ALIGN TECHNOLOGY AND CADENT ANNOUNCE JOINT DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT

I've been using the Cadent iTero digital impression system for a year now and have been thrilled with the performance of the device.  Now, Cadent is expanding its reach into digital impressions for using with Invisalign.  Read on for all the details.

 

Companies to Develop 3D Scanner-based Applications for Invisalign® Treatment

SAN JOSE, Calif. and CARLSTADT, N.J., January 10, 2011 -- Align Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: ALGN) and Cadent, Inc., today announced an agreement to jointly develop software applications that will run on Cadent iTeroTM and iOCTM scanners for use in Invisalign treatment. The new applications will optimize case assessment and planning for Invisalign treatment, and bring valuable digital tools chair-side for Invisalign providers who use Cadent scanners.

 

“The joint development agreement with Cadent is in line with our long-term strategic initiatives of improving the Invisalign customer experience through innovation,” said Thomas M. Prescott, Align president and CEO. “Our partnership with Cadent allows us to leverage our own and other innovative technology to bring digital diagnosis and treatment tools conveniently chair-side in customers’ practices.”

 

“Cadent’s powder-free scanning technology is fundamental for meeting the precision demanded by Align’s standards,” said Timothy Mack, Cadent president and CEO. “We are honored to develop new Invisalign applications which leverage our combined technologies and create value for our mutual customers and their patients. Integration with Invisalign has been one of the most widely requested enhancements by both general practitioners who use the iTero system and orthodontists who are using the iOC system.”

 

Over the past few years, Align has worked with several manufacturers of intra-oral scanning (IOS) systems to evaluate interoperability of these systems for future use with Invisalign treatment. Rigorous standards for scan quality and accuracy have been defined by Align to ensure a specific scanning technology can successfully replace the physical impressions currently used in an Invisalign case submission. As part of that program, Align is currently in final beta tests with Cadent to validate their systems for use with Invisalign and expects to announce interoperability in the second quarter of 2011.

 

Under the terms of the agreement, Align will fund several million dollars for Cadent software development over the next few quarters in order to accelerate the availability of these chair-side applications. Align will own all rights to the developed applications and technology. Additional information regarding these new Invisalign applications will be provided closer to commercial launch.

 

About Align Technology, Inc.

Align Technology designs, manufactures and markets Invisalign, a proprietary method for treating malocclusion, or the misalignment of teeth. Invisalign corrects malocclusion using a series of clear, nearly invisible, removable appliances that gently move teeth to a desired final position. Because it does not rely on the use of metal or ceramic brackets and wires, Invisalign significantly reduces the aesthetic and other limitations associated with braces. Invisalign is appropriate for treating adults and teens. Align Technology was founded in March 1997 and received FDA clearance to market Invisalign in 1998. Today, the Invisalign product family includes Invisalign Full, Invisalign Teen, Invisalign Assist, Invisalign Express, and Vivera Retainers. For additional information, please visit www.aligntech.com

To learn more about Invisalign or to find an Invisalign trained doctor in your area, please visit www.invisalign.com.

 

About Cadent, Inc.

Cadent is the leading provider of 3-D digital CAD/CAM solutions for the orthodontic and dental industries. The Company services thousands of cases per day for a rapidly expanding customer base. Cadent's offerings, including Cadent iTeroTM, iOCTM powered by iTeroTM, OrthoCADTM iCastTM and iQTM, improve the efficiency and effectiveness of orthodontic and dental treatments while increasing the revenue of dental healthcare providers. The Company is backed by a syndicate of leading venture capital investors including Fortissimo Capital, Apax Partners, Panorama Capital (J.P. Morgan Partners), STAR Ventures and SV Life Sciences. For additional information, please visit www.cadentinc.com.

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Update on the iTero Evaluation

We have been working with the Cadent iTero for a month now. Since we began working with the device in early January, I have only taken one conventional vinylpolyether impression and that was on an unusual case. All other fixed prosthetic cases have been imaged and fabricated using the digital impression technology.

Results at this point have been outstanding. The cases we have sent out have had the occasional deep subgingival margin which has been created exactly. With those cases we've used a diode laser to better expose the margin.

Fit and accuracy have been better than with traditional means and seating appointments are less involved. We have used it with all ceramic and PFM restorations and have had equally good results with each.

One of the biggest advantages has been in workflow. The imaging is fast and easy which allows us to be more productive with a lower degree of stress.

We've also had tremendous feedback from patients who are impressed with both the technology and the fact that we've done away with the impression. I realized today I've only taken one impression in over a month and I haven't missed it a bit.

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iTero Continues to Impress... Digitally

We are two weeks into our time with the Cadent iTero. The experience has been a good one with the staff taking to it with a minimum of effort and the patient's have been both impressed with the technology and the elimination of the vinylpolyether impression material. They are also fascinated with the technology and love to watch the case take shape on the screen.

We've found that the workflow has actually improved our scheduling and creates more available "doctor time" to see emergencies or to spend more time with other patients.

Of course all of that means nothing if the end result is not a quality restoration for the patient. I've heard good things from other users and the science makes perfect sense to me, but the proof is in the clinical results. Today we cemented our first iTero crown. It was an upper left second molar and of all the teeth dentists treat, second molars are one of the most difficult simply because it's difficult to get the bite exactly right. Today, the process from removal of provisional to final cement was 5-7 minutes. The margins were perfect, the contact was just the way I like them, and the occlusion needed two tiny adjustments. The patient was thrilled that it was so easy.

Now I know it's only one case, but the result is what I've been hearing from lots of iTero fans. Basically the cementation appointments are easy and routine.

I'll be reporting back on the device as we get more cases to completion and if there are problems, you'll know about them. So far though, the process has been exactly what the folks at Cadent said it would be. That's pretty impressive.

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