Dental Asia November/December 2023

Since its inception in 1997, Align Technology
— a global medical device company known
for its Invisalign System of clear aligners,
iTero intraoral scanners, and exocad CAD/
CAM software for digital orthodontics and
restorative dentistry — has helped doctors
transform the smiles of 16 million patients
worldwide with the Invisalign System.
Seeing a huge market opportunity in the
APAC region with 35,000 active Invisalign
trained doctors, Align Technology is
committed to continuous innovation in
digital orthodontics to enhance the Invisalign
treatment experience across the Align Digital
Platform — a proprietary combination of
software, systems, and services designed to
provide a seamless experience and workflow
that integrates and connects all users from
doctors and labs, to patients and consumers.
“Align Technology has always been at the
forefront of digital orthodontics and dentistry,
setting the bar and leading industry change
through constantly innovating and bringing
new and better solutions to doctors and their
patients,” said Raj Pudipeddi, chief product
and marketing officer, EVP and managing
director, Asia-Pacific for Align Technology.
“With 200 million consumers who can benefit
from teeth straightening in APAC alone, there
is indeed an incredible opportunity for us at
Align Technology.”
ALIGN IN APAC
Trends like the rising standards of living,
increasing brand and quality consciousness,
and rapidly increasing digital adoption
by consumers and doctors have all been
factored into the company’s strategic
approach and decisions made in the region.
Primed and
aligned to
make the most
of an Asian
opportunity
By James Yau
New products like the ‘Invisalign Standard’
and ‘Invisalign Adult’ in China, and ‘Essentials
by Invisalign’ in China, India, and Thailand,
were launched to better serve the expanding
market and broaden its appeal to more
consumer segments.
Based on customer feedback gathered,
Pudipeddi highlighted that patients’
expectations of treatments and services
have also risen in accordance with
increasing digital literacy. Patients want
to be “guaranteed” of outcomes within a
defined window before choosing to commit
to a particular brand or treatment method.
Moreover, patients want to be able to
visualise the results of their treatment so that
they know what to expect.
The Invisalign iTero Outcome Simulator
Pro available on iTero Element Plus series
scanners and imaging systems expands
on this capability, by adding the company’s
ClinCheck ‘In-Face’ Visualisation tool which
combines a photo of a patient’s face with
their 3D treatment simulation, creating a
personalised view of how their new smile
could look. “Having a 3D model view of
the patient’s teeth encourages in-depth
dialogue between doctors and patients,”
said Pudipeddi.
Such digital tools form the Align Digital
Platform and ultimately its digital workflow,
which the company sees as the foundation
which secures Align Technology’s strong
presence in APAC.
22 DENTAL ASIA NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2023