Byte Aligners Review: Are They Worth It? (2024)

Byte is a teledentistry company offering at-home aligner products and programs designed to straighten your teeth quicker—and at a lower price —than traditional braces. It appeals to people looking for a fast and affordable at-home dental alignment program.

With more than 200 licensed orthodontists and dentists throughout the U.S., Byte claims they only accept people who are the right candidates for teledentistry—which generally includes patients that have minor bite issues. They don’t recommend their products for people with problems such as severe overbite, open bites, overjet, malocclusion that requires surgical correction or active tooth decay. Byte’s dental professionals have an average of 12 years of expertise with invisible aligners, according to the company.

Byte is ideal for those who don’t have severe malocclusion (imperfect positioning of the teeth), are comfortable making at-home impressions and working with a dental professional remotely to monitor their progress, want a short treatment time of a few months and are in search of a more affordable option compared to braces or competing clear aligners.

How Does Byte Work?

Established in 2017, Byte’s product lineup includes an all-day aligner to be worn for 22 hours each day and a “Byte-at-Night” system as an alternative to the all-day aligner (only to be worn for 10 hours at night). Included in each aligner kit is the optional HyperByte technology device, to be used for five minutes a day in conjunction with either the daytime aligner or overnight aligner. The timeline for the all-day aligner is three to four months, while the night system aligner promises a straighter smile in five to six months.

HyperByte is Byte’s proprietary high-frequency vibration (HFV) therapy technology that aims to achieve faster and more accurate results with reduced discomfort. It works by transmitting soft micropulses through the roots of your teeth and their surrounding bone. Byte’s HFV therapy is cleared by the FDA as a Class II medical device and only needs to be used for five minutes per day.

The Byte process begins by making impressions of your smile at home. Byte sends you an impression kit with instructions and, upon receiving your impressions, a 3D visualization of the current state of your smile and what it will look like after Byte treatment.

Once you’ve purchased your modeling kit and sent in your impressions, expect your aligners to arrive about four to six weeks after an orthodontist reviews your impressions and creates the 3D visualization of your bite. You’ll also be able to log into your Byte Account Center online to see the “before and after” visuals of how your teeth will progress.

As noted above, you have the option of using a daytime or nighttime aligner. Adding HyperByte to your treatment plan will shorten your overall treatment time—the technology allows you to achieve a straighter smile in as little as three to four months. Byte notes on their website that if they determine you aren’t the right candidate for their aligner system, you will receive a full refund for the cost of the kit.

You receive your custom-fit aligners in the mail, which you progress through under the guidance of a dental professional at a frequency of about one new aligner a week. You’ll be in communication with a dental professional as you upload photos every three to four weeks of your progress in your account center online.

Upon completion of treatment, you wear a Byte retainer full-time for the first two weeks. From there, you can wear your retainer at night and replace it once a year.

Byte has two payment options for both all-day and at-night alignment systems. For the all-day aligner system, you can either complete a one-time payment of $1,895 or a $349 down payment with a monthly charge of $83 for 29 months, which comes to $2,763 with an interest rate of 7.76%. Meanwhile, the at-night alignment system requires either a one-time payment of $2,295 or a $449 down payment with a monthly charge of $99 for 29 months, which comes to $3,336 with an interest rate of 7.76%. Note that the one-time payment is almost $1,000 less than the installment plan.

However, the payment plans include the Byte Protection Plan, which provides additional coverage of items like lost or stolen aligners, and a biannual retainer replacement for up to five years after the end of your treatment.

You can use your health savings account (HSA) or flexible spending account (FSA) funds to cover the cost of Byte. Your dental insurance plan may cover Byte products if it covers orthodontia, according to the company.

Here’s how Byte compares in terms of procedure, cost, maintenance and effectiveness.

Procedure

Using Byte is a relatively quick procedure when compared to traditional braces—a key reason it’s very appealing to teenagers and adults. The typical treatment plan at Byte takes three to six months and is often faster than similar at-home clear aligner competitors.

But that doesn’t mean the at-home process Byte provides is the smartest choice when making a decision that could seriously affect your smile.

“We should not assume that at-home aligners are more convenient than having an appropriate professional direct the case,” says Dr. Mairaj Ahmed, co-director of the orthodontic program at Montefiore Health System in New York. “In today’s digital world, orthodontists have adapted and are well equipped to conduct virtual consultations and virtual continued care appointments, which has been shown to increase patient satisfaction and compliance and treatment efficiency.”

Cost

Braces can “range in price from $800 to $8,000, with the average range being $4,400 to $5,500,” according to Rajendra Rana, director of orthodontics at Montefiore Health System and assistant professor of dentistry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

So it’s no wonder that when it comes to the price tag of Byte, consumers have something to smile about. Byte is more affordable than traditional in-office orthodontic procedures and products. However, it’s important to consider that price is only part of the equation.

Explore Our Featured Teeth Aligner Partner

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	Byte Impression Kit Designed to use from the comfort of your own home Includes detailed, step-by-step instructions for accurate results Uses high-quality materials including dental-grade putty and impression trays Enjoy $80 Off Your Kit With Code FORBESBBP	Start Here	On Byte's Website	https://www.byte.com/products/impression-kit?oid=78&affid=252&promocode=FORBESBBP

Maintenance

Byte comes with a straightforward maintenance plan of wearing a retainer at night. Some might find it reassuring to work with a company that has a post-treatment plan for your smile, especially one that involves wearing a night-only device.

Effectiveness

Byte’s website advertises its 4.8/5-star ranking from its 2,845 Google reviews, but many dental professionals consider the long-term effects of at-home alignment products to be more detrimental than the initial draws like cost and a quick treatment time.

According to an American Association of Orthodontists survey, nearly 13% of its member orthodontists see patients who have done DIY teeth straightening, with some of those attempts causing irreparable damage. This statistic contributed to the guidance from the American Dental Association which “strongly discourages” do-it-yourself orthodontists, as outlined in a 2017 ADA policy.

Here’s how Byte compares to other similar invisible teeth aligner companies:

Byte

• Starting price: $1,999 (All-Day Clear Aligners)
• Average treatment time: Four to five months
• Treatment type: Mild-to-moderate alignment issues
• Aligner costs may be reimbursable for those with dental insurance
• Impressions taken at home
• Treatment includes virtual check-ins with dentists, orthodontists or clinical support staff

Alignerco

• Starting price: $995 (All Day Invisible Aligners)
• Average treatment time: Four to six months
• Treatment type: Mild-to-moderate alignment issues
• Aligner costs may be reimbursable for those with dental insurance
• Impressions taken at home
• No orthodontist visits required, though your care plan is reviewed by a licensed orthodontist

Invisalign

• Starting price: Varies, but $1,200 for Invisalign Express
• Average treatment time: Varies, but around six months
• Treatment type: Very mild to severe alignment issues
• Accepts dental insurance
• Impressions taken at a dental office
• Requires routine visits to a dentist or orthodontist

Strayt

• Starting price: $1,848
• Average treatment time: Six months
• Treatment type: Minor to moderate alignment issues
• Aligner costs may be reimbursable for those with dental insurance
• Digital scans can be taken at-home or in a dental office
• No orthodontist visits required during treatment

Treatment with Byte All-Day Clear Aligners typically takes an average of four months and requires a user to wear the aligners for 22 hours per day. Meanwhile, the average treatment timeline with Byte’s At-Night Clear Aligners is five months and requires a user to wear the aligners for 10 or more hours per day. However, treatment times vary depending on a person’s unique needs.

Byte aligners may be ideal for those who experience minor to moderate alignment issues, including spacings or crowding between teeth and tooth rotation, according to the company. Byte determines if you’re a suitable candidate for its aligners based on your at-home impressions. If the company determines that you’re not a suitable candidate, it will issue a full refund for the cost of the impression kit.

Who Should Avoid Byte?

Individuals who experience the following dental issues or conditions should avoid using Byte aligners, according to the company:

• Severe open bites
• Severe overjet (teeth protruding forward)
• Severe overbite
• Tooth malocclusion that requires surgical correction
• Mixed dentition (having both infant and adult teeth)
• Dental prosthetics or tooth implants
• Periodontal disease
• Active tooth decay or cavities
• Permanent retainers
• Polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) allergies

If you’re looking for an affordable, fast and remote option for fixing only a minor misalignment of your pearly whites, it’s very tempting to consider a teledentistry company like Byte. These qualities make Byte appealing, but consumers who would like professionally guided clinical results should seek an orthodontist’s advice directly—at least for the initial consultation.

Speak with your dentist about whether they recommend Byte for your mild to moderate teeth misalignment or spacing issues; as noted previously, some dentists caution that at-home aligners may cause tooth damage. If you’re considering trying Byte aligners, consult with a dentist or orthodontist to determine if this treatment is suitable for you.