Question 1

Is SmileShop free for patients?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Browsing deals, reading guides, looking up prices, and using the financing check are all free. We never charge patients.

Question 2

Do I need to create an account?

Accepted Answer

No for browsing deals, reading guides, or using the free monthly estimator. To get a bank-verified monthly number and a private SmileShop lead number for your dentist, you create a free account and connect your bank once — but that is optional, not required to use the site.

Question 3

What is a SmileShop lead number?

Accepted Answer

A short code like SMILE-7K3D. Connect your bank once (read-only, no credit check) and we verify what you can actually pay per month from your real income and bills. You get a lead number to hand your dental office — they type it in and can offer you a real plan sized to your budget. We store only your verified monthly number, never your raw transactions, and you can delete it anytime.

Question 4

How do I know the prices are real?

Accepted Answer

Every deal is verified by a SmileShop reviewer against the office's own public website or promo page before it goes live. The source link is shown right on each deal page so you can confirm it yourself.

Question 5

What happens when I tap "Call" on a deal?

Accepted Answer

Your phone dials the office directly. We do not record, listen to, or route the call through a tracking number. The office gets a notification that someone tapped Call so they can be ready, but they don't see your number until you choose to share it.

Question 6

Can I finance my treatment through SmileShop?

Accepted Answer

If the office uses the SmileShop platform, yes. The office sends you a link; you connect your bank read-only through Stripe (we never see your login), and our AI sizes a monthly payment to your budget. There's no down payment — $0 due at sign-up. You review and e-sign the single plan, and your monthly bank payments start on schedule.

Question 7

Is there really no down payment?

Accepted Answer

Correct — $0 down. SmileShop collects your monthly payments and sends them to your office, so you don't pay anything upfront to start your treatment. There is no deposit and no advance — just your scheduled monthly payments.

Question 8

How do I pay each month?

Accepted Answer

By ACH bank transfer — the same rail your utility bills use. Payments auto-charge from the bank account you connected on the schedule in your signed plan. No credit card required.

Question 9

Can I pay extra or pay off early?

Accepted Answer

Yes, anytime, with no prepayment penalty. Extra payments reduce your remaining balance and shorten your plan. Contact your office to apply an additional payment to your card on file.

Question 10

What is the SmileShop platform?

Accepted Answer

A flat $75 per office, per month subscription — no per-lead fees, no revenue cut. A practice with 2 offices pays $150; a DSO with five pays $375. It includes the AI Financing Analyzer, automated ACH payment collection with daily payouts to your bank, a patient CRM from first contact to treated, invoicing, and conversion analytics. Your verified deals listing is included.

Question 11

How does financing close a case?

Accepted Answer

When a patient says "I can't afford it," send them a financing link from your dashboard. They connect their bank read-only via Stripe Financial Connections; our AI reads their income and obligations and scores affordability (green / yellow / red). SmileShop auto-selects one plan sized to their budget — $0 down, monthly ACH payments — and the patient e-signs it. That signed plan is what turns a deferred case into a started one.

Question 12

A patient gave me a SMILE lead number — what do I do?

Accepted Answer

Type it into the "Claim a verified lead" box in your dashboard. We look up the patient's bank-verified monthly capacity and SmileScore and attach the lead to your office. You see the verified numbers (not their raw transactions — we never store those), and you can send them a signature page pre-filled with their info. It is the fastest way to turn a motivated patient into a started case.

Question 13

How do payouts work?

Accepted Answer

SmileShop is the merchant of record for patient payments, so each ACH payment lands in our account first. We deduct a flat 2% + $0.30 fee and forward the net to your bank — typically within about 24 hours of the payment clearing. You connect your bank once via Stripe; each office location can route to its own account. The Payouts page in your dashboard shows every collection owed to you and when it was remitted.

Question 14

How fast do I get paid?

Accepted Answer

Patient payments auto-charge via ACH on the schedule in the signed plan — no invoicing, no chasing. SmileShop collects each payment and forwards the net to your bank within about 24 hours of it clearing.

Question 15

Does SmileShop hold my patient's money?

Accepted Answer

Briefly — by design. Because SmileShop is the merchant of record, patient payments land in our account first, then we forward the net to your bank within about 24 hours of the payment clearing. We hold patient funds only long enough for the ACH to settle. The Payouts ledger shows every collection owed to you and when it was remitted, so it is always verifiable.

Question 16

Is SmileShop a lender?

Accepted Answer

No. SmileShop is the merchant of record and the payment rail, not a lender. We collect patient payments on your behalf and remit the net to your bank — a payment-processing relationship, not a loan. The office is the creditor of the patient's plan; we move the money and take a flat per-payment fee.

Question 17

Why ACH and not credit cards?

Accepted Answer

ACH costs roughly 0.8% with a $5 cap; cards cost 3.5% plus $0.30. ACH is what makes the spread work — lower processing on every payment means more of each installment reaches your account and the advance recoups faster. We default every plan to ACH bank payments.

Question 18

How do I list my office on SmileShop?

Accepted Answer

Go to the Submit a Deal page, paste the URL of your office's promo or pricing page, and fill in your contact info. Our AI pre-fills the details, then a SmileShop reviewer verifies and publishes it — usually within a business day. Listing is free and included with the platform.

Question 19

Can I edit my deal after it's approved?

Accepted Answer

No. Once a deal is verified and live, the listing is locked to protect patients. To change the price, expiry, or description, email hello@smileshop.ai — we re-verify against your public source before updating. This is what makes the verified badge mean something.

Question 20

Does paying for the platform affect what SmileShop writes editorially?

Accepted Answer

No. Cost guides and clinical articles are written and ranked independently of any subscription. The platform only affects the financing, capital, and CRM tools in your dashboard — not the editorial content patients read.

Question 21

Is SmileShop a dental practice?

Accepted Answer

No. SmileShop is an independent publisher, deal index, and financing platform. We are not a dental practice and do not provide dental, medical, or professional advice. Always confirm clinical questions with a licensed dentist.

Question 22

How does SmileShop make money?

Accepted Answer

A flat $75 per office, per month platform subscription (billed by office, so a multi-location practice pays for exactly the offices it runs), plus a flat 2% + $0.30 per patient payment we process. We do not sell leads, charge per click, take a cut of treatment revenue, or charge advance funding fees. Listing a deal and browsing as a patient are always free.

Question 23

Do you sell my data?

Accepted Answer

No. See our Privacy Policy for the full breakdown — short version, we collect the minimum we need, we do not sell personal data, and we do not run third-party ad trackers across our editorial content.

How SmileShop works

For patients

For dental offices

About SmileShop

Run a dental office?