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HomeCompareActive Aligners vs Smilers
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Active Aligners vs Smilers

Starting price, treatment length, supervision, FDA safety record and full spec sheet for Active Aligners and Smilers, side by side. Every figure links to the source that states it.

Prices verified Sep 30, 2026FDA records verified Sep 30, 2026
4comparisons with Active Aligners
29comparisons with Smilers

Active Aligners (Active Aligners)·Smilers (Smilers clear aligners)

Active Aligners
In-office
Smilers
In-office
At a glance
Starting price
R27 000
Provider-setnot published

Blue marks the lower price only where every compared price is quoted the same way (a monthly price in US dollars); prices quoted in another currency, as a one-time fee or as a provider-set range are shown exactly as stated and never converted. Adverse-event figures are raw counts of reports filed with the FDA, not rates (what the reports mean). Each spec value opens that brand's spec sheet, and its numbered sources verify the specs as a set. None of this is a recommendation: the right choice depends on your case, your budget and, above all, an in-person exam by a dentist or orthodontist.

The bottom line

What actually differs

  • Neither is marked lower, since only monthly prices quoted in US dollars are ranked against each other: Active Aligners R27 000 and Smilers Provider-set.
  • Typical treatment differs: Active Aligners 6-7 months and Smilers 6-24 months.
Go deeper

Open the full record

Active Aligners
  • Prices
  • Treatment length
  • Supervision
  • FDA safety
  • Specs
  • Sources
  • Where to get it
Smilers
  • Prices
  • Treatment length
  • Supervision
Keep comparing

Every comparison with these brands

Each brand against every other brand on the market. All comparisons

All 4 comparisons with Active Aligners

  • vs Graphy
  • vs Invisalign
  • vs Smilers (this page)
  • vs Spark

All 29 comparisons with Smilers

  • vs 32Co
  • vs Active Aligners (this page)
  • vs Aligneurs Français
InvisibleBraces is an informational data platform, not a dentist, an orthodontist, or a seller of aligners. Nothing here is dental or medical advice, a diagnosis, or a recommendation to start, stop, or change any treatment. At-home clear aligners are not right for every case, and moving teeth without an in-person exam carries real risk. Data is aggregated from public sources and each brand's own terms and can be incomplete or out of date. Always consult a licensed dentist or orthodontist and confirm current prices and terms with the provider.
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The independent, fully-cited comparison of at-home clear aligner brands. Every figure traces to its source. Informational only, not dental or medical advice.

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Typical treatment
6-7 months
6-24 months
Supervision
In-office
In-office
FDA safety
No recalls
No recalls
FDA adverse-event reports
0
0
Treatment
Treats
CrowdingSpacing and gapsMild to moderate misalignment
Misaligned teeth (dental malpositions) in teens and adultsSpacing and gaps (diastema)Relapse after bracesMore complex cases (per the treating practitioner)
Product lines
Active Aligners
Smilers clear aligners
Wear schedule
All-day (22 hrs)
At least 22 hrs/day; tray-change interval not published
Spec sheet
Start method
3D scan or impression at an Active Aligners dental provider
Physical or digital impression taken by the treating dentist or orthodontist after an in-person consultation, sent to Smilers in Salon-de-Provence
Material
A tri-layer medical-grade material, 3D printed and positive-pressure thermoformed (the brand does not name the maker)
Bisphenol-free aligners made using stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing and hand-polished; in the US, Zendura FLX tri-layer or one of three single-layer options, in 0.6, 0.8 or 1.0 mm thickness
Retainers
Worn full time for 3 months and at night after that; a fixed lingual retainer is available through the provider
Retention chosen with the practitioner: Smilers Fix bonded retainer (0.4 mm, canine to canine), Smilers Bands, or continued clear aligners
Whitening
Not published
Not published
Refinements / touch-ups
Prescribed by the provider if needed; the brand says 65 to 75% of its patients need none
Not published (additional phases are sometimes required, per the brand)
Guarantee
Not published (no money-back guarantee; submitting the scan for planning involves an initial fee, and no further charge is made if the patient decides not to go ahead)
Not published (the brand states results cannot be guaranteed)
Clinical oversight
In-office: the lab's treatment team plans, a dentist reviews and approves, and the provider guides treatment in person
In-office: the treating dentist or orthodontist diagnoses, prescribes and monitors; plans are drawn up with Smilers' in-house orthodontists in Nemotec-powered Smilers Expert software
Financing
MediWallet medical finance up to R40 000, 3 to 18 month terms, R0 deposit
Set by the practice; many offer monthly or quarterly instalments
HSA / FSA
Not applicable (South Africa; US HSA/FSA does not apply)
Not published
Insurance
Depends on the medical aid: none, a portion or the full amount may be claimed back, the brand says
In France, social security cover depends on age (under or over 16) and some mutuelles contribute; elsewhere Not published
Availability
South Africa, through dental providers (the brand also cites selected markets worldwide without naming them)
France, US, UK, Ireland, Canada, Australia, Italy, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Israel, Singapore, South Africa, and Saudi Arabia (its practitioner locator listed 96 entries there, read 2026-10-18)
Headquarters
Woodmead, Johannesburg, South Africa
Salon-de-Provence, France
Spec sources
  1. 1.activealigners.co.za
  2. 2.activealigners.co.za
  3. 3.activealigners.co.za
  4. 4.activealigners.co.za
  5. 5.activealigners.co.za
  6. 6.smileclub.co.za
  1. 1.smilers.com
  2. 2.smilers.com
  3. 3.smilers.com
  4. 4.smilers.com
  5. 5.henryschein.com
  6. 6.henryscheinortho.com
Company
On the market since
–
2013
Parent company
Active Aligners Lab (Smile Club), Woodmead, Johannesburg, South Africa
Biotech Dental Smilers SAS (Biotech Dental group, majority-owned by Henry Schein since 2023), Salon-de-Provence, France; distributed internationally by Henry Schein Orthodontics
  • FDA safety
  • Specs
  • Sources
  • Where to get it
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  • 7.archive.henryscheinortho.com
  • 8.archive.henryscheinortho.com
  • 9.nasdaq.com
  • 10.lejournaldesentreprises.com
  • 11.accessdata.fda.gov