Are treatment planning companies for aligners the next big thing?

The WHO ranks malocclusion as one of the most significant and life-impacting oral health issues, coming only after dental caries and periodontal disease. Among the many dental ailments that plague the human population, malocclusion is a reasonably common condition affecting people of all ages and a wide range of geographic locations.

In a survey conducted by Align Technology – one of the biggest market players for aligners – in 2021, it was estimated that malocclusion affected 60 to 75% of the worldwide population. The data also stated that around 500 million people globally could benefit from straightening their teeth. Furthermore, according to a study published by the National Library of Medicine, Europe possesses the highest rates of Class II, Class III, and open bite malocclusions, in 2018, respectively. It was also reported that compared to other regions, Europe had a significantly greater rate of deep bites (37.3%).

As widespread as malocclusion is in today’s aesthetically-critical world, there are also implicit solutions fabricated for these dangerous problems. Orthodontic treatment has seen a plethora of positive developments in the recent decade. Clear aligners has been a fan-favourite ever since its conception due to its sleek design and high functionality. Name brands like Invisalign and ClearCorrect have been successful in creating a reputation that precedes them. You’d wonder if there are any services these companies or others do not offer. The answer may be convoluted with a resounding ‘no’.

Name any niche service under the sun and there probably is a company that exclusively offers it. Dentists are extremely hard-pressed at work, with very little time to spare for leisure. Therefore, they often seek assistance in areas that are the most intricate and time-consuming. Administrative and HR responsibilities can slow down a dental practitioner’s function in the dental office. For this purpose, dental service organisations (DSOs) have been a popular measure by which dentists can circumvent these non-clinical chores.

Similarly, treatment planning is considered one of the most tedious and dilatory tasks in the clinical workspace. As dental practitioners, they are assigned the duty to carefully inspect and craft a treatment plan that is fully personalized to the specific patient. As the orthodontic expanse becomes more and more entangled, there have emerged companies that offer treatment planning services to dentists who are in need.

These specialized companies are dedicated to supporting orthodontic practitioners of all levels to achieve the most predictable treatment outcomes with popular aligner brands like Invisalign, Spark, or clear correct. All you need to do is to create your patient profile in your doctor portal and upload their pictures to the portal along with the intraoral scans. You may also ship your impressions to the company, if desired. Next, you write a detailed report on what you expect the treatment objectives to be and submit your data. Finally, approve the final treatment setup.

Through a cautious evaluation of your case data, the treatment planning company will work on the treatment plan, perform all corrections, idealise the plan, the sequence, the movements, and so on to finally mail you back the finalised treatment plan for your approval. These services allow you to optimise your ClinChecks/setups and guide you and your team throughout the entire treatment.

In this way, you are gaining:

• Clinical confidence: You can perform any type of clear aligner treatment irrespective of case severity. As treatment planning is the most critical step in achieving desired results from the treatment, you can confidently perform any treatment with biologically safe, realistic and predictable measures using the custom-tailored treatment plan made by the company.
• Expert assistance: These companies recruit technicians and dentists with heavy orthodontic experience and training to fabricate treatment plans that ensure quality and an expert touch.
• Efficiency: You will receive a consistent systematic process without long waiting times. This allows you to delegate most of the clear aligner workflow in your practice to your team and in turn frees up more chair time and ultimately improves your profitability.
• Predictability: Your clear aligner treatments will always go as planned because of these highly accurate and personalized treatment plans. Expect great results every time.
• Profitable results: Most of these treatment planning companies are highly experienced in training dentists and clinics all over the world. They are fully capable of designing and delivering predictable and profitable results to your practice. They can also help improve patient communication and engagement, thereby, also increasing your case acceptance rate.

Treatment planning companies are the new up-and-coming trends in orthodontic culture. These companies make it easy for you to streamline your treatment plans and equip you with tools to add more aligner treatments into your existing workflows.