How the booming clear aligner market can boost your practice

Whether just finishing dental school or operating an established practice, dentists are facing what seems to be an endless wave of economic headwinds. The pandemic forced us to close, then retool to reopen. We’ve experienced supply chain issues, a staffing shortage, and now rising interest rates. The “pain at the pump” is real, forcing patients to rethink every trip and every elective procedure. It’s an environment that punishes procrastination while rewarding those nimble enough to reinvent at the rate of the new normal.

An opportunity on the horizon

The clear aligner orthodontic market is forecasted to grow from the $4 billion market it is today to a $32 billion market by 2030.¹ That is an eight-fold increase in what can already be considered a large mature market. This surge of demand will require new methods to manage what has traditionally been a multivisit, and often multiyear, treatment plan.

There’s an app for that

Success today means learning and leveraging technology to be as efficient as possible. That’s where CandidMonitoring comes in. Distilled to its simplest form, CandidMonitoring allows you to “see your patients” wherever they are and from wherever you are. But it is much more than that. It begins with a suite of hardware and software powered by Dental Monitoring API (DM, Paris, France) that’s included complimentary with every case.

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Candid took it several steps further by seamlessly integrating a comprehensive orthodontic patient support system that includes a turnkey preconfigured, artificial intelligence-based messaging app called CandidApp. Orthodontic apps have been clinically proven to keep patients engaged with their treatment, improve oral hygiene, and enhance clinical outcomes.^2,3

In addition, a mobile text platform and toll-free patient call center are included in the service. This allows much of the nonclinical support between aligner checks to be efficiently handled autonomously. I like that I can monitor these support communications, as well as communicate directly with patients through the app via the Candid portal. This ability to see and speak with patients without having to schedule chair time is a gamechanger (figure 1).

More data means faster, better decisions

We know that clear aligner patients experience significantly fewer emergency visits than patients wearing fixed appliances.⁴ However, if one of my patients were to have an urgent clinical concern, it is comforting to know they won’t need to wait for the office to open or a chair to be available. As soon as I’m available, I can access the full history of their biweekly progress photos providing rich clinical context to address their concern, often immediately via phone or the CandidApp.

If an unscheduled visit is indicated, a data set of continuous records going back to the first aligner leads to a much more informed decision-making process. This allows me to schedule the first available opportunity and may no longer require an emergency shuffling of tomorrow's busy morning schedule. I’m better equipped to give my patients the best care while maintaining control of my practice schedule, which keeps the rest of my patients happy.

No more guessing games

When treating a patient with a removable appliance over an extended time, a lot of variables can be introduced. With a traditional aligner system, we may schedule an aligner check visit every six to eight weeks, but if a tracking issue develops along the way, that’s time lost.

As the sand piles up at the bottom of the hourglass, so can refinements, which unfortunately can lead to treatment burnout. CandidMonitoring helps minimize clear aligner refinements by ensuring the programmed forces of each stage have been fully expressed before advancing to the next aligner. We are not at the point where we have fully eradicated refinements yet, but we are at a place where we can eliminate all unnecessary aligner check visits.

Smooth sailing

To use an analogy, I love being on the water. There’s nothing quite like riding the wind on the smooth hull of any sailing vessel. Just as with sailing, in orthodontics we chart our course with a beginning, a destination, and many way points between. CandidMonitoring serves as my “orthodontic GPS,” helping me see where I’ve been to better prepare for the course ahead. Sure, there will be times I need to chart a new course, but I won’t be losing six to eight weeks before finding out at the next scheduled waypoint.

Figure 2 is an example of a case I recently treated with Candid clear aligners. We can see this patient began treatment on March 30, finishing their series of prescribed tooth movements on September 28. This completed a six-month course of orthodontic treatment with perfect tracking, including root torque programmed on a mandibular canine. Interestingly, this is the first case I’ve completed without a refinement in more than four years.

My patient is thrilled with the results. I’m now able to equilibrate to ensure even occlusal contacts perform some minor cosmetics planned at the onset of the case. Looking back at a comprehensive orthodontic restorative treatment plan, with the orthodontic portion taking only two visits to complete, and the finish with a perfectly fitting aligner—I call that smooth sailing.

Every dentist is experiencing these economic headwinds. Those making bold, strategic moves now may be better prepared for what lies ahead. As a clinician who has been treating patients with clear aligners for more than two decades, I’ve never experienced this level of oversight in terms of frequency or detail in my patients' treatments. Candid clear aligners have become my treatment vessel of choice.

Editor's note: CandidMonitoring is a financial supporter of Dental Economics.

This article originally appeared in DE Weekend, the newsletter that will elevate your Sunday mornings with practical and innovative practice management and clinical content from experts across the field. Subscribe here.

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