Making Clear Aligner Therapy Easier for General Practitioners
Inside Dentistry provides the latest in endodontics, implantology, periodontics, and more, with in-depth articles, expert videos, and top industry insights.
April 1, 2023
Volume 19, Issue 4, April 2023
Page(s): p. 14
Over the years, Smile-DirectClub has built a reputation on being convenient for patients, but what the oral care company with the first medtech platform for teeth straightening wants everyone to know now is how beneficial it is for dentists as well. Building on the success of its Partner Network, SmileDirectClub recently announced the launch of its new premium aligner treatment, CarePlus. Available now at select Partner Network dentist locations, CarePlus is a higher touch, tech-forward option for orthodontic treatment that delivers greater flexibility and choice through a combination of both in-person and virtual patient management, value-added services, and concierge-level care from SmileDirectClub's network of licensed dentists, orthodontists, hygienists, and dental assistants.
That enhanced level of care is what drew Kenneth E. Pyle, DDS, to SmileDirectClub. Pyle, a general practitioner in Sky Lake, Florida, has handled more than 2,000 clear aligner cases since the late 1990s. He has used several different systems and even served as a faculty member for one of them. "I know the aligner business inside and out," he says, "and I am so impressed with SmileDirectClub that I am diving into the CarePlus program headfirst."
Despite the intense growth of the clear aligner segment of the industry in recent years, Pyle believes that we may have only scratched the surface. "So many general dentists fear getting into aligners," he says. "However, the SmileDirectClub CarePlus program gives dentists the opportunity to have all of the intermediate details handled for them. With other systems, the dentist needs to be heavily involved in managing the movement of the teeth, which scares off many general practitioners. SmileDirectClub takes all of the detailed work out of it."
Pyle is looking forward to utilizing the system himself as well as helping to develop educational programs around it because of the tremendous impact that aligners, and more specifically a hybrid system like this, can have on a practice. Several common pain points can be eased, such as those related to staffing shortages. "This program takes the day in, day out nuts and bolts out of the office," he says. "We monitor our patients' progress, but we do it from afar. It requires significantly less time for the dentist and staff." In addition, the low overhead of SmileDirectClub can help to mitigate some of the inflationary and cash flow pressures that practices are experiencing. "Unlike more expensive systems, SmileDirectClub provides a set income with very little time investment," Pyle says. "With other systems, your profit margin for each case is unknown until you know how much time you will need to invest. The CarePlus program offers the advantage of manageable and predictable expenditures." Beyond the time savings and financial benefits, partnering with SmileDirectClub is also less physically taxing on the dentist. "This is an opportunity to work standing up instead of sitting down and hovering over patients' mouths," Pyle says. "Even when I am looking in the mouth, I am not using a drill or needle, so I have happier patients."
Of course, the most significant advantage of partnering with SmileDirectClub is still how it facilitates increased access to a beneficial treatment modality for patients. "Even though the oral health benefits are greater in the long term, patients are more driven by cosmetic factors," Pyle says. "Because clear aligner treatment provides benefits to both esthetics and function, it can have a major impact, and SmileDirectClub's CarePlus makes it easier than ever for general practitioners to offer it."
For more information, contact:
SmileDirectClub
smiledirectclub.com • 800-848-7566
