25 years later, the company that modernized the way we straighten our teeth is still revolutionizing dentistry

25 years later, the company that modernized the way we straighten our teeth is still revolutionizing dentistry insider@insider.com (Sponsor Post)

• Align Technology, the company behind the Invisalign® system and iTero™ intraoral scanners, is celebrating 25 years of transforming smiles and changing lives.
• Through its unique end-to-end digital platform, Align has helped doctors transform smiles for more than 14.5 million patients, including 4 million teens.
• Align's technologies leverage AI and machine learning to reinvent orthodontic treatment.

Over twenty-five years ago, a Silicon Valley startup pioneered clear aligner therapy with one goal in mind: Replace metal braces by leveraging computer-aided design (CAD) software and 3D printing to create a virtual treatment plan and a clear plastic appliance to straighten teeth – giving doctors a better way to transform smiles. Decades later, that vision has evolved into one of the most recognized orthodontic consumer brands – and has extended beyond the company's original vision to become a digital platform of integrated technologies, software solutions, and services that is making clear aligner treatment available for everyone.

Align Technology transformed the orthodontic industry with the Invisalign® clear aligner system, a series of clear, removable aligners custom-made for each patient. It digitized orthodontics with a combination of proprietary 3D virtual modeling software for treatment planning, rapid prototyping also known as mass customization manufacturing, enabling doctors to deliver quality treatment experiences while achieving clinical outcomes. The Invisalign system introduced technology to map out every step of a tooth movement in advance, using the most efficient path from beginning to end. On average, Invisalign treatment is five months shorter than braces treatment, and Invisalign patients report 30% fewer doctor visits than braces patients.

"Over the past 25 years, Align has helped over 234 thousand doctors treat more than 14.5 million patients globally, including 4 million teens, with the Invisalign system," said Joe Hogan, Align Technology's president and CEO. "Even with $2 billion in investment in groundbreaking innovation for Invisalign treatment, it remains a small percentage of the 21 million annual orthodontic case starts, as the majority of cases are still done with metal braces, and we know that more than 500 million people around the world can benefit from Invisalign clear aligner treatment."

Since the introduction of the Invisalign system in 1999, Align has continued to innovate, launching new products that combine biomechanics, force systems, and material science to scale so doctors can use clear aligners to address orthodontics in teens and younger patients. This includes its G-series of Invisalign system innovations, as well as its proprietary SmartTrack™ material, a multi-layer polymer specifically engineered for clear aligner treatment, using advanced algorithms to sequence tooth movement in stages that optimize clinical efficiency and SmartForce™ features designed on the teeth or into the aligners to address a wide range of clinical situations.

Today, Align not only helps doctors treat 90% of orthodontic cases, including adult and teen patients, but enables them to treat children as young as six with clear aligners using Invisalign First™, a treatment option for growing kids that provides a better and more modern approach to treatment.

Fast Facts:

• The Invisalign clear aligner system was introduced in 1999.
• Align helps doctors treat 90% of orthodontic cases.
• Align has helped over 234,000 doctors treat more than 14.5 million patients globally, including 4 million teens.

Going digital: It all starts with iTero scanners

Align Technology is perhaps best known for the Invisalign brand, but in the last 25 years, the company has evolved beyond a single medical device to a digital platform, investing billions in research and development drawing on the insights from over 14.5 million cases. The result is the Align Digital Platform™, an integrated suite of proprietary technologies, software, and services built to reimagine and "go digital" in every stage of the treatment experience.

A core component of the Align Digital Platform for both orthodontic and restorative dental applications is Align's iTero™ intraoral scanners and imaging systems that record 3D, intraoral color, and near-infrared light imagery with a single device. The iTero scanners capture dental records efficiently and accurately. The iTero scanners also offer chairside visualization, allowing dental professionals the opportunity to show patients how their teeth look today and discuss any patient-specific issues or goals using digital 3D imaging – giving patients a view of how their teeth and smiles will look post-treatment using the Invisalign Outcome Simulator Pro.

At its core, Align is a software company leading the industry in how teeth are moved as part of orthodontic and restorative treatments. Its goal is to improve practice productivity, deliver exceptional patient treatment experiences and outcomes, and empower doctors to reimagine treatment planning and monitoring with solutions that work for everyone.

Recent innovations changing the way doctors approach treatment planning include Align's ClinCheck® Live Update for 3D Controls, which allows doctors to make Invisalign treatment plan modifications in real time, reducing modifications that used to take days to as little as five minutes. Invisalign® Personalized Plan delivers Invisalign treatment plans by automating doctors' specific treatment preferences for efficiency and treatment planning consistency.

With the development and addition of new technologies, Align is expanding beyond its origins in orthodontics into restorative and general dentistry. The Invisalign Smile Architect™ ortho-restorative treatment planning software lets general dentists create and visualize orthodontic restorative treatment plans for their patients. And its exocad™ CAD/CAM software products, paired with the iTero scanner technology, have strengthened the Align Digital Platform restorative capabilities to include implantology and guided surgery.

"We're continually innovating and expanding on our end-to-end digital platform," said Zelko Relic, executive vice president and chief technology officer at Align Technology. "This has paved the way for new, seamless, cross-disciplinary dentistry in the lab and at chairside."

A move toward digital dentistry

Looking ahead, Align is focused on continuing to innovate in digital dentistry, scaling its capacity to manage the millions of digital requests, patient scans, and orders flowing through its systems — while also using technologies like AI and machine learning to increase efficiencies.

"Over time, as we continue reimagining the digital treatment planning experience, we will continue to introduce new technologies, features, and functionality designed to significantly improve predictability, personalization of doctors' clinical preferences, and 2D/3D imaging," said Sreelakshmi Kolli, executive vice president and chief digital officer at Align Technology.

Emerging AI tools will bring improvements to all aspects of dental technology, making for more effective devices, workflows, treatment plans, and doctor-patient interactions. In September 2022, the company launched Invisalign® Virtual Care AI, a remote monitoring solution that streamlines workflows for doctors and staff by helping them track patient progress and give patients confidence in the treatment experience, while reducing the number of office visits.

"The AI-assisted Automatic Assessment algorithms measure and highlight aligner spaces, based on doctor-approved settings, and AI-assisted Automated Notifications inform patients whether to advance to the next stage, stay on their current stage, or contact their doctor for further instructions," said Dr. Mitra Derakhshan, senior vice president, global clinical at Align. "These AI-assisted technologies integrated with human confirmation enable practices to prioritize Invisalign treatment tracking exceptions."

Traditional analog treatments that are anchored in time-consuming, labor-intensive wires and brackets and office-based treatment and monitoring can only reach so many people. Technology advances and Align's always-digital approach combine clinical efficacy with scalability and efficiency to transform more smiles and change more lives.

"In the next one-to-three years, we believe our new technologies will revolutionize our existing offerings and the way doctors and their patients experience orthodontic treatment," Hogan said. "These are innovations only dreamt of before, with the singular focus to make the Invisalign system the standard of orthodontic and ortho-restorative care. We couldn't be more excited about this next phase of evolution for Align as we continue to transform the industry by bringing clear aligner treatment to the masses."

Sources:

*Gu, J et al. Evaluation of Invisalign treatment effectiveness and efficiency compared with conventional fixed appliances using the Peer Assessment Rating index. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop February 2017; 151:259-66;

* Buschang, P et al. Comparative time efficiency of aligner therapy and conventional edgewise braces. Angle Orthodontist, 1 May 2014; 84 (3) 391-396

*Borda et al: Outcome assessment of orthodontic clear aligner vs fixed appliance treatment in a teenage population with mild malocclusions. Angle Orthod 1 July 2020; 90 (4): 485-490.

Learn more about how Align Technology is revolutionizing orthodontic science.

This post was created by Insider Studios with Align Technology.

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