I’m a little late on this post, but wanted to reflect a bit on how big of a year 2017 was for orthodontics. Especially in the world of clear aligners. Back in October, Invisalign had a number of their patents expire, thereby ceding part of their long-held monopoly on clear aligners. And by the end of December, Align Technology — the parent company that owns Invisalign — had the top-performing stock among S&P 500 companies. Yes, you read that right. Take that, finance, tech, and med friends! A dental company was on top of the stock market in 2017.
Top of the stock market
Credit the narcissistic millennials and their selfies. Or perhaps credit Instagram and Snapchat. After all, who doesn’t want a better smile when showing their friends and the world a cute close-up annotated with a likely irrelevant inspirational quote? Whatever the case, Align Technology (ALGN) somehow found itself with the best performing stock among S&P 500 companies. In fact, the company has generated nearly a 130% return over the past 12 months. Orthodontists and dentists need to wake-up and take note. Something has been brewing for quite some time in our field and the future has much in store for our field.
New players enter the market
Now that many of the Invisalign patents are continuing to expire, more and more clear aligner companies are beginning to enter the market. And what’s more is that these competitors are beginning to assert themselves.
ClearCorrect, eCligner, Candid, Smile Direct Club — the list goes on and on. Each company is slightly different from the other, with some even bypassing traditional in-office visits to an orthodontist. What makes things even more interesting is that Align Technology has an equity stake in one of its competitors, Smile Direct Club. Expect many future posts about this.
What are your thoughts about Invisalign and Align Technology? Expecting to witness anything exciting (read: dramatic) in 2018 in the realm of clear aligners? Comment below!
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