Orthotown October 2019 - 34

You've got a unique plan when it comes
to walking the floor at AAO meetings!
To ensure that my practice stays ahead
of the curve and delivers to our patients
the very best and most efficient treatment
options, I'm always looking for new ideas
centered around technology. So when I attend
conference meetings, I usually avoid the big
companies in the middle of the exhibition
hall and instead explore the perimeter of the
room to find the smaller companies that are
bringing new and exciting things to market.
A few years ago, I started to notice
that several companies had begun to offer
3D printers. I instantly recognized that there
was a tremendous shift happening in the
clear aligner market. As I did my research
and asked questions, I learned that some of
Align Technology's patents were expiring
soon and several companies were now ready
to fill the gap in this new frontier. These
new companies started offering all the tools
necessary to allow doctors to begin offering
digital orthodontics directly to their patients.
I began to search for affordable 3D printer
options and found one by Formlabs with
a price that rendered a tremendous ROI.

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OCTOBER 2019 // orthotown.com

The cost was so low, the purchase was a
no-brainer. I already owned an intraoral
scanner, and now all I needed was tooth
movement software to complete the suite.
I demo'ed with several tooth movement
software companies and eventually chose
SureSmile Ortho. I then had all the tools
necessary to begin offering my patients my
very own "white label" clear aligner system.
Taking things further, at the end of
last year, you rolled out a program that
provides clear aligner patients the
opportunity to choose virtual treatment
instead of making the trek to an office.
Our in-house custom aligners have been
received very well. I designed a clear aligner
system that is both efficient and effective.

However, what our patients like the most
about our in-house clear aligners is their
ease, convenience and affordability. After
I had seen a young teen patient, his mother
mentioned that she'd thought if her son was
wearing aligners, he wouldn't have to be in
as frequently for in-office visits. I quickly
replied, "You're right. His next visit will be
a video visit!" She was delighted with the
idea and expressed how much this would
help with her busy schedule.
The introduction of the video visits freed
up valuable chair time and increased tons of
space in our schedule. For HIPAA compliance,
we partnered with a telemedicine company
and began to provide routine monthly video
visits for most of our aligner patients. The
parents love this unique treatment option
so much, we're now getting lots of referrals
asking specifically for our clear aligners.
It's my belief that in the modern age
of 3D orthodontics, it's all about offering
patients options that fit their lifestyles.
Adapting, evolving, delivering. Today,
orthodontists have many tools available that
leverage this new technology. The question
is, what are we going to do with them?
http://www.orthotown.com
Orthotown October 2019

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