The decision by the state board to close the investigation, initially called for by the AAO, effectively says the company is in full compliance with Florida law and can continue to operate in the state. 

The Florida Board of Dentists closed its investigation into SmileDirectClub, effectively saying the company is in full compliance with Florida law. The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) had filed a complaint against the company in Florida, sparking the investigation by the state board. 

In a statement, Susan Greenspon Rammelt, SmileDirectClub’s chief legal officer and executive vice president of business affairs, said:

We are pleased that the Florida Board of Dentistry has rejected and closed the American Association of Orthodontists’ complaint against SmileDirectClub, verifying that SmileDirectClub is operating in full compliance with Florida law and is not engaged in the corporate practice of dentistry through its operation of SmileShops or marketing activities. Our company seeks to cooperate with and provide information to state dental boards to educate their members as to how our teledentistry platform works and demonstrate that it is the state-licensed dentists who are responsible for all aspects of clinical care. It is great to have the support of dental boards like the State of Florida Dental Board, who welcome the access to care that today’s technology and our platform creates.

The company is still facing efforts in other states to restrict its ability to operate. A new bill introduced in California earlier this month seeks to require dentists to conduct in-person examination of their patients prior to approving a treatment plan for clear aligners or other orthodontics. This comes after the state’s governor signed into a law last year an x-ray requirement before patients can undergo treatment from direct-to-consumer aligner companies like SmileDirectClub.