Dentaltown June 2018 - 16

professional courtesy
column

Billion-Dollar Battle
Last year, Align Technology was the darling of
the S&P 500, posting an increase of 131 percent
and ending the year at $222.19 a share. This was a
tremendous milestone, considering that the company
was founded in 1997 by two Stanford MBA students
with no background in orthodontics.
Invisalign was initially available only to boardcertified orthodontists, but after a class-action lawsuit
led by Philadelphia general dentist Dr. Jon L. Richter, it
opened its product to general practitioners. In Invisalign's
defense, starting with orthodontists was a logical way to validate
the technology before inevitably
opening to the larger population
of general dentists. The great irony
is that Align Technology owns a
minority stake in SmileDirectClub,
and the American Association of
Orthodontists has filed complaints
with dental boards and attorneys
general in 36 states objecting to
its direct-to-consumer model.
In late December 2017, Align
canceled its interoperability contract with 3Shape and
no longer accepted new scans for Invisalign treatment
because of a patent infringement lawsuit filed against
3Shape. The latter continues to vigorously defend
itself, and recently filed a patent infringement lawsuit
against Align Technology. This legal battle highlights
the tremendous value of technology patents and mirrors
the fights among large consumer electronics companies.
Some of Align's previous patent battles include a
patent infringement suit against OrthoClear, a company
started by one of Align's original
founders. Invisalign is covered by
more than 400 U.S. patents and the
recent proliferation of similar products

is the result of 40 of its early patents expiring at the end
of last year. In fact, some of these new products were
on display at the AAO's annual session:
SLX clear aligner system. This new offering from
Henry Schein Orthodontics incorporates sagittal-first/
Motion 3D technology. According to HSO's lead
clinical adviser, Dr. David Paquette, this technology
"can significantly reduce the number of aligners needed
for use in a typical case."
Clarity clear aligner system. 3M will use web-based
software to plan patient treatment
and order aligners at any time. The
company will also offer an open
plat form so clinicians can use the
intraoral scanner of their choice.
3Shape clear aligner workflow. 3Shape
has a workflow pending FDA 510(k) clearance, and has a number of clear aligner
providers in markets around the world
connected to its system.
Why are there so many battles in
the happy category of clear aligners?
Align has treated more than 4 million
patients, and in 2016 had sales of $1 billion for the first
time. This is a huge market segment in dentistry, and
it might be a fine time to consider your participation.
Maybe you have a new scanner and you would like to
add a new procedure to your practice. Perhaps you have
been on the fence because of the lab costs associated
with clear aligners.
Cast aside your preconceived notions and give
this category a look. Explore the new and existing
offerings, ask for opinions online and speak to your
local orthodontist about his or her feelings about the
subject. Once you make a commitment to offer clear
aligners to your patients, be sure you seek out proper
training and make arrangements for local support. ■

Share your comments about this column online!
Are you raring to enter the clear-aligner race-or are you already ahead of the curve?
Reach Dr. Thomas Giacobbi on Twitter (@ddsTom) or via email: tom@dentaltown.com.

by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, editorial director, Dentaltown magazine

JUNE 2018 // dentaltown.com

http://twitter.com/ddstom http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown June 2018