I know this post is going to initially raise more than a few eyebrows in the dental community, but please do me a favor, have patience and read through the entire post before jumping to a conclusion about what I am or am not supposedly implying and whose team I am on today. I don’t pick teams. Simply said, my posts are created to educate a profession and create awareness. Orthodontics is changing….change with it, or become obsolete. Ultimately, my passion is to help the average American to have access a beautiful smile. If my posts help to encourage one more dentist to screen for ortho in every patient, then a little controversy with the world’s largest orthodontic company was worth the drama.

So, why not verbalize the proverbial question on every new Invisalign Provider’s mind. Why is my first ClinCheck® so crappy?! We all know that their technicians are gifted, skilled and talented. But I had to ask what my clients are always asking with my own spin: “I wanted chicken salad….why did I get chicken $^&*?!”

Simply said, the policy for Align Technology® is to give you a generic, no frills, treatment plan. There’s no bite correction, just straight teeth. It’s like a plain vanilla ice cream. You need to add your own topping to make it your own. Some doctors may want a hot fudge sundae. Some doctors might like caramel and nuts. If you want the right toppings, you need to know how to ask for it. You are the licensed doctor and Align Technology® is a service that helps doctors create beautiful smiles.

Align® is a global company working with millions of dentists around the world, all with a different fundamental training and treatment philosophy. Like a cherry on top, if you want ideal, you need to learn how to ask for it.

For me, ideal is a hot fudge sundae with nuts and a cherry. I want it all: cross-bite corrections, torque, vertical correction, A-P correction, ideal alignment to the 7’s…you name it! I know how to ask for the right elastics, auxillaries, bite tabs and IPR to get it ideal, the first time. Align Technology® never gives me plain vanilla ice cream (or chicken S^&* for that matter)! I get my ideal, perfect sundae every time because I’ve learned how to utilize all the exclusive features that only Align Technology® can offer both a doctor and a consumer.
They have an expansive menu of toppings, but you need to connect with your Territory Manager and visit the education tab within the Align Portal®. Only Align® has a local Territory Manager in every almost every major industrialized city in the world. On the portal, there are hundreds of webinars and advanced courses that are free for certified providers. Certification is only $1995 but you get you first three cases at almost a 50% lab fee discount, so in essence, you actually net money on the initial course through your lab fee discounts.

StraightSmile Solutions® is an excellent pairing for a new Align Technology General Dentist provider. We will not only teach you to make your perfect sundae but also to eat it too! StraightSmile Solutions® is the future of orthodontic coaching. We are the first online portal to provide a doctor-to-doctor consulting service that will allow GPs and their teams to access the knowledge and expertise of an industry expert, in order to enhance information sharing and efficiency in problem solving. Compared to other orthodontic coaching service providers, StraightSmile Solutions® is a full-time business. We are independent and not run alongside a clinical practice. We commit our full energy to coaching, and YOU reap the benefits! We pride ourselves on lightning-fast service and responsiveness. StraightSmile Solutions® is time and cost-efficient. Our services are available exclusively online. Of the over 128,000 general dentists in the U.S., most have little to no formal educational training in orthodontics. Those who do seek training often have to resort to expensive and time-consuming weekend services. You learn on the job through trial and error, but those errors can be expensive and unfortunate for both patients and doctors. We aim to fill the gap in the market for quality and efficient coaching to provide valuable solutions for doctors and their teams, and subsequent positive outcomes in the quality of patient care.
If you are interested in becoming a StraightSmile Solutions® client, visit our website at www.straightsmilesolutions.com to schedule a complimentary consultation.