TORONTO, ON --(Marketwired - November 26, 2017) -
- 5 Millionth Patient Starting Treatment with Invisalign Teen with Mandibular Advancement
- Company Reaffirms Commitment to Helping Children Through Operation Smile*
Align Technology, Inc. (
"It's very rewarding to see how rapidly Invisalign treatment is growing around the world. I can't believe our first 'million' took ten years to achieve, while our fifth 'million' only took one year," said Joe Hogan, Align Technology president and CEO. "We're continuing to see a significant increase in adoption of Invisalign treatment globally, especially among teens and tweens. In the third quarter of 2017, worldwide Invisalign shipments to teenagers increased 46% compared to the same period last year. To date, over 1 million teenagers have started orthodontic treatment with Invisalign clear aligners. The introduction of Invisalign Teen with Mandibular Advancement** gives Invisalign providers even more confidence that they can deliver great outcomes and great treatment experience to teens in their practices."
The 5 millionth Invisalign patient, Hadi Somakih, is a 12 year-old "tween" currently in treatment using Invisalign Teen with Mandibular Advancement with Dr. Eugene Kholov, an Invisalign Top 1 percent provider in Ontario, Canada. As an early adopter of new technology, Dr. Kholov became an Invisalign provider nearly 20 years ago and has over 2,000 Invisalign patients -- including Hadi. In support of this major milestone for the company, Hadi will be featured in an upcoming Invisalign-brand advertising campaign, entitled One in Five Million , which will follow Hadi through his Invisalign treatment journey, capturing his experience and the transformation of his new smile as he goes about his active lifestyle.
"Invisalign clear aligners have changed the way our teenage patients view their orthodontic experience," said Dr. Eugene Kholov. "With better comfort and up to 50 percent shorter treatment times when combined with weekly aligner changes, Invisalign treatment enables patients like Hadi to enjoy being a kid without the cumbersome look and discomfort of metal braces."
"My Invisalign clear aligners are more comfortable than I thought they would be. Plus, they allow me to play hockey with my friends without worrying about getting hit the face with a bunch of metal in my mouth", said Hadi Somakih. "Dr. Kholov even showed me a computer simulation of my tooth movements with Invisalign clear aligners and I can't wait to see my new smile!"
To mark this major milestone, Align Technology is reaffirming its previous commitment to help provide treatment to children around the world born with cleft lip and cleft palate, and will donate $1 to Operation Smile for every public share of a photo of a person's smile on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram with the hashtag #5MillionSmiles -- for a total donation of up to $1 million.*
Continued Hogan, "Through continuous innovation and new technology, we strive to provide Invisalign practices and their patients with the best treatment possible. We believe that every person should have access to the most advanced treatment options for a healthy smile. To that end, we hope to inspire others to give more smiles to children in need with our continuing donation pledge to Operation Smile."
#5MILLIONSMILES Starting November 27, Align Technology would like to invite Invisalign patients and everyone around the world to help a child in need by participating in the "5 Million Smiles" social media campaign using the dedicated hashtag #5MillionSmiles. Each post of a person's smile with the hashtag #5MillionSmiles published on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, will be matched by Align Technology with a donation of $1 to Operation Smile for a total pledge up to $1 million*.
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 provider in your area, please visit www.invisalign.com . For additional information about iTero digital scanning system, please visit www.itero.com .
About Operation Smile Operation Smile is an international medical charity that has provided hundreds of thousands of free surgeries for children and young adults in developing countries who are born with cleft lip, cleft palate or other facial deformities. It is one of the oldest and largest volunteer-based organizations dedicated to improving the health and lives of children worldwide through access to surgical care. Since 1982, Operation Smile has developed expertise in mobilizing volunteer medical teams to conduct surgical missions in resource-poor environments while adhering to the highest standards of care and safety. Operation Smile helps to fill the gap in providing access to safe, well-timed surgeries by partnering with hospitals, governments and ministries of health, training local medical personnel, and donating much-needed supplies and equipment to surgical sites around the world. Founded and based in Virginia, U.S., Operation Smile has extended its global reach to more than 60 countries through its network of credentialed surgeons, pediatricians, doctors, nurses, and student volunteers. For more information, visit www.operationsmile.org .
* Align Technology donation pledge through March 3, 2018. To date, Align has donated more than US$400 thousand to Operation Smile. Facebook shares must be made public in order to trigger the donation. Restrictions apply. See the full terms and conditions at Invisalign.com .
**Invisalign Teen with mandibular advancement is available from Invisalign providers outside the United States and is pending 510(k) clearance in the United States.
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Align Technology Yin Cantor (408) 470-1044 ycantor@aligntech.com Ethos Communication: Shannon Mangum Henderson (678) 261-7803 align@ethoscommunication.com
