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    Align Technology: Product Overview and Insight

    Written by

    Chris Preimesberger
    Published February 26, 2019
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      Company Name: Align Technology (health care technology)

      Company description: Align Technology is a global medical device company that develops its own specialized software to create innovative products such as Invisalign clear aligners, iTero Intraoral scanners and OrthoCAD digital services. These help dental professionals achieve the clinical results they expect and deliver effective, cutting-edge dental options to their patients. It is a publicly traded company headquartered in San Jose, Calif. led by CEO Joseph M. Hogan.

      Founded in 1997, Align Technology pioneered the invisible orthodontics market with the introduction of the Invisalign system and by 2001 had manufactured 1 million unique clear aligners. By combining digital treatment planning and mass-customization, with shape-engineering based on biomechanical principles, we have revolutionized the orthodontic industry. Today, Align has helped treat more than 6.4 million patients with the Invisalign system and is driving the evolution in digital dentistry with the iTero Intraoral scanner, which helps to modernize today’s practices by replacing physical impressions, taking treatment planning online and creating the potential to enable and improve almost every type of dental treatment offered.

      Markets: Hardware, health care, software, dentistry, orthodontics

      International Operations:

      • San Jose, Calif., United States
      • Amsterdam, The Netherlands
      • Singapore
      • Raleigh, NC, United States
      • Sao Paulo, Brazil
      • Juarez, Mexico
      • Ziyang, China 
      • Or Yehuda, Israel
      • Moscow, Russia
      • San Jose, Costa Rica
      • Madrid, Spain
      • Cologne, Germany
      • Chengdu, China

      Product and Services

      The Invisalign System
      The Invisalign system is a combination of proprietary virtual modeling software, rapid manufacturing processes and mass customization, and virtually clear, removable appliances or “aligners” that are used to straighten teeth.

      iTero Scanner
      With software options for restorative or orthodontic procedures, the iTero system offers the simplicity of a powder-free, single-person, and now continuous scanning with the iTero Element intraoral scanner.

      Key Features

      Invisalign
      The Invisalign system is prescribed to patients through Invisalign-trained orthodontists or general practitioner dentists. Align provides clinical education programs and the tools needed for orthodontists or GP dentists to offer Invisalign treatment options in their practices. Although treatment time varies by patient, on average a patient requires one full year of treatment—equivalent to 24 sets of Invisalign clear aligners.

      Invisalign Outcome Simulator
      The Invisalign Outcome Simulator is a chairside application – powered exclusively by the iTero scanner – that doctors can use to help patients visualize how their teeth may look at the end of their Invisalign treatment. The dual view layout enables prospective patients to see their current dentition next to their simulated final position.

      Precision Bite Ramps
      Precision bite ramps are designed to disocclude the posterior teeth for improved efficiency in deep bite treatments with Invisalign.

      SmartTrack Material
      Only Invisalign clear aligners are made of SmartTrack material, so they are more comfortable and easier to put on and take off. With SmartTrak Material, treatment time is up to 50% faster and straightens teeth with 75% more predictability.

      SmartForce Attachments
      SmartForce attachments are small tooth-colored shapes that are attached to your teeth before or during your Invisalign treatment. They’re like handles, giving aligners something to gently push on. Invisalign clear aligners fit smoothly and tightly around them, so they’re barely noticeable. Not everyone who uses Invisalign clear aligners will need SmartForce attachments.

      iTero

      iTero Restorative Digital Ecosystem
      The iTero Restorative Digital Ecosystem software is designed for general dentists, prosthodontists, periodontists, and oral surgeons and offers the flexibility to choose the ideal treatment and lab partners for the creation of crowns, bridges, implant custom abutments, veneers, inlays, and onlays. iTero scanners work with any material, including porcelain, PFM, zirconia, composite, and full gold. Customers can communicate seamlessly with external treatment planning, custom implant abutment, chairside milling, and laboratory CAD/CAM systems.

      iTero Orthodontic Digital Ecosystem
      The iTero Orthodontic Digital Ecosystem software enables digitized orthodontic workflows where iTero scans can be sent directly to the lab of choice for processed orthodontic appliances, retainers, printed models, indirect bonding, and digital bracket removal services. iTero scans are available in an open STL export format that is widely accepted by third-party providers.

      iTero Models and Dies
      Physical model and dies are milled by Align Technology based on the digital scan and sent to the laboratory of the dentist’s choice for completion of the restoration unit. In addition, the STL image file can be exported for use by any laboratory with an open CAD/CAM system for completion of the restoration

      OrthoCAD iCast
      iCast provides a digital alternative to traditional stone cast models which allows for simplified storage and digital record retrieval. The iCast digital model contains a full ABO (American Board of Orthodontics) base.

      OrthoCAD iRecord
      iRecord scans provide a digital alternative to traditional stone cast models which allows for simplified storage and digital record retrieval. iRecord scan data may also be exported to orthodontic laboratories for the fabrication of retainers, orthodontic appliances, and hard model fabrication.

      ClinCheck
      ClinCheck software maps out the patient’s smile path, down to the smallest shift, using a customizable 3D visual interface. The algorithm helps calculate just the right amount of force for every tooth movement.

      Product Analysis

      eWEEK is in the process of compiling this.

      ———————————————-

      Pricing: Go here for specific product/service pricing.

      Other key players in this market:

      1. SmileDirectClub
      2. Candid Co.
      3. Byte
      4. SmileLove
      5. ClearCorrect

      Contact information for potential customers:
      Website: http://www.aligntech.com
      Phone number: 1-888-822-5446

      Chris Preimesberger
      Chris Preimesberger
      https://www.eweek.com/author/cpreimesberger/
      Chris J. Preimesberger is Editor Emeritus of eWEEK. In his 16 years and more than 5,000 articles at eWEEK, he distinguished himself in reporting and analysis of the business use of new-gen IT in a variety of sectors, including cloud computing, data center systems, storage, edge systems, security and others. In February 2017 and September 2018, Chris was named among the 250 most influential business journalists in the world (https://richtopia.com/inspirational-people/top-250-business-journalists/) by Richtopia, a UK research firm that used analytics to compile the ranking. He has won several national and regional awards for his work, including a 2011 Folio Award for a profile (https://www.eweek.com/cloud/marc-benioff-trend-seer-and-business-socialist/) of Salesforce founder/CEO Marc Benioff--the only time he has entered the competition. Previously, Chris was a founding editor of both IT Manager's Journal and DevX.com and was managing editor of Software Development magazine. He has been a stringer for the Associated Press since 1983 and resides in Silicon Valley.
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