Signature Luxury Magazine interviewed Angelo Maura, General Manager Middle East at Align Technology:

What are the latest technologies that are helping to digitise the dental industry?

Digital dentistry has evolved over the past quarter of a century, since Align Technology was founded 25 years ago, with many practitioners shifting away from analogue practices in favor of the latest digital tools and techniques. To this end, an extensive range of digital dentistry tools have been developed, most designed to create efficiencies for practitioners, while also improving the patient experience.

Clear aligners represent one such advancement. Thanks to technologies such as 3D manufacturing, dentists and orthodontists are now able to create bespoke aligners more efficiently and cost-effectively than ever before. Align Technology’s Invisalign® system offers a custom-made alternative to traditional teeth-straightening solutions such as wires and brackets.

Align Technology pioneered the market for clear aligners, and today the company is the leader in the evolution of digital dentistry and developing its global footprint. Align Technology offers a range of world-class digital treatment solutions for dental professionals, including the Invisalign system for comprehensive orthodontic treatment. 
Building high quality aligners at scale requires an incredible amount of investment in technology development, equipment, buildings, and infrastructure.

By combining digital treatment planning and mass-customization, with shape-engineering based on biomechanical principles, Align revolutionized the orthodontic industry.

With the treatment planning that is part of the Invisalign system, doctors can plan specific tooth movements at specific intervals as necessary. And with digital treatment planning developed at Align, doctors have a full view of how the treatment prescription will progress at any moment of treatment.

The Invisalign system, is the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, with 14 million patients worldwide. It can treat approximately 90% of orthodontic case starts – from minor, aesthetic teeth corrections to more complex cases.

The intraoral scanner is another digital dentistry tool whose popularity is on the rise. The new series in the iTero™ family, the iTero Element™ Plus series, which we launched in the region this year, is the latest installment in the long timeline of innovations. With applications for both orthodontic and restorative dentistry practices, iTero intraoral scans can be conducted within just 60 seconds and enable practitioners to track incremental changes in patients’ teeth over extended periods.

The Align Digital Platform™, an integrated suite of unique, proprietary technologies and services delivered as a seamless, end-to-end experience and workflow that connects users. The Align team is committed to helping dentists and orthodontists grow and expand their practices through digital tools that make their work more efficient and provide excellent quality and clinical treatment for patients.

What role do these technologies play in reshaping the field of dentistry?

In 2021, we released a white paper to investigate how the field of digital dentistry was evolving following the pandemic. Unsurprisingly, we found that nearly 88% of residents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia (KSA) value the benefits of digital communication and tele-dentistry more now than they did pre-COVID-19. And, whilst in-person dentistry will continue to be an important aspect of dentistry and orthodontics, our findings underscore the need for a blend of digital technologies with traditional dental services in order to further enhance the industry, including patient-practitioner interactions.

It was further revealed in a recent study by Ernst and Young that a majority (53%) of health and service (HHS) organizations from the United Arab Emirates indicated that they plan to further invest in digital solutions over the next three years. Alongside this growth, local government plans from the United Arab Emirates to Saudi Arabia, are supporting the transition towards digital transformation, with mandates including UAE Health 2071 and Saudi Vision 2030.

The technologies that are being introduced to continue enhancing efficiencies and quality of care will no doubt reshape dentistry as we know it.

How does this digital transformation affect both doctors and patients?

Dentists and orthodontists are increasingly able to raise oral health standards among their patients while reducing the need for them to attend in-person consultations, thanks to the latest digital tools. By implementing digital ecosystem into the practice workflows, dental professionals have the potential to care for more patients in a shorter amount of time – if that is their goal – or to do some of their check-ups remotely. Patients at many clinics now have the option to book virtual appointments in addition to their in-person visits, take second opinions over video calls or even pre surgery screenings when appropriate, for example.

At Align Technology, we firmly believe every orthodontic treatment requires the presence of a dentist or orthodontist to be performed safely and bring the expected outcomes. However, when this expertise is paired with innovative digital dentistry tools, the advancements within this field can deliver a more precise, efficient, and even more comfortable patient experience.

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