Sometimes things in dentistry are upended by a new technology that seems to come out of nowhere. Usually this happens when a single company releases a new product. Think of something like to Kavo Diagnodent from the early 2000s. There was nothing like it and no one really knew detecting decay with a laser was even possible. Yet, it took a while for that technology to become mainstream. It's harder for a single company to create wholesale changes in an industry.
Sometimes though, a tech breakthrough comes along that is brought to market by several companies and that creates an incredible *wave* of change throughout the industry quickly. Think about Artificial Intelligence in dentistry. Several companies had been working on it simultaneously and under the radar of the general knowledge of practicing dentists. It seemed like suddenly in 2023, AI came out of nowhere and created a huge change for doctors... almost overnight.
Mark my words... this is about to happen again. This time it will happen with 3D printing done in the dental office. I realize that many of you reading this are well aware of 3D printing. Companies have been marketing their solutions to dentists for the last several years. I'm sure that most of you can probably name at least one of those companies and some of you can probably list several. However, there a couple of reasons this tech is going to really take off in the next 12-18 months.
The 2 biggest reasons are:
- Market penetration of intraoral scanners. According to the industry stats we did at Dental Products Report, these devices are currently in at least 30% of offices and over 20% of offices that currently don't own one told us they are planning to purchase one in the next 12 months.
- Design software is becoming *much* easier to use. The printers themselves have been ready for primetime for a while now. The problem has always been creating the appliances you want to print. Having a great printer is only one part of the equation. Up until recently design software has been difficult to figure out and use. That... is about to change!
In the last few months, the printer companies as well as some independent software companies have created design software that makes the process easy and straight forward. My opinion is that this is the piece that's been missing. Now that scanners are plentiful, accurate, and more affordable *and* the design process has been simplified, this tech is poised to take off in a big way.
That leads me to today's post. iTero has just announced the Itero Design Suite which is one of the new systems that will make 3D design simple and easy for the majority of practices.
New software suite enables design capabilities for in-practice 3D printing
Align Technology, Inc. (“Align”) (Nasdaq: ALGN), a leading global medical device company that designs, manufactures, and sells the Invisalign® system of clear aligners, iTero™ intraoral scanners, and exocad™ CAD/CAM software for restorative dentistry, today introduced the iTero™ Design Suite, offering doctors an intuitive way to facilitate designs for 3D printing of models, bite splints, and restorations in-practice.
The latest software innovation is designed to help doctors boost their practice efficiency and elevate patient experiences by shortening time to treatment through an intuitive way to design for in-practice 3D printing. The iTero Design Suite enhances the Align™ Digital Platform, which provides an innovative portfolio of customer-focused technologies that enable seamless end-to-end workflows for dental professionals.
“I'm excited to be working with the iTero Design Suite. I was looking for an in-practice design software that my team and I could use. The workflow is fast and efficient. We can easily design restorations, hard splints, models, and mockups to show patients the possibilities of cosmetic dentistry,” said Dr. Steven Glassman, a cosmetic dentist based in New York City and a speaker for Align Technology who participated in the limited market release.
“We have seen growing interest in 3D printing technology from our customers, and bringing the iTero™ Design Suite to market reflects our commitment to offering our customers the digital transformation solutions they need to enhance practice efficiency and patient experiences through powerful technology,” said Karim Boussebaa, Align Technology executive vice president and managing director, iTero scanner and services business.
Tillmann Steinbrecher, CEO of exocad added: “With the iTero Design Suite, doctors will benefit from a flexible solution that enables seamless workflows for in-practice production using exocad’s innovative software.”
iTero™ Design Suite is now available through an early access program. Doctors using an iTero scanner can submit their interest via their scanner or the MyiTero™ portal. The software is expected to be available later this year.*
*Available in selected markets
About Align Technology, Inc.
Align Technology designs and manufactures the Invisalign® system, the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, iTero™ intraoral scanners and services, and exocad™ CAD/CAM software. These technology building blocks enable enhanced digital orthodontic and restorative workflows to improve patient outcomes and practice efficiencies for over 266 thousand doctor customers and is key to accessing Align’s 600 million consumer market opportunity worldwide. Over the past 27 years, Align has helped doctors treat over 18.2 million patients with the Invisalign system and is driving the evolution in digital dentistry through the Align™ Digital Platform, our integrated suite of unique, proprietary technologies and services delivered as a seamless, end-to-end solution for patients and consumers, orthodontists and GP dentists, and lab/partners. Visit www.aligntech.com for more information.
For additional information about the Invisalign system or to find an Invisalign doctor in your area, please visit www.invisalign.com. For additional information about the iTero digital scanning system, please visit www.itero.com. For additional information about exocad dental CAD/CAM offerings and a list of exocad reseller partners, please visit www.exocad.com.
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