Courtesy of Align Technology
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 orthadontic 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 …read more
Source:: Business Insider