Dentsply International has become the latest -- and largest -- company to dip its toe into the clear aligner service market. At the California Dental Association meeting in Anaheim last week, the company announced the new MTM Clear Aligner Service Center, designed to provide general practitioners and orthodontists with an automated treatment option for correcting minor anterior misalignments.
Using Dentsply's proprietary Hilliard Thermoplier Pliers System in combination with digital imaging techniques, the MTM (minor tooth movement) Clear Aligner relies on integrated "points of force" that target teeth directly, the company said in a press release. In most cases, this allows doctors to affordably address a wide range of motion with few or no attachements.
The aligner is designed to address a host of patient needs, including correcting orthodontic relapse, improving periodontal health, preparing for restorative procedures, improving anterior function, and finishing other orthodontic treatments, according to Dentsply.
"In today's tough economic climate, a central part of Dentsply's strategy is to provide opportunities that have the potential to be practice builders for our customers," said Brad Clatt, general manager of Dentsply Raintree Essix Glenroe. "We are committed to helping our customers find and treat more patients who can benefit from minor tooth realignment."
Dentsply has no minimum case requirements and offers multiple education and training options, he added.
To use the MTM Service Center, doctors submit their prescriptions online at minortoothmovement.com. Dentsply personnel at the MTM Service Center then provide clinical and technical consultation and suggest a treatment plan for the clinician's review. Once the treatment plan is approved, a full series of clear aligners and a patient care kit are sent directly to the doctor.
The MTM Service Center is currently awaiting 510(k) marketing clearance from the FDA.
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