TEMPE, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--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 digital orthodontics and restorative dentistry, today introduced Invisalign Virtual Care AI, its next generation remote monitoring solution with new artificial intelligence-assisted capabilities that streamline workflows for doctors and their staff. It includes features such as patient enrollment, setup, and review directly on the Invisalign Doctor Site without the need to use separate standalone solutions. Invisalign Virtual Care AI helps doctors remotely monitor Invisalign treatment progress based on their own pre-approved clinical settings and AI-assisted algorithms for Automatic Assessment calibrated to each doctor’s ClinCheck treatment features. AI-assisted Automated Notifications, based on doctor settings, guide patients to either advance to the next aligner stage if their treatment is tracking well or to stay on their current stage for longer or to contact their doctor if their treatment is not tracking.
Invisalign Virtual Care AI builds on the MedTech Breakthrough award winning Invisalign Virtual Care platform launched in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to help Invisalign doctors connect with patients remotely through the My Invisalign App to monitor treatment progress, and ensure continuity of care of patients during Invisalign treatment. It offers several software features to create a seamless and intelligent, single-platform experience. Part of the Invisalign Virtual Care AI solution is the AI-assisted Automated Notifications (Virtual Care 3.0) feature which is a registered medical device in some countries.
“Align is committed to continuous innovation in digital orthodontics and I am very excited about our next generation AI-assisted remote monitoring solution,” said Raj Pudipeddi, Align Technology chief product and marketing officer, executive vice president and managing director, Asia Pacific. “Invisalign Virtual Care AI is the only doctor-directed AI-assisted remote monitoring solution in the market that integrates with the Align Digital Platform, enabling doctors to prioritize Invisalign treatment tracking exceptions. It creates a seamless and intelligent, single-platform experience for Invisalign doctors and their staff through integration with the Invisalign Doctor Site, without the need for a separate portal and login, or expensive third-party workarounds. In addition, since it’s part of the Align Digital Platform and integrated with ClinCheck software, it incorporates attributes from the approved treatment plan into the assessment, such as tooth type, size, shape, etc. Further, it automatically assesses patient-submitted photos through our My Invisalign App, sending instructions back to patients on their smartphone in as little as one hour.”
“Invisalign Virtual Care AI is another great example of how we are using digital technology to connect doctors and their patients to facilitate even greater continuity of care and deliver a streamlined experience,” said Dr. Mitra Derakhshan, Align senior vice president, global clinical. “Aligner fit and seating are important clinical indicators of Invisalign treatment progress tracking and compliance. The AI-assisted Automatic Assessment algorithms measure and highlight aligner spaces, based on doctor approved settings, and AI-assisted Automated Notifications inform patients on actions such as whether to advance to the next stage, stay on their current stage, or contact their doctor for further instructions. These AI-assisted technologies integrated with human confirmation enable practices to prioritize Invisalign treatment tracking exceptions.”
“I initially began using Invisalign Virtual Care at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure continuity of care for my Invisalign patients,” said Dr. David R. Boschken, an orthodontist and Align Technology Global Faculty member located in Los Altos, California. “The new AI-assisted algorithms in Invisalign Virtual Care AI have elevated the remote monitoring experience for me and my patients. Automatic Assessment provides me with objective measurement of aligner spaces, the single most important indicator of Invisalign treatment tracking in my practice, while Automated Notifications advise patients of their progress in less than one hour, which in turn enables me to focus on treatment tracking exceptions. And since Invisalign Virtual Care AI is integrated with the Align Digital Platform, I don’t have to log into a separate portal or use third party remote monitoring services. This efficiency has enabled me to save chair time and expand the geographic reach of my practice. It has given me the confidence to enroll over 1,000 of my Invisalign patients into Invisalign Virtual Care AI, from teens and young adults to seniors – this is the new way to follow Invisalign treatments for orthodontic practices.”
“Invisalign Virtual Care AI has transformed how I follow the treatment progress of my Invisalign patients,” said Dr. Jan Einfeldt, a GP dentist located in Kent, United Kingdom. “Tooth movement using Invisalign clear aligners is often the first step in a smile makeover, which may require a combination of procedures such as implants, veneers and crowns, so it is critical to keep treatment progress on track. By using my pre-approved preferences and automatically integrating attributes of my approved ClinCheck treatment plan, such as tooth type, shape, size, pontics, etc., the AI algorithms help determine aligner fit and advise patients to advance to the next aligner tray or stay on their current tray for longer to ensure the desired movements take effect. Invisalign Virtual Care AI is now the gold standard of follow up across all procedures in my practice that include Invisalign treatment.”
AI-assisted Remote Monitoring Fully Integrated with the Align Digital Platform
Invisalign Virtual Care AI is integrated with the Align Digital Platform, which includes the Invisalign Doctor Site, ClinCheck treatment plans, and the My Invisalign App. No separate portal or login is required since remote monitoring is managed directly on the Invisalign Doctor Site, which benefits doctors and their staff. Similarly, patients can use their My Invisalign App without the need to download a separate app for remote monitoring.
- AI-assisted Photo Capture: Easy capture of clinically relevant photos via the My Invisalign App for patients with a next-generation user interface and intelligent real-time photo guidance. Patients send photos with every aligner change and receive progress notifications on their My Invisalign App. No separate remote monitoring app is required.
-
AI-assisted Automatic Assessment*: Automatic assessment measures and highlights the size of aligner spaces based on doctor settings.
- Objective and doctor-directed: AI uses each doctor’s settings to objectively measure aligner spaces. Doctors can customize settings at a clinic level or for individual patients.
- Personalized and integrated with ClinCheck treatment plan attributes: Virtual Care AI assessment automatically integrates tooth type, shape, and size from the doctor-approved ClinCheck treatment plan.
- Tooth-specific detail: Aligner spaces are measured and highlighted individually for each tooth. This enables doctors to quickly hone-in on problem areas where teeth do not correctly fit into the tray. Any exceptions to treatment progress, such as aligner fit or a tooth that is not moving as expected are flagged for doctor review, helping ensure patient treatments are being monitored between in-office visits.
- AI-assisted Automated Notification: Automated Notifications are delivered to patients through the My Invisalign App in ~1 hour based on doctor settings. Patients are instructed to advance to the next tray if their treatment is tracking well, or to stay on their current aligner or to contact their doctor if their treatment is off track. Automated notifications enable practices to prioritize patients review.
The Invisalign Virtual Care AI remote monitoring solution is in active global rollout to Invisalign trained doctors with availability beginning in certain markets in APAC, EMEA and Americas. Doctors should check with their Align sales representative for information specific to their market and product availability. For more information, they can also visit the ‘Virtual Care’ tab on their Invisalign Doctor Site.
*AI assessment results are reviewed by Align-trained personnel prior to Automated Notification being sent to ensure assessment is consistent with doctor’s settings.
About Align Digital Platform
The Align Digital Platform is an integrated suite of unique, proprietary technologies and services delivered as a seamless, end-to-end experience and workflow that connects users.
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 212 thousand doctor customers and is key to accessing Align’s 500 million consumer market opportunity worldwide. Over the past 25 years, Align has helped doctors treat over 13.4 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.
