AI, 3D printing and teledentistry are revolutionising dentistry, enhancing diagnostics, treatment planning and patient care. Zelko Relic, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at Align Technology, explores how these innovations improve clinical outcomes, overcome adoption challenges and shape the future of digital dentistry, ensuring greater accessibility, efficiency and precision in dental treatment.
AI-driven diagnostics and treatment planning are revolutionising dental care. How do you see AI evolving in the dental space, and what challenges still need to be overcome for widespread adoption?
AI is rapidly transforming the dental industry, offering enhanced diagnostic accuracy and personalised treatment planning. We leverage aggregated / anonymised data from millions of cases and this allows us to innovate and provide precise new products and technologies to our customers and their patients. Improved clinical diagnosis and treatment visualisation not only improves patient outcomes but also enhances the confidence of dental professionals in their treatment decisions. However, widespread adoption faces several challenges, including the need for regulatory compliance, data privacy questions and the reluctance of some practitioners to shift from traditional methods.
We are continuously advancing our AI capabilities, in diagnostics, treatment planning and visualisation, treatment monitoring which help doctors maintain continuity of care for their patients. Additionally, AI-driven insights have the potential to support broader oral care diagnostics, further improving treatment precision. The possibilities enabled by image data and AI are particularly exciting, as they extend virtual care capabilities and allow us to provide digital solutions that enhance the overall patient experience.
With advancements in digital impressions, 3D printing and AI, personalised treatment plans are becoming more accessible. How is your organisation leveraging technology to improve patient-specific dental care and outcomes?
At Align Technology, we are at the forefront of digital innovation in dentistry. Our iTero intraoral scanners enable accurate digital scans, while our extensive 3D printing operations produce approximately one million customised Invisalign clear aligners daily. By continuously evolving our technology and supporting dental professionals with advanced digital tools, such as ClinCheck Smile Video, we support them to deliver enhanced patient experiences.
It is clear to me that 3D printing has played a pivotal role in meeting the increasing demand for clear aligner treatment, enabling the ability to manufacture fully customised aligners at scale.
The acquisition of Cubicure will strengthen Align’s existing intellectual property portfolio and know-how in direct 3D printing of appliances. Integration with Cubicure will also extend and scale Align’s printing, materials and manufacturing capabilities for our 3D printed product portfolio.
As the technology continues to evolve, its potential to offer for greater precision and efficiency in dentistry and orthodontics is vast. Continued research and development in 3D printing will bring even more customisation and efficiency to the future of the 3D printing process, helping doctors to offer more customised, dynamic treatments with a greater range of feature options.
Innovations like smart toothbrushes, wearables and teledentistry are shifting dentistry towards prevention rather than reaction. How do you see these technologies shaping the future of dental healthcare?
Teledentistry will play a key role in reducing the need for frequent in-person visits, enabling remote consultations and close monitoring of existing patients. This shifts the focus from reactive treatments to proactive, preventive care. The doctor-patient experience of Invisalign Virtual Care includes AI-powered features such as automated assessment and patient progress reports integrated with doctor apps, that, are enabling remote consultations, reducing the need for frequent in-person visits and improving treatment monitoring. At Align, we are leading this transformation by developing AI models that assess aligner fit, detect attachments and support broader oral care diagnostics which help doctors maintain continuity of care while enhancing patient outcomes.
AI-driven remote monitoring solutions are making dental care more accessible, allowing doctors to track treatment progress and provide timely feedback without requiring patients to visit a clinic for every check-up.
In addition to that, the Align Oral Health Suite enhances patient-driven interest and engagement with iTero Element Plus series and iTero Lumina scan images set up within clinical findings to help drive doctor-patient conversations about treatment options.
These advancements not only streamline workflows for dental professionals but also support practice scalability, ensuring high-quality doctor directed care for more patients. Also, digital technology will help doctors elevate their experience and expertise even further and lead to delivering higher quality of care with clinical confidence and efficiency.
Many dental practices struggle to integrate new digital technologies with existing workflows. What are the biggest barriers to seamless implementation, and how can companies like yours help bridge the gap?
Integrating new digital technologies into existing dental workflows can be challenging due to factors such as resistance to change, lack of technical expertise and compatibility issues with legacy systems. At Align Technology, we address these barriers through comprehensive training and support for dental professionals. Our iTero scanners and Invisalign System are designed to streamline clinical workflows, making it easier for doctors to transition to digital orthodontics. We focus on helping doctors transform their practices with digital tools that enhance treatment experiences and patient outcomes. By seamlessly integrating digital tools with existing workflows, doctors can ensure better patient experiences, increased practice scalability and deliver more predictable treatment results which bridge the gap between traditional methods and the future of digital dentistry.
In addition to developing new digital solutions, we are committed to partnering with doctors and helping them in transitioning to digital dentistry.
Some patients and even practitioners remain sceptical about the reliability and accuracy of digital dentistry compared to traditional methods. What would you say to those who question the effectiveness of AI-driven diagnostics, 3D-printed restorations or teledentistry in delivering high-quality patient care?
Scepticism around digital dentistry is understandable, but the evidence supporting its effectiveness is rapidly growing. At Align Technology, over 19.5 million patients have been treated by doctors with the Invisalign system. Our AI-driven diagnostic tools and 3D printing technology can allow for highly accurate and customised treatment plans, resulting in improved clinical outcomes. We firmly believe that digital technology is not a replacement for the expertise of dental professionals but rather a powerful tool to support and enhance their capabilities and treatment options.
