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Byte Australia Review: Better than Invisalign?
Last updated on August 16, 2022 Leave a Comment
For years, adults seeking straighter teeth have had two paths: braces and Invisalign. But recently, at-home clear aligners like Byte and SmileDirectClub have forged a new trail, one that takes less time and costs less money, but still delivers dazzling results.
Byte Australia has pioneered unique technology to shorten your treatment timeline and provide the highest-quality customer experience possible. But is it the right fit for your smile goals? Read on to find out!
Pros & Cons of Byte
Byte vs. Other At-Home Aligners
Is Byte Right for You?
Byte is an online company that ships high-quality, affordable clear aligners directly to your home. Byte’s aligners look and feel similar to Invisalign — they fit the contours of your teeth and are considerably more discreet than traditional braces. However, unlike Invisalign, treatment doesn’t require a single trip to the dentist. Instead, Byte’s professionally licensed dentists will design your treatment plan remotely. Byte got their start in the U.S., but as of 2020, they’ve expanded their operations to Australia as well.
What sets Byte apart is its pioneering spirit and exemplary customer experience.
In the short time they’ve been in business, Byte has already rolled out several creative solutions geared toward making its treatment more accessible. The two primary examples are the HyperByte — a unique technology that can provide a more comfortable aligner fit and potentially more efficient teeth movements — and the Byte for Life Guarantee, which insures your smile forever. If your teeth ever shift after treatment, even years down the road, Byte will create new aligners to correct it.
For these reasons and many more, Byte has earned the #1 spot in our home aligner company rankings.
Every home aligner company delivers affordable and convenient treatment, but Byte goes the extra mile by facilitating four-month treatment times for some customers, giving each customer a personal advisor, offering nighttime treatment, and more. We think that, for all the benefits you get, Byte is the best value available.
How Do I Get Started?
To create a personalized treatment plan for your unique teeth, Byte’s dental team needs to analyse your smile. This means you’ll need to order an impression kit and take 3D moulds of your teeth. One of Byte’s dentists will evaluate your impressions to determine whether you’re a suitable candidate for treatment. If you are, they’ll develop your custom treatment plan.
Your Byte dentist or orthodontist will send you a digital preview of your post-treatment smile, and if you like what you see, you can give them the go-ahead to produce and ship your custom aligners. But if you still have some reservations, there’s no obligation to start treatment.
Pros & Cons of Byte
Before you decide to move forward with Byte treatment, it’s a good idea to weigh the benefits and drawbacks to make sure it’s the right fit for you. We’ve sifted through the details of Byte’s service offerings and compiled a list of the most important pros & cons.
Byte is much faster than in-office options like Invisalign, and can potentially even be faster than other at-home clear aligners. By utilizing high-frequency vibration technology, Byte can deliver results in just four months for some customers.
Byte puts a lifetime guarantee on your smile. If your teeth shift after you complete your treatment, Byte will give you new aligners to readjust them for free — as long as you purchase new retainers twice per year and wear them as directed.
Byte At-Night provides an even more flexible and discreet treatment by requiring only ten hours of continuous wear per day.
Byte includes one set of aftercare retainers for free, while many other home aligner companies charge extra for them.
Byte doesn’t currently have any retail locations, so you’ll need to order an impression kit to get started. While ordering a kit doesn’t obligate you to purchase treatment, it is non-refundable if you are approved.
In-person treatments require regular office visits, and some home aligner services provide remote monitoring to keep you on track. Byte, however, doesn’t require either, so you won’t have an expert’s eyes on your teeth every few weeks.
So, Do the Pros Outweigh the Cons?
Based on our research? Yes. Byte is the best option for anyone who wants a safe, reliable, and long-lasting smile transformation. Their HyperByte technology makes treatment more comfortable and potentially faster, and their Byte for Life Guarantee ensures your results will last a lifetime.
Can Byte deliver the desired results? In certain cases, absolutely. Like other home-based clear aligner treatments, Byte can only address simple misalignment issues, so it can’t handle severe cases and jaw adjustments like Invisalign and other in-office treatments can. But if Byte’s dental team reviews your impressions and deems you a good candidate, you’re in for a reliable, effective treatment.
Byte can effectively correct mild and moderate misalignments.
If you’ve got a minor case of crowding or spacing, Byte can correct it without issue. But their treatment can’t often deliver the same results with severe cases and jaw misalignments.
In-office clear aligners like Invisalign provide hands-on care from a dentist over a longer period of time and can incorporate attachments that encourage more complex shifts, allowing them to treat a wider scope of dental and jaw issues.
Byte uses licensed dentists to create your treatment plan, but they don’t regularly monitor your progress.
When you submit your impressions, who’s on the other end? For Byte, it’s a team of licensed dentists from across Australia who will review and approve your treatment plan before they send it to you.
These experts, however, won’t regularly monitor your treatment. Some at-home aligner companies employ “remote monitoring” throughout the process — photo check-ins every few weeks — while traditional in-office options like Invisalign and ClearCorrect require office visits every 4–6 weeks. This helps the dentist or dental team keep you on track and handle any issues that arise. Byte recommends uploading monthly photos of your teeth to their My Byte app, but they don’t require it unless you have certain complex conditions.
Byte uses unique vibration technology that can achieve faster and more comfortable dental shifts for some customers.
It might sound like a comic book name, but HyperByte has been shown to shorten treatment times for some customers. Using gentle, high-frequency vibrations for five minutes a day, the HyperByte tool ensures comfortable, better-fitting aligners and can encourage faster teeth shifts. Byte is the only clear aligner option — either in-office or at-home — offering a tool like HyperByte.
Using Smile Science technology, Byte creates a smile that’s perfect for your features.
Your teeth, nose, eyes, cheeks, and chin all work together to create your unique look, and Byte understands this. They train their dentists to use a system called Smile Science to create a smile that fits your specific facial features as they plan your treatment. Their treatment development software is unique; it analyses your entire facial structure, rather than just your teeth (like most other companies, including Invisalign).
Byte is backed by Dentsply Sirona, a widely trusted dental supplies company.
In late 2020, Byte was acquired by Dentsply Sirona, a reputable dental manufacturing company that makes cleaning instruments, scanning machines, retainers, and virtually any other dental equipment you can imagine. So you can be sure that Byte’s products are trustworthy and well-designed.
Byte’s unique vibration technology, Smile Science software, expert dental network, and reputable parent company, make them a highly effective at-home aligner company.
A major benefit of home teeth straightening systems like Byte is the price point, especially compared to traditional treatments. The rise of at-home teeth alignment technology has increased access to orthodontic treatment for a large percentage of people.
Home aligner products typically cost between $2,000 and $3,000, significantly more affordable than Invisalign, which can cost $4,500–$9,000. However, compared to their home aligner competitors, Byte’s prices are just average.
The total cost to purchase an aligner kit from Byte is $2,749 for All-Day aligners and $3,399 for At-Night treatment.
These prices are higher than some other home aligner options, but they cover the cost of your treatment plan, clear aligners, teeth whitening, and the HyperByte device. Byte also includes your first set of retainers with the purchase price, which will save you some money at the end of your treatment. Other services, like SmileDirectClub, do not include retainers in the initial price and instead upsell the retainer at the end of treatment for around $155.
The only thing Byte’s sticker price doesn’t cover is their impression kit, which costs $95. Overall, we think they offer reasonably strong overall value for the top-notch treatment and technology you’ll receive.
Byte offers flexible payment plan options.
Even though Byte is much cheaper than braces or Invisalign, not everyone has $2,749 sitting under their mattress or in a sock drawer. To make treatment more financially accessible, Byte offers payment plans through a third-party financing company called Humm.
Byte’s plan, called BytePay™, costs $53 per fortnight for 24 months, or $66 per fortnight for 24 months for Byte At-Night. If you want to add on their Byte Protection Plan, which covers two sets of replacement retainers per year for five years, the plans increase to $56 per fortnight (All-Day Aligners) or $68 per fortnight (At-Night Aligners) for 30 months.
Medicare doesn’t cover Byte treatment, but a private insurance plan might.
Since home-based clear aligner treatment is fairly new, claiming insurance reimbursement can be complicated. Since Byte’s treatment is often classified as “cosmetic,” Medicare won’t cover it. If you have additional orthodontic coverage, however, you might be eligible for reimbursement. However, it depends entirely on your plan. You should reach out to your provider to see if they cover home aligner treatment.
Byte has worked hard to make this process as easy as possible for its customers. With Byte, every patient that has insurance coverage gets their own dedicated insurance specialist (separate from their Byte advisor). This specialist helps them speak to the insurance companies and process the reimbursement forms, making the process much less intimidating.
It might not be the absolute cheapest option out there, but Byte strives to make treatment accessible for all users through their payment plans.
Another one of the biggest barriers to pursuing a more comfortable smile is the time commitment of traditional orthodontics. Finding time to visit the dentist’s office in between all of your other responsibilities might not top your priority list. After all, it’s not exactly a trip to the beach. Nevermind taking time off work and postponing your projects to see the dentist every month. Plus, traditional orthodontic treatments aren’t always fast: Invisalign often takes twelve months, and braces can take up to two years.
Byte is unquestionably more convenient than Invisalign or braces. And their efforts to give every customer a streamlined treatment have made them one of the most convenient home aligner options as well.
To get started, you’ll need to take moulds of your teeth using Byte’s impression kit.
Many customers find that the most difficult part of at-home teeth straightening is getting started. You’ll need to send Byte’s dentists accurate images of your teeth by using an impression kit. This involves biting down on a special putty mixture to create moulds of your top and bottom arches. Using these moulds, the company can determine whether you’re a suitable candidate for treatment and, if so, prepare your treatment plan.
However, the impression kit can be challenging. To help customers succeed, Byte sends two sets of putty and teeth trays. So if you mess up the first one, there’s no need to panic. Customer support is also available to walk you through the process. You might still find it tricky, and that’s okay — if Byte can’t use your first sets of impressions, they’ll send you another kit in the mail.
SmileDirectClub and EZ Smile both offer free 3D teeth scans at retail locations as an easier alternative. Byte doesn’t currently have any retail locations, but they’re generally understanding if anything goes wrong.
Treatment takes just four months on average.
Most at-home aligner treatments take around six months to complete their transformations, and in-office options like Invisalign often take one year or more. Byte, on the other hand, can deliver results in four months for some, thanks in part to their HyperByte device.
Your overall treatment time depends heavily on your specific condition, so not everyone will see their final results in four months. Some aligner plans might take a little longer. And if you choose Byte At-Night, you can expect a longer timeline as well, typically around five months.
Byte also offers a nighttime-only treatment option.
Some people don’t like the idea of wearing aligners for 22+ hours per day. If you have a busy lifestyle or you snack a lot, Byte’s nighttime-only treatment (called Byte At-Night) might be a good option. You’ll only need to wear your aligners for ten hours per day (presumably while you sleep) instead of all day. This will extend your treatment time, but you won’t need to wear your aligners to work, on dates, or for other special occasions.
Byte At-Night is a premium treatment, and the aligners are specially designed to exert more force over shorter periods of time, so it also costs slightly more. You’ll pay $3,399 for At-Night treatment compared to $2,749 for an All-Day plan. SmileDirectClub, and SmilePath offer similar nighttime-only options.
Byte includes free teeth whitening in your aligner package.
With Byte, you don’t have to choose between straightening and whitening — you can do them both simultaneously. Simply pump their whitening foam into your aligner trays and go about your day! Other clear aligners use a material that’s incompatible with whitening foam, so you’ll have to wait until your aligner treatment is finished to start your teeth whitening journey.
Byte’s four-month average treatment time and nighttime-only plan make it one of the most convenient home aligner companies.
Many adults are reluctant to attend an interview, date, meeting, or special occasion sporting metal brackets. That’s why clear aligners’ low profile — especially compared to braces — is a key selling point. That said, not all clear aligners look exactly the same. While all clear aligners are made from transparent, BPA-free plastic, each brand looks slightly different due to variations in materials and manufacturing processes.
Byte uses a smooth, shiny plastic in their aligners.
Byte crafts their aligners with shiny, BPA-free plastic, quite different from the slightly frosted aligners from SmileDirectClub or Invisalign. If you want our opinion, frosted aligners look more natural than shiny ones because teeth are naturally porous, which makes them appear matte. As a result, matte aligners draw less attention. But different people have different aesthetic preferences, and some customers actually like the way Byte’s plastic gleams. The smooth, shiny plastic that Byte uses shouldn’t deter you, since it’s still barely noticeable, but it’s something to consider when evaluating your options.
Byte cuts their aligners straight across the top instead of trimming them to match the gum line.
A straight cut allows the aligners to exert more force, but it also makes them more visible. Since the aligners overlap your gums, others might see the edge when you smile, but most customers don’t find straight-cut aligners any more noticeable than scalloped ones.
Byte doesn’t add any attachments to your aligners.
In-office aligners like Invisalign and ClearCorrect allow your dentist to affix small attachments to your teeth surfaces to help their aligners make more complex dental shifts. While incredibly useful, these attachments also make your aligners more noticeable.
Byte doesn’t use any supplementary attachments, so their aligners are less powerful than in-office brands, but they’re also more discreet.
With Byte At-Night, you won’t even need to wear your aligners in public.
Remember the nighttime treatment option? Go that route and no one will ever notice your aligners because you’ll never wear them out during the day. Just pop them in after dinner, then remove them as part of your morning routine.
Like other clear aligner brands, you’ll want to take out your aligners before eating and drinking to avoid stains.
All clear aligners are susceptible to stains from food and beverages — that’s why it’s important to remove them before eating or drinking anything other than plain water. Byte aligners are reasonably stain-resistant, although we certainly wouldn’t recommend drinking coffee or red wine with your aligners in.
Like most clear aligners products, Byte’s aligners are quite inconspicuous, though you’ll want to make sure you like the glossy appearance before moving forward with treatment.
Quality materials, affordable prices, streamlined treatment — that’s all important, but think about the week-to-week experience of wearing your aligners. Think about what happens if you have a question or in the rare case something goes wrong. You want a provider who’s there for you every step of the way.
This is where in-office treatments shine, since they offer individualized care from people who know you personally. While it’s difficult for remote companies to replicate that kind of support, Byte does an impressive job. In fact, they’ve developed a more supportive, satisfying customer experience than most of their at-home competitors.
Byte’s customer support team is highly responsive on all channels.
Byte provides several avenues to contact support and offer extensive online resources, so getting your questions answered is fairly easy. Byte is available by phone on weekdays and via email anytime. Plus, if you reach out on social media, you can expect a response within 24 hours.
In addition, the company assigns each customer their own Byte advisor, who also helps answer questions and checks in via email throughout the patient’s journey. It’s like having your own personal guide to the process.
Byte doesn’t offer refunds, but they’ll make sure you get the results you want.
Byte’s refund policy is standard compared to most other home aligner companies. If they determine you are not a suitable candidate for treatment, they will refund the cost of your impression kit. They won’t offer a refund if you’re dissatisfied with your treatment progress, but if your smile doesn’t match the one in your treatment preview, they’re happy to design refinement aligners for free.
The Byte for Life Guarantee means your new smile is forever.
Their Byte for Life Guarantee takes customer care to the next level, and this is where Byte’s customer service really stands out. In short, they guarantee your smile forever. After completing your treatment, if your smile shifts at any point in the future, the company will send you new aligners to help you regain your smile, free of charge. No other company offers this kind of service, especially at no cost! As a side note, be sure to purchase replacement retainers twice per year and wear them as instructed or you may void this guarantee.
Byte shows their dedication to providing a satisfactory customer experience through responsive, personalized support and a generous Byte for Life Guarantee.
Ready to Get Started With Byte?
If you decide Byte is the right fit for your smile goals, be sure to take advantage of our exclusive discount. Byte is offering our readers 70% off the impression kit and $100 off aligners (for a total savings of $165).
Get $165 off Byte
Although Invisalign® and Byte have a lot in common, there are some important differences to note. Both companies sell clear aligners designed to improve the user’s smile, but Byte’s are much more convenient and affordable. Invisalign®, on the other hand, has been in business for more than 20 years and is much more established and widely trusted. Below we’ll compare these two options in terms of cost, convenience, effectiveness, and the details of their treatment plans:
Byte is much more cost-effective because it does not require in-person visits with a dental professional. These office visits make up a large percentage of Invisalign’s price, so by eliminating them, Byte drastically reduces its sticker price. Byte’s total cost is $2,749 or $3,399 (before insurance), while Invisalign® costs between $4,500 and $9,000 (before insurance).
Since Byte sends their aligners in the mail and does not require in-person visits, their treatment fits a busy lifestyle more easily than Invisalign®. Plus, their four-month average treatment window means you’ll spend a lot less time wearing your aligners than the twelve months (on average) required for Invisalign. This difference, however, is mostly because Invisalign typically takes on more severe misalignments, which take a lot longer to correct.
For smiles that only need minor to moderate adjustments, Byte is highly effective, but they can’t correct more severe tooth and jaw misalignments. That’s where Invisalign® shines. Invisalign® is a better option for complex cases because the in-person treatment allows a dentist or orthodontist to apply advanced techniques as part of your treatment plan. An Invisalign® treatment plan may include the use of attachments, buttons, and bands — appliances that might be necessary, but are incompatible with Byte’s at-home treatment.
When you sign up for Invisalign® treatment, your dentist or orthodontist can either be involved with every step of the process, or just in certain parts. What does this mean? Let’s say you go to see your dentist to begin your Invisalign® treatment. They take images of your teeth and then send them to Invisalign®, where a technician creates your treatment plan. Your local dentist will review this plan and either make changes or leave it as is. Then, they will require that you come back every 4–6 weeks so they can monitor your progress, provide new aligner sets, answer your questions, and make adjustments to your plan.
Byte’s dental team also creates your aligner plan remotely, but they don’t have anyone who will administer them in person. Instead, they’ll mail them directly to your home, and you’ll take it from there. If you have certain conditions, they’ll require you to regularly send photos of your teeth for review. Otherwise, you’ll just reach out if you have questions or something seems off.
Byte vs. Other At-Home Aligners
Byte is an excellent clear aligner company, and we’re confident they can deliver the experience and results you want. But you shouldn’t jump to a decision without weighing all your options, both in-office and at-home. Invisalign is the primary in-office option, and while it is more expensive than home aligners, dentists can achieve more advanced teeth movements by adding attachments and appliances. The at-home aligner field is more crowded, and there are a couple of great options worth considering.
EZ Smile vs. Byte
Give these two companies a cursory glance and the first thing you might notice is that EZ Smile is cheaper. Plus, every customer qualifies for their financing plans, and they offer a 90-day money-back guarantee for anyone who has a quick change of heart.
However, EZ Smile doesn’t have a nighttime-only option, and they don’t use technology like HyperByte and Smile Science like Byte does. But they’re still an effective, affordable Byte alternative.
Find out more about EZ Smile in our complete review.
SmileDirectClub stands out as the largest and most popular at-home clear aligner brand. They have several retail locations across Australia, which makes getting started slightly easier depending on where you live.
They’ve also served over 1.5 million customers to date, making them the most experienced at-home aligner company out there, and they back up their treatment with extensive refund and warranty policies, including a lifetime guarantee. But, in our opinion, Byte still prevails due to their efficiency, innovation, and individualized customer support.
Get to know SmileDirectClub a little better in our comprehensive review.
At just $1,899, SmilePath aligners are among the most affordable you’ll find, and their frequent discounts and flexible financing plans make them even more budget-friendly. They don’t sacrifice quality either — you’ll still get reliable products and customer support. SmilePath might not have any physical locations or regular oversight, but their prices and results make them worth a look.
For a closer look at SmilePath, check out our in-depth review.
Summary - Is Byte Right for You?
We think Byte is the best treatment option for anyone who wants an efficient, comfortable and long-lasting smile transformation. Their HyperByte technology can deliver faster, more comfortable dental shifts for some customers, and their Byte-for-Life guarantee ensures your results will last a lifetime.
Get Started With Byte
Does Byte offer discounts?
Does Byte offer discounts?
Yes! You just need to know where to look. If you’re a student or military member, you can email student@byteme.com or military@byteme.com to get discounted aligners anytime. And if you subscribe to Byte’s emails, you might receive occasional special offers for discounted aligners or impression kits.
Can Byte correct my condition?
Can Byte correct my condition?
It depends. Byte is extremely effective for treating mild and moderate cases of crowding and spacing, but it might not be able to correct jaw misalignments like overbite, underbite, crossbite, etc. The only way to know for sure is to complete an impression kit. After evaluating your teeth, Byte’s dental team will let you know if their aligners can make the shifts you’re after.
The clear aligner industry giant has its own set of unique benefits, most notably in-person care. During regular face-to-face checkups, your dentist or orthodontist can make adjustments to your treatment and add attachments that allow Invisalign to treat a wider scope of cases. Byte is faster and less expensive, but Invisalign is a great option if you have a severe misalignment or you’d prefer to meet with your dentist in person.
How much does Byte cost?
How much does Byte cost?
Even though Byte’s sticker price is $2,749 (or $3,399 for Byte At-Night), numerous factors can influence cost, including discounts, financing, insurance, refinements, and more. In most cases, you won’t end up paying exactly $2,749, but it will likely be close.
How do I get started?
How do I get started?
To determine your treatment candidacy and develop your aligner plan, one of Byte’s dentists needs to analyse your teeth. Order, complete, and submit an impression kit and they’ll respond with a treatment plan that shows every step in the process.
How long will it take?
How long will it take?
Byte says their average treatment time is just four months, but each case is unique. Your treatment could take longer or even shorter depending on the severity and complexity of your condition. Their nighttime-only treatment typically takes longer — around five months for many customers.
Does insurance cover Byte’s treatment?
Does insurance cover Byte’s treatment?
Medicare doesn’t cover Byte treatment. If you have additional orthodontic coverage, you might be eligible for reimbursement, but it depends on your provider. Check with them to see if your plan covers home aligner treatment.
What is the most effective clear aligner company?
What is the most effective clear aligner company?
It’s tough to beat the power and versatility of in-office options like Invisalign and ClearCorrect. With hands-on care and orthodontic attachments, a dentist can use them to treat severe misalignments and even bite issues.
Do clear aligners hurt?
Do clear aligners hurt?
When you switch to a new aligner set every two weeks, you might experience some discomfort for the first day or two, but after that, you’ll hardly notice them.
Is home aligner treatment safe?
Is home aligner treatment safe?
Yes! While administering treatment from home might seem daunting, the process is very safe. Home aligner companies use licensed dentists and orthodontists to create your treatment plan and design your aligners. Even though you won’t meet with them in-person, each company offers robust customer support services if something doesn’t feel quite right.
Byte vs. SmileDirectClub: An Honest Comparison
EZ Smile vs. Byte: An Honest Comparison
Pursuing orthodontic treatment as an adult can feel stressful and overwhelming. At Smile Prep, we strive to make the process as easy as possible for our readers. Our guides and reviews cut the fluff and give you the information necessary to take a confident step toward your smile goals.