Do we really need another aligner company? I guess it depends on who I am asking—and when. Do we already have the perfect aligner company?
As a board member of the American Academy of Clear Aligners and a diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, these are questions I have asked myself. I have treated hundreds of patients with a clear aligner and have reached the highest-volume tier of a major brand we all know, including winning the Doctor of the Year award and serving as a key opinion leader and instructor on the system.
I asked myself these questions because there was a clear wall that was preventing me from scaling any further. To scale my practice and focus on clear aligner orthodontics, I would need to add an associate and more staff, which brings a new set of challenges. So when I found Candid, I realized they unlocked something special with their orthodontics as a service model, CandidPro.
My Virtual Associate Orthodontist
With CandidPro, I feel as if I have an orthodontic specialist in my practice as a virtual associate. This has allowed me to catch my breath and help many more patients. Despite having extensive experience planning clear aligner cases, getting back what I ask for in a treatment plan from other manufacturers has been a struggle. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be just getting started today, as the planning software has become increasingly complex to use with many systems.
With CandidPro, the treatment planning system is incredible. My clinical preferences direct the treatment plan toward resolving my patient’s chief complaint using a selection of conventional or airway prescriptions. From there, Candid orthodontists tap into their knowledge and network to deliver treatment plans that make sense.
CandidPro also gives me access to some of the best aligner technology on the market. The aligners themselves are made from a new generation of advanced multilayer plastic that is hard on the outside, with a soft inner core. Candid’s “plastic sandwich” model also has an extended trimline, including structural bends that result in a memory plastic capable of extended wear without the rapid-force decay seen with most aligners.1 As a bonus, the durable outer layer is more resistant to stain and is easier to keep clean.
CandidMonitoring
One of my favorite parts of the CandidPro system is that every case includes remote CandidMonitoring at no additional cost. CandidMonitoring allows my patients to check in with me from wherever life takes them. This monitoring service is a full suite of technology that goes far beyond capturing photos to eliminate unnecessary in-office aligner checks. In addition to what I call my virtual associate, I also gained a team of virtual support staff to handle nonclinical administration through chat, email, and phone support—even on weekends and evenings. I am notified promptly if there is an issue I need to address. I have greatly appreciated the reliability of the Candid process and how it has benefited my practice financially, clinically, and personally. This service is turnkey, completely preconfigured, plug and play, and it just works.
As in any ecosystem, the parts must all work together in harmony, and that’s exactly what I am seeing. The sum is truly greater than the parts. My treatment plans, tuned by experts, are channeling forces through durable memory plastic. The artificial intelligence–enhanced monitoring, with learnings from more than 1 billion photos fueling it, can prompt my patients to advance aligners or stay longer based on that specific movement’s complexity, their adherence with aligner wear, and their unique biology.2 The plastic is capable of the extended wear that is occasionally required for the programmed forces of that stage to be expressed. This avoids the aligner lag that otherwise would send me back to the refinement treadmill. This type of bioharmonic tooth movement is simply not possible using a legacy aligner advancing blindly on fixed but arbitrary intervals.
Multiple Rx Feature
The standard Candid prescription (CandidRx) is designed to treat mild to moderately advanced cases. Plus, the Candid technology allows ideal finishes with the goal of minimizing attachments where possible. This is made possible through both the “Rx” and the ecosystem components previously discussed, providing the force, space, and time required.
The Candid AirwayRx is designed to maximize tongue space and encourage nasal breathing to treat patients with airway disorders. AirwayRx can be selected during the case submission process. Typically, doctors will have already performed a sleep study determining their patient’s apnea-hypopnea index, respiratory disturbance index, and oxygen desaturation index. AirwayRx will create spaces and/or redistribute spaces to achieve the best airway possible.
CandidPro
CandidPro is an orthodontics as a service solution that lets dental practices treat clear aligner cases with enhanced clinical oversight in as few as 2 office visits. Candid offers 2 suites of tools and support: One for clinicians, which includes treatment planning by a US licensed orthodontist, patient tracking, a doctor portal, and practice support; the other for patients, including remote monitoring, CandidApp, CandidMonitoring, and 7/365 support. Both suites work together to provide optimal outcomes and efficiency. Patients receive affordable, custom-fit, premium orthodontic aligners at home, while still receiving professional-led care.
Candid
844-295-6915 | candidco.com/candid-professional
New Features
As a faculty of the Candid Academy, I’ve been privy to some major advancements just around the corner in early 2023.
Bite ramps: With deep bites being some of the most common malocclusions we see, bite ramps will allow us to treat these cases confidently and successfully. Anterior bite ramps can help provide the anterior intrusion often required, disocclude and extrude the posterior teeth, or even a combination of both anterior intrusion and posterior extrusion. Posterior intrusion with bite ramps helps to fully upright the posterior teeth without creating occlusal interferences that lead to anterior open bites. Posterior bite ramps can also help intrude molars and autorotate the jaw to help pull the patient’s tongue up and out of their airway.
Attachments: Although I’ve been amazed at the ability of this system to hug teeth deep in the embrasures and deliver attachmentlike forces, there are some movements that require an attachment. Extruding teeth, particularly maxillary laterals, is difficult with plastic alone. The addition of attachments will allow us to treat these cases to ideal finishes.
Interproximal reduction (IPR): The addition of IPR will help to minimize the need for anterior flaring, preserving cortical bone height and the periodontium. IPR can overcome tooth size discrepancies, customize the overjet, and align the midlines. As a Digital Smile Design practitioner, IPR enables better coordination of the dental midlines to be coincident with the facial midline.
Treatment planning: I’m so impressed with the brilliance of the treatment software designers and the new Rx. I am looking forward to the enhanced controls while still maintaining ease of use and an intuitive interface for dentists who are just beginning their clear aligner journey.
A Breath of Fresh Air
In the fiercely competitive and increasingly saturated clear aligner market, Candid stands out as a breath of fresh air. Far removed from just another aligner system, the very capable team at Candid has really listened to the practitioners. They have assisted us in scaling our practices by using modern technology as opposed to adding more chairs, more staff, and more challenges. Practices using Candid can fully participate in the projected 300% increase in patients seeking orthodontic treatment between now and 2028.3 I’m glad I challenged my way of thinking, because it led me to finding answers I never knew existed. After my experience this past year with Candid, I can highly recommend CandidPro to any of my peers.
References
1. Ho CT, Huang YT, Chao CW, Huang TH, Kao CT. Effects of different aligner materials and attachments on orthodontic behavior. J Dent Sci. 2021;16(3):1001-1009. doi:10.1016/j.jds.2021.01.011
2. The DM difference: what makes DentalMonitoring one of a kind? DentalMonitoring. Accessed October 13, 2022. https://dental-monitoring.com/the-dm-difference/
3. Orthodontics market size, share & COVID-19 impact analysis, by product type [instruments and supplies {fixed (brackets, bands & buccal tubes, archwires, and others), and removable (aligners, retainers, and others)}], by end user (hospitals, dental clinics, others), and regional forecast, 2021-2028. Fortune Business Insights. December 2021. Accessed September 28, 2022. https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/industry-reports/orthodontics-market-101587
