12/09/2019
The History of the Digital Process
Inman Labs was one of the first labs in the US to purchase a 3Shape Scanner and the Ortho software we all use today. The first versions did not allow us to move teeth and we mostly used the system for Digital Study Models. Later versions allowed tooth movements for diagnostic purposes only. 3Shape was careful to stay away from Align's patents.
Because the Inman Aligner had its own patents we started aligning teeth using the software, creating the tooth slenderizing information and 3D printing the corrected model without worry regarding Align. We taught this process to the Certified Inman Aligner labs. This was a huge breakthrough and set us even further apart.
Dr.. Rick DePaul asked us if we could create a similar process for fixed braces. With his help we created a great digital process that shows where and how much tooth slenderizing will be needed. It also gives the patient a clear idea of what the goal treatment would look like. This is more or less the same process used by IAS today.
As the Align patents expired we modified the process for Clear Aligners. Today you can purchase Clear Aligner software from several vendors.
So that's the deal, we were the first lab creating appliances using the digital process (legally) and we are proud of this.
