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Align Technology Partners With Discus Dental
Discus Dental provides premium cosmetic and clinical dental products as well as expert training programs to dental professionals. Discus Dental will market directly to general dentists and provide fee-based sales training using Align Technology materials. Discus Dental will provide sales support to certified general dentists, but all manufacturing and order fulfillment will be handled by Align Technology.
There are approximately 100,000 practicing dentists in the United States and Canada. Previously, Invisalign was only available through certified orthodontic specialists. To date, Align Technology has certified more than 70 percent of orthodontists in the United States and Canada to use Invisalign.
"Discus is highly regarded in the dental community for its training and distribution expertise," said Zia Chishti, chief executive officer of Align Technology. "This partnership allows us to leverage Discus' influential relationships with North America's top general practice dentists and to utilize their existing sales force and training infrastructure to quickly and effectively meet the needs of Align's growing customer base."
"Invisalign is perhaps the most considerable technological advancement in dentistry in years," said Robert Hayman, chief executive officer of Discus Dental. "We see Invisalign as a technological and aesthetic breakthrough so significant that every dentist will ultimately be compelled to provide it. As America's number one provider of professional tooth whitening products, we at Discus are excited to introduce a product to the general dental community with potential exceeding that of any product or procedure that exists today, " said Hayman.
Training Sessions
Training sessions for general practice dentists have been scheduled for the remainder of 2001. Training will take place on the following dates and locations:
| November 3 | Dallas, Texas |
| November 10 | Louisville, Kentucky |
| December 1 | Atlanta, Georgia |
| December 7 | Los Angeles, California San Francisco, California Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Florida Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas Chicago, Illinois Atlanta, Georgia Philadelphia/New Jersey Seattle/Tacoma/Olympia, Washington |
For more information or to schedule a training session, please call 866-498-4710
About Align Technology, Inc.
Align Technology designs, manufactures and markets the Invisalign System, a proprietary new method for treating malocclusion, or the misalignment of teeth. The Invisalign System corrects malocclusion using a series of clear, nearly invisible, removable appliances that gently move teeth to a desired final position. Because it does not rely on the use of metal or ceramic brackets and wires, the Invisalign System significantly reduces the aesthetic and other limitations associated with braces. Invisalign is appropriate for treating adults and older teens. Align Technology was founded in March 1997 and received FDA clearance to market the Invisalign System in 1998.
About Discus Dental, Inc.
Discus Dental, Inc. is a leader in the dental industry in the marketing and distribution of premium aesthetic and clinical products to dental professionals. The company also provides practice building tools and services as well as expert industry training for the dental community. Discus Dental was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Culver City, California. More information is available at www.DiscusDental.com.
This release contains forward-looking statements based on Align Technology's current expectations. Forward looking statements in this release include, without limitation, references to the marketing, training and sales support services to be provided to general practice dentists in the United States and Canada and Align Technology's ability to utilize the partnership with Discus Dental to meet the needs of its growing customer base. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. These factors include adoption of the Invisalign System by general practice dentists, orthodontists and consumers and Align Technology's ability to sell into the new general practice dentist market, its ability to control costs and continue to achieve efficiencies and its successful enforcement of its intellectual property and avoidance of infringement on third party patents. These factors, was well as other factors that could cause actual results to differ materially, are discussed in more detail in Align Technology's Annual Report on Form 10-K, its most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, as well as other reports and documents filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.