Align Technology launches Invisalign G3

Aug 15, 2010

Align Technology has introduced Invisalign G3, which includes software features designed to make it easier to use Invisalign with class II and III patients, new SmartForce features designed for increased predictability of certain tooth movements, and more intuitive software to streamline treatment planning and review, according to the company.

The treatment of class II and III patients with malocclusion often requires the use of interarch elastics to provide anchorage control, Align said. Previously, doctors had to manually cut the aligners to accommodate the use of elastics, which may have discouraged the use of Invisalign in such cases. Invisalign G3 addresses this barrier with new precision cuts, which are doctor-prescribed precuts in the aligners that accommodate the use of elastics.

Using a new drag-and-drop interface in ClinCheck 3.0 software, doctors have the flexibility to specify the placement and the type of precision cuts on the aligners, making it easier for doctors to use Invisalign, the company said.

New SmartForce features include a rotation attachment for bicuspids (previously available only for cuspids), a power ridge for lower anteriors (previously available only for the upper arch), and a lingual power ridge for upper anteriors. A variation of the optimized rotation attachment is also being introduced to address clinical situations where placement of the attachment may have previously been difficult.

The company also redesigned the Invisalign Doctor Site (formerly Virtual Invisalign Practice), a secure site where doctors can access Invisalign patient records, review and approve ClinCheck treatment plans, view patient account status, and order treatment supplies. The site also now consolidates a patient's Invisalign records and treatment tasks together in one location for easy access, and features a new online prescription form that is integrated with the doctor's clinical preferences.

Invisalign G3 features will be available at no additional cost to Invisalign-trained doctors in North America in October, with international availability in 2011, Align said.