Who writes SmileSmart, how it's researched, and what it is and isn't
The short version: SmileSmart is written by a pre-dental student, not by a licensed dentist. Our articles are researched from published dental sources, but they are not reviewed by a licensed dental professional before publication. Everything here is general education — it is never a diagnosis, a treatment plan, or a substitute for seeing a dentist.
SmileSmart is an independent project created and written by Bilal Aoun, a pre-dental student. Articles published under the "SmileSmart Editorial" byline are written by him unless a specific author is credited on the page.
SmileSmart is not a dental practice, a clinic, or a group of practicing dentists. There is no clinical staff behind it. We think it's important you know that before you read anything here about your own teeth.
Some health websites have every article checked by a licensed clinician before it goes live. SmileSmart currently does not. That means:
If we begin having articles reviewed by a licensed dentist, we will say so clearly on the individual articles that have been reviewed, along with the reviewer's name and credentials.
When we write about a procedure or condition, we work from sources such as:
We aim to describe what is generally accepted, note where evidence is limited or mixed, and avoid presenting a single study as settled fact.
Each article shows the year it was published. A published date is not a guarantee that every detail still reflects current practice — dentistry changes, and we're a small project. If something looks out of date, please tell us.
Our shop contains affiliate links, and we may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. This is disclosed in our Terms of Use.
When we describe a product, we try to separate two different things: what the manufacturer claims, and what the evidence generally supports. Manufacturer marketing claims are attributed to the manufacturer. A product appearing in our shop is not a clinical recommendation for your situation — your dentist is the right person to ask about that.
The SmileSmart AI chat is powered by Anthropic's Claude. It is an AI assistant, not a dental professional, and it can be wrong. It cannot diagnose you, prescribe anything, or tell you what treatment you need. Please treat its answers as a starting point for questions to ask a real dentist.
Answers posted in our community Q&A are written by other users. We don't verify the credentials of people posting, and community content is not reviewed before it appears. Please weigh it accordingly.
If you find something on SmileSmart that is wrong, outdated, or misleading, we want to know — especially if you're a dental professional.
If you have a dental problem right now: please contact a licensed dentist. If it's an emergency — severe pain, facial swelling, trauma, or bleeding that won't stop — seek urgent care or emergency services rather than reading about it here.