BOSTON — Metal braces are making a huge comeback—thanks to social media. Seventy-five percent of orthodontics patients get braces. And now there is breakthrough technology right in the Boston area—that is transforming the industry—as well as patients’ smiles.
A lot of us remember our awkward teen years...
“Head gear embarrassment, braces, discomfort, and a lot of appointments,” said Katie Doran, who had braces when she was a teenager.
Going to the orthodontist was necessary to get that perfect smile—and for decades, the same type of braces were put on all patients’ teeth. But there was one glaring problem—
“Teeth are as unique as fingerprints,” said Alfred Griffin, the co-founder of LightForce. “That’s why they’re used in dental forensics.”
While a resident at Harvard Dental School, a lightbulb went off for Alfred Griffin—and he co-founded LightForce.
“Braces should be as unique as the patient,” said Griffin. “Today we use braces that fit nobody.”
LightForce uses the individual digital scans from the orthodontist’s office to make braces unique to each patient. Every bracket has a unique identification number and its 3D printed at a facility in Wilmington. Then workers polish them so they are ready to go into patients’ mouths. Until now, Griffin says a lot of 3D printing in metal has been used in automotive and aerospace—and when it comes to dental work—measurements need to be exact.
“In the mouth, millimeters matter, millimeters are a mile in the mouth, said Griffin. “So every, you know, degree of angulation on a tooth, every fraction of a millimeter has a big impact in that patient’s bite and their esthetic outcome.”
Katie Doran, LightForce’s Vice President of Operations, was the first patient to try out its customized metal braces.
“I was really honored because I’ve been working side by side with the team here to bring this to reality,” said Doran, the Vice President of Operations at LightForce. “So it was really sort of the culminating event of years of hard work.”
Using LightForce’s 3D printed braces—she sat through just six appointments and got them off after 7 and a half months.
“The braces are positioned exactly where they need to be to guide your teeth without any inefficient movements,” said Doran.
“So you avoid those more painful adjustments where the orthodontist bends wire, repositions braces and the outcome which is amazing is you save about half the treatment time and up to 60% fewer visits which is awesome not just for parents but also for patients,” said Griffin.
So far, this factory has made about 16 million unique parts, serving about 200,000 patients. Each unique—and making sure the braces are cemented on the exact spot, to reach the ideal outcome for each patient.
“This global change in orthodontics is happening right here in New England,” said Griffin. “And it’s enabled by all the talent that lives in this part of the world. This is not a brilliant idea, it’s brilliant execution by an incredibly talented team that we were lucky to find in Boston here.”
The biggest challenge was being able to scale the 3D printed braces to meet the growing market. Griffin says once the digital scan is sent to LightForce, it takes about a month for them to ship the patient’s 3D printed braces back to the office.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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