SAN JOSE, Calif., April 29, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Align Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: ALGN) today announced that 2 million teen patients have now started treatment with the Invisalign system – the most advanced clear aligner system and leading digital approach to orthodontic treatment. The 2 millionth teen patient is one of more than 8 million Invisalign patients of all ages worldwide, reflecting continued preference and adoption for Invisalign treatment by doctors and their patients of all ages. Align reached its first millionth Invisalign teen patient in 2017, 10 years after initially targeting teens, and achieved its 2nd millionth Invisalign milestone only 3 years later, which reflects accelerating adoption globally.

The 2 millionth teen Invisalign patient, Kaitlynn Ratliff, is a student and athlete who started her Invisalign treatment in January 2020. She’s being treated by Dr. Tom Hartsock of Hartsock and Sword Orthodontics in Pikeville, Kentucky. Dr. Hartsock is an Invisalign provider who specializes in teen treatment with Invisalign aligners and with the iTero scanner.

“I am grateful to have been a part of the Invisalign teen treatment journey over the last several years,” said Dr. Hartsock. “We started using Invisalign aligners to treat teens because of their busy lifestyles and to decrease the stress of typical orthodontic appointments and restrictions on families. When we started using the iTero scanner and understanding how ClinCheck Pro software worked, as well as seeing the finished clinical results, treating teens with Invisalign aligners became the standard for our practice.”

“These milestones are as much of an accomplishment for our doctor customers as they are for Align,” said Simon Beard, Align Technology senior vice president and managing director, Americas. “Adoption of Invisalign treatment for teens relies so much on the confidence doctors have in the clinical outcomes they’ll achieve with Invisalign aligners, and the treatment experience and efficiencies they can deliver with our approach to a digital orthodontic platform. We are so appreciative of Dr. Hartsock’s support of Invisalign treatment, and we look forward to following Kaitlynn’s treatment journey and seeing her new smile.”

Dr. Hartsock went on to say “I am so glad we transformed our office to have an Invisalign and digital treatment mindset, especially given the recent pandemic and the challenges of managing patients while practices have been closed.  We are now able to schedule remote appointments using the Invisalign Virtual Appointment app to help ensure patient treatments are progressing.  Thank you, Align, for providing us with the tools needed to move our practice into the digital world.  I’ve been practicing orthodontics for 28 years and this new way is absolutely the best way!”

In honor of this milestone and in appreciation of Dr. Hartsock and 2 millionth patient Kaitlynn Ratliff, Align is making a donation to a community food bank in Pikeville, Kentucky to support families in need.

About Align Technology, Inc.

Align Technology designs and manufactures the Invisalign® system, the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, and iTero® intraoral scanners and services. Align's products help dental professionals achieve the clinical results they expect and deliver effective, cutting-edge dental options to their patients. Visit www.aligntech.com for more information.

For additional information about the Invisalign system or to find an Invisalign doctor in your area, please visit www.invisalign.com.  For additional information about iTero digital scanning system, please visit www.itero.com.

Source: Align Technology, Inc.