SmileDirectClub Smile Spa Ultrasonic and UV Cleaning Machine for Alingers, Retainers, Toothbrush Heads, and More

I'm on my third unit and I will buy another when this one breaks down because despite the eventual failures this is still convenient and effective. This has been my experience:1) First unit, 4 months in: The hinge broke and the lid separated. I had to buy a new one. Fix: Right out of the box, lay a narrow strip of duct tape across the hinge to reinforce it.2) Second unit, 2 months in: The UV bulb partially burned out. On activation, the bulb came on to full brightness but then, within a second, dimmed to half brightness. The bulb should come on and stay on at a consistent brightness level. The sonic cleaning process doesn't rely on the UV bulb, so I continued to use this unit despite the bulb failure.3) Second unit, 10 months in: The start button stopped working consistently -- the unit would turn on about once every 5-10 button pushes, and eventually stopped coming on at all. I bought a third unit.4) Third unit, 2 months in: Going strong. Hinge is reinforced, UV bulb is bright.Why I keep buying it: It is very well designed for cleaning my retainers and keeping them safe and out of sight when I am not wearing them. I use plain tap water (no cleaner tabs or mouthwash) and the sonic cleaning appears very effective -- even when I brush my retainers before putting them in for cleaning, the left-over water shows debris that has been detached from the surface. This is exactly what I want. I don't know what difference the UV light makes but I can say that my night-time retainers that I've worn for 5 months are squeaky clean.During the day I keep my retainers in the empty cleaner where they stay dry and out of the way. This unit does take up some bathroom counter space but it is more space-efficient than rectangular sonic cleaners and doubles as a discreet retainer keeper as well.I gave this five stars because I find it very effective to clean my retainers and no other sonic cleaner is as space-efficient as this one.

I’ve used this to clean my Invisalign retainer about 3 times a week for 4 months. Sometimes I also put in the head to my electric toothbrush. I’ve always put in one of the Smile effervescent tablets or a less expensive “denture cleaner” tablet and my retainer is always super fresh and sparkly clean after about 5 minutes of bubbling and UV light. I’m glad I read reviews before purchase to be aware that the lid breaks off rather easily so I’ve been super-careful during set-up and wiping out the machine after use. Despite my care, the lid is starting to crack at the hinges so I’m not sure how much longer it’ll last. But considering the price of this is MUCH less than competitors and its really good performance, I’m very satisfied.

I started noticing small cracks around the back hinge after about two months of use. The product says it has three modes, but after 3–4 months only one mode worked and the vibration function stopped working properly. By the eighth month the power stopped turning on completely, and as shown in the picture, the back hinge connection broke apart.The plastic didn’t feel super cheap at first, but the durability is very poor. I never dropped it or misused it—just used it once a day to clean my retainer—and still had these issues. I tried contacting them to ask if there was any warranty, but received no response.I bought this because the design looked nice and the reviews were good, but I’m really disappointed.

I got Invisalign this year and got this cleaner in February. I've now just finished my 30 tray set and this little pod is still going. I've used it every day, twice a day for almost a year and I've been very happy with its performance. Eventually I know this will die, and I do plan to purchase another as I transition to my retainers.For anyone looking at this one vs the Invisalign branded ultrasonic cleaner, I hope you get this one. I bought the Invisalign unit from their website and it did not power on, I sent several emails to their customer service for a return and they never responded. If this review loses them even one sale, I will have done my part for a more fair and just society!