right way for your to straighten your smile. Of course, you can always ask your dentist at your normal visit.
2. Get a model of your teeth.
Once you’re ready to take the plunge, you’ll have to get a model of your teeth taken through a puddy impression kit or digital scan.
3. Customize your smile.
Whichever company you choose, you’ll have the chance to work with an orthodontist – online, or in some cases in person – to develop a treatment plan and customize your smile. That gap in your two front teeth doesn’t have to go anywhere if you don’t want it to.
4. Wear your aligners.
You’ll receive your aligners either in batches or as a full set. You’ll follow the instructions for how long to wear each aligner – time varies from 7 days to a few weeks – before moving along to the next set. Most patients wear their aligners for 20-23 hours a day to make sure they stay on their treatment plan.
5. Flash your new smile! (And wear those retainers.)
Most treatments take anywhere from 3 months to a year to complete. Once your aligner treatment is complete, you’ll wear retainers to follow to ensure your smile stays in place.
How are invisible braces from Candid, Byte, and Invisalign different than traditional braces?
The biggest difference in traditional vs invisible braces is the process in which your teeth are straightened. With braces, you’re using metal brackets and wires to mold and shape your teeth. Invisible braces use a set of BPA-free plastic aligners that gradually move your teeth as the molds get closer and closer to your desired smile.
When it comes to convenience, teeth aligners are much easier to manage and look a lot better than braces do, making them a perfect choice for anyone who wants to continue their day-to-day life without feeling self conscious about straightening their teeth.
Also, remember how you always used to get that piece of corn stuck in your braces? That’s not a problem with invisible braces. (Were we even allowed to eat corn when we had braces? I can’t remember. But corn is delicious.)
Which is more affordable: Candid, Invisalign or Byte aligners?
While Byte, Candid, and Invisalign all offer a relatively similar type of invisible braces and have somewhat similar processes, they may vary in price and other features. So which is more affordable, Invisalign, Byte or Candid?
With similar pricing structures and no need for office visits, Candid and Byte may come out ahead for those looking to save time and money. While Candid customers have reported successful results and positive customer service reviews, Byte’s aligner plans with their exclusive HyperByte device offers fast results, at least according to preliminary clinical studies of small groups of users. These indicate that daily recommended use of a high-frequency seating device functionally equivalent to HyperByte with clear aligners may lead to faster results, although keep in mind that individual results may vary.
Neither requires you to actually go see an orthodontist in person (although with Candid you can choose to go to one of their 25 offices for a scan, or do it all from home by yourself with their starter kit) – everything is handled online by their orthodontists.
Not having to actually go to a waiting room and hang out listening to the smooth jazz station while someone pokes in your mouth is a big difference vs. Invisalign, which requires you to go see a dentist who has received specialized training. Depending on how much you value your time, this could be a big hidden cost difference between these solutions.
While all treatment times will vary in the end based on your teeth, use this comparison chart to compare Candid, Byte, and Invisalign to see which might be the best solution for your needs and budget.
Candid vs Byte vs Invisalign: Comparing the Best Teeth Aligners | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| All-Day Teeth Aligner Price | $2100 upfront, or $2,400 with payment plan ($299 down + $79/month for 36 months) | $1,895 upfront, or $349 down + $83/month for 29 months | $3,000-$8,000 $100-$260/month |
| At-Night Teeth Aligner Price | ❌ | $2295, or $449 down + $99.56 / month for 29 months | ❌ |
| Insurance Eligible | Accepts HSA + FSA + Will file claim for you | Helps walk you through filing a claim with your insurance. | Accepts HSA + FSA Insurance processed through dental office |
| Requires Initial Office Visit to Start | Optional | ❌ | ✅ |
| Requires Monthly In-Person Office Visits | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Retainer Price | $99 per set | First set free, then $99 per set | First set free Set of 4 for $589 |
| Average Treatment Time | 6 months | 4-6 months | 12-18 months |
| Impression Kit or Scan Cost | $95 | Varies by doctor | |
| Teeth Modeling Process | At-home impression kit or visit one of 25+ locations for scan | At-home impression kit | In-office digital scan |
| Requires Attachments for Aligners | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Extras | |||
| Website |
Reviewing the pricing chart above, Byte is clearly the least expensive, as well as the fastest to see results, plus they throw in a free retainer + case. Candid is a more established brand for just a few dollars more per month, while Invisalign is the MOST established of the three, but a lot pricier and requires in-person monthly office visits — not ideal, especially during a global pandemic!
Head to Head Teeth Aligner Comparisons
Candid vs Byte
Both innovative teeth aligner companies say they can straighten your choppers without the need for a doctor’s visit. And both are similarly priced ($2,100 vs $1,895 advertised price for upfront payment of daytime aligners). The major differences are:
1. Byte has a special high frequency vibration technology device that’s included with each aligner kit purchase.
2. Byte has an at-night only option, while Candid does not. Although it’s a bit more expensive than the standard all-day version, nighttime only aligners are ideal for anyone who doesn’t care to deal with teeth alignment at work or at school. If that’s important to you, look no further. Byte aligners are your only option.
3. Byte offers the first retainer for FREE, which saves you $99.
4. An impression kit from Byte is 70% less expensive than Candid’s when you use our promo code at checkout. For a limited time, Byte is also throwing in free whitening foam (see below) with that referral code as well!
Source: Byte
We think these three nuances make Byte the best choice. That said, Candid also has a tremendous trove of positive reviews — and with the code listed below, you can save 65% on their starter kit with discount code: NEWYOU65
Byte Aligners vs Invisalign Comparison
There are some pretty major differences between these aligner companies. First off is the need for an office visit – Invisalign is going to require dental office visits to get started, and every month. With Byte aligners, you can do everything online using their at-home impression kit.
The second major difference is the price – all those office visits aren’t cheap: Invisalign is going to set you back $3,000 to $8,000 according to their website, vs just $1,895 with Byte. One key advantage of Invisalign could actually be all those dentist visits though if your dental situation is complicated and requires a fully personalized approach. If you feel that your straightening needs aren’t super complex, we recommend saving time and money with Byte.
Reddit Reviews of Byte vs Invisalign
Since we originally wrote these reviews, there have been a number of reviews written on Reddit asking about these two competitors. We’ve curated what we see as the best ones; here is the synop