Orange, Calif.-based Western Dental & Orthodontic announced Jan. 17 that it has released its own orthodontic aligner, ClearArc.
The clear aligners are made from plastic or acrylic material and are intended to help patients with crowded teeth or spacing issues. Patients should wear the aligners for at least 20 hours a day. Western Dental estimates the aligner process can from a few months to a couple years.
Western Dental began rolling out ClearArc at its 233 California practices in January. The aligners will become available to practices in Texas, Arizona and Nevada beginning in February.
"As the leading provider of orthodontics in the country, we're in a unique position," said John Luther, DDS, chief dental officer at Western Dental. "Every ClearArc patient is evaluated for treatment in a personal exam by an orthodontist, which isn't the case with leading competitors. This quality control measure helps ensure that patients are suitable candidates for aligners before spending their hard-earned dollars."