The company Align Technology – which designs and manufactures the Invisalign system, described as the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, and iTero intraoral scanners and services – recently ran the first Invisalign Digital Smile Awareness Days to promote digital clear aligner therapy.

To date, more than 5.5 million patients have been treated with the Invisalign system and more than 6.3 million iTero orthodontic scans have been carried out worldwide.

To build on this growing interest in digital orthodontics, Align Technology organised Digital Smile Awareness Days in July 2018 in co-operation with Invisalign trained doctors across Europe.

As part of the campaign, Align Technology pledged a donation to Operation Smile to support their work in helping children born with cleft lip or cleft palate to access the quality care they deserve.

The Digital Smile Awareness events were conceived as a way to drive awareness of clear aligner therapy among prospective patients, and at the same time showcase the advantages of digital intraoral scanning.

During in-practice events, visitors were offered an intraoral scan using the iTero Element scanner and the opportunity to view a simulation of what their smile might look like after Invisalign treatment during their consultation.

Dr Emma Laing, a specialist orthodontist at Harley Street Dental Clinic in London, said: 'The Digital Smile Awareness Day was a resounding success for me and really made me reflect on how far the industry has advanced.

'In the 10 years I've worked as a specialist orthodontist in Harley Street, digital dentistry is undoubtedly the most significant advancement to affect my practice. Yet many patients aren't aware of how easy, fast and accurate treatment is these days. So to bring this together in one day of awareness was a great idea.'

Nicola Mulhaire, a GDP at Belgravia Dental Centre, added: 'Our Digital Smile Awareness event was very well received. I saw five prospective patients, four of whom are proceeding with Invisalign treatment. Having the iTero Element made my patients look at their dental treatment from a whole different perspective. The Invisalign Outcome Simulator was an unquestionable success.'

Dr Rhona Eskander, a London GDP agreed the Digital Smile Awareness event she held at Chelsea Dental Clinic was enlightening for the people she saw, and said: 'The iTero scanner is an exciting way to show people the potential outcome of their Invisalign treatment during their first appointment. Patients were fascinated to see their misaligned teeth appear on the screen in front of them and the 3D images make it easy to point out all the anomalies immediately.'

More information about the Invisalign system is available at www.invisalign.co.uk and the iTero digital scanning system at http://www.itero.com/en-gb/.