Australasian Dentist Magazine March April 2021

Category 34 Australasian Dentist I read the email on the screen in front of me; the case was rejected by the lab due to the integrity of the patient’s root structure making it too risky to undergo the treatment. This was not in any way made evident by the photographs of the patients’ teeth but was revealed by the accompanying OPG’s. I instantly thought about all these do-it-yourself clear aligners companies that have sprung up. There is no doubt based on the visual presentation, this patient would have been accepted for treatment by one of those organisations. How that would have panned out for the unsuspecting customer is anyone’s guess. It did however bring into sharp focus the potential issues with providing this type of service without professional clinical oversight. I am certain there are many in the industry that are both annoyed and concerned about the proliferation of these do it your self-businesses. Indeed, there have been some attempts to curtail their activities via the use of the relevant regulatory authorities. Truth is, the emergence of these businesses is creating clinical risk and to be honest, stealing money from those that have spent many years becoming professionals, trained to provide the clinical oversight that this type of treatment requires. That said, stopping and or regulating these businesses is difficult if not impossible, the fact that the entire transaction is conducted online means that these operations can operate, if desired, from jurisdictions out of the reach of any of our regulatory organizations. Identifying the problem is easy – the real challenge is coming up with a solution. It takes three things to make a fire, oxygen, fuel and heat, take any one of these away and the fire goes out. Using the regulatory approach against the do it yourselfers is akin to trying to remove the heat (just saying stop) it will not work because the fuel (the customer) and the oxygen (the business) will simply find another source of heat. In my view the best form of defense is attack and the industry should be trying to remove the fuel (customers) from these organizations. This could be achieved by making the clear aligner treatment service more available and more affordable. There is no doubt in my mind that the only thing that has stopped the do it at home clear aligner treatment offering from exploding is trust. I am guessing there are hundreds, if not thousands of potential patients tempted by the opportunity of doing it themselves but don’t, simply because they cannot bring themselves to believe this can be done without a dentist. Furthermore, it would be fair to assume that there are those that have given in to the temptation, bought the impression kit, submitted them, only to be rejected because the case required attachments and or IPR, a simple process but something you just cannot do yourself at home. The beautiful straight teeth ads, that are now everywhere on social media, can and should be used as a weapon. Our industry needs to make a counteroffer to these people who are now more aware of clear aligners and what they can achieve. Maybe it is time we capitalized on that. This strategy was at front of mind when trying to understand where our Simplicity Aligners could be best placed in our market. I decided that the industry did not need just another clear aligner offering. What was needed was high quality well-presented and managed treatment solution that was priced and targeted to dentists allowing them to offer a safer well priced option to a much wider client base. We are of the view that given the treatment planning is now done by a computer, that pretty much every dentist can provide the necessary clinical oversight and the required information to submit a case, that every GP dentist should be offering this service. We are not suggesting attempting cases that are too complicated, you should refer them out but, by doing this you will be offering a safer alternative to those thinking about doing it themselves and you will also find it to be a very profitable addition to your business. You have potential clear aligner cases sitting in your practice every day. You may already be providing clear aligners; you may be considering it. Either way I hope you will think about contacting us at Rapid Smiles and find out about the fantastic value proposition that our Simplicity Aligners are. It is time to get on the front foot with the clear aligner option and it is our aim to help that happen. u Contact Rapid Smiles on 1300 372 743 www.rapidsmiles.com.au DIY clear aligners – maybe not the best option By Kim White product profile Kim White