Why is a smile so expensive?

When you consider orthodontic treatment your first concern is the price. For the absolute majority of people, the price is prohibitive. This is the primary reason people choose orthodontic treatments with no direct doctor’s involvement – the cost is significantly lower than visiting a doctor’s office.

The existing pricing structures for orthodontic treatment are unacceptable. Everyone should be able to perfect their teeth, regardless of their family’s income. A confident and healthy smile is essential, yet few can afford it. 

Let’s unpack the exorbitant prices someone will most likely pay to an orthodontist for a set of aligners.

First, doctors are key to safe and successful orthodontic treatments. Doctors determine treatment strategies and are accountable for their patients’ outcomes. They are typically the only people with whom patients consult throughout the whole treatment. Despite all of this, the doctor’s fee is just a fraction of the overall cost of treatments. The paradox is that even if a doctor decides to give you a substantial discount or provide treatment for free, the general prices will still be very high.

The fabrication of aligners is typically very expensive. This step encompasses the cost of materials, printing, polishing, and packaging of aligners. There was a time when just one company, AlignTech, could produce aligners at scale. Doctors have been requesting aligners from them for over two decades (including treatment planning and fabricating) and for many years did not have any alternative.

With tremendous progress in 3D printing and the development of new plastic materials, the increased accessibility and affordability of 3D printing has allowed any dental office in the world to start producing their own aligners.

While producing high-quality aligners is a complicated exercise that requires intricate equipment and devoted professionals, it is no longer a unique practice reserved for a limited number of manufacturers. An increasing number of people now know how to build up manufacturing and begin fabricating aligners.

The real secret sauce of any orthodontic treatment is an advanced digital treatment plan, but treatment planning software can be incredibly expensive. Doctors have a pretty obvious choice between requesting aligners from full service providers like AlignTech or ClearCorrect, but paying an enormous price,  or to try to design treatments and make aligners on their own. 

Even having the ability to fabricate aligners in-house or to request printing from specialized manufacturers, doctors usually do not have access to decent treatment planning software and can’t provide high-quality care to their patients. As a result, a patient is always in a tough spot. They’re either paying a price that bars the absolute majority of people from the treatment or opt for far from ideal substitutes.

SoftSmile dived in and analyzed all of these elements, and developed our goal of making aligner treatment affordable and accessible for everyone. The treatment planner is at the center of our revolution. It starts with our platform, Vision which:

• is as fast and precise as any fabricating practice in the world. Doctors can start making aligners and offering patients affordable prices for their services;
• can be integrated directly with 3D printers and automates most of the tasks to be performed by technicians or technical staff on the production spot;
• is so intuitive that less experienced doctors or technicians can start making high-quality setups in no-time;
• simply the best from a price-quality perspective.

We have solved the “Digital Treatment Planner” mystery and made treatment more affordable and accessible in the process. More doctors will be able to offer aligner treatment; the service will be more accessible and widespread (no need to travel to big cities for getting aligners)], laboratories will have the fastest and most intuitive software, which would reduce their costs and overall price for doctors. 

High-quality aligner treatments will become more affordable and accessible for all. 

Hang in there – the SoftSmile disruption is on the way!