The well-known Chinese dental chain Four Smile has abruptly ceased operations due to a severe financial crisis, leaving numerous clinics abandoned and thousands of customers in limbo across major cities. The chain’s closure has impacted patients in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and other cities, many of whom had prepaid significant sums—some as high as RMB 60,000—for dental treatments.
The first signs of trouble surfaced on February 7th, when customers at a Four Smile clinic in Guangzhou were informed that their follow-up appointments could not be honored. The clinic had failed to pay its staff for over three months and was evicted for non-payment of rent. Shortly after, similar reports emerged from cities such as Chengdu, Wuhan, and Xi’an, with patients unable to contact their dentists and ongoing treatments left incomplete.
An internal tally by a patient group in Guangzhou revealed over 200 affected individuals, with the total number of impacted customers across the country likely exceeding 1,000. One customer shared her experience online, detailing how she had prepaid nearly RMB 60,000 for orthodontic treatments for herself and her child, only to have the treatments left unresolved due to the company’s sudden closure.
In an interview with local media, Four Smile’s founder and legal representative, Xu Zhiyan, claimed the company had nearly resolved its financial issues, with funds allegedly secured in a “safe account” to address patient concerns. However, Xu admitted that retrieving prepaid funds would be “very difficult” and attributed the collapse to a failed investment agreement that was never fulfilled by the investors.
Adding to the controversy, reports suggest that Four Smile clinics continued accepting new patients as recently as late 2024 and early 2025, even while employees were unpaid and the company’s financial situation worsened. This leaves many of the more recent patients with little hope of receiving refunds.
Founded in early 2020, Four Smile quickly expanded across China, specializing in invisible orthodontics and targeting Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities. Despite a promising start, its rapid downfall has raised significant concerns regarding financial oversight and accountability within China’s healthcare sector.
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