Teeth aren’t the only thing LightForce Orthodontics is straightening, with the company having lined up $80m in Series D financing.
Massachusetts, US-based LightForce are aiming to digitise the brace-fitting experience and will use the funds generated from the round led by Ally Bridge Group to build a new 36,000 square-foot facility in Massachusetts.
The 2015-founded company, which went commercial in 2020, also plans to use the round to double-down on its artificial intelligence (AI) platform, which recreates patient anatomy digitally and helps inform orthodontists of optimal teeth positions.
LightForce liken the uniqueness of teeth and jaws to fingerprints. The company aims to provide a personalised approach for braces that does not require multiple wire and bracket adjustments. A study published in the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics demonstrated that patients with LightForce’s 3D printed brackets had a 45% quicker treatment time with 41% fewer appointments compared to conventional braces.
The funds, which adds to $50m raised in a Series C round, will also aid scaling employment in the company’s sales and manufacturing arms.
LightForce’s CEO and co-founder Alfred Griffin III said: “Teen patients have been limited by the inaccuracy and inefficiency of non-custom braces for decades. LightForce was founded to provide fully personalized treatment options to orthodontists for each of their patients to improve their outcomes and experience while in treatment.”
Dr Krisena Borenstein, Culver City Orthodontics, and customer of LightForce added: “This is definitely the next breakthrough in orthodontics. My favourite part of LightForce is that I know, with 100% certainty, that the brackets are going on correctly and that the brackets are custom to that patient. I like to know that teeth are moving in the right direction from day one. Cases are finishing faster than expected because the prescription is built into the bracket, which is pretty cool.”
