Top 6 Questions from the Fall Meetings About LightForce

The LightForce team is just completing its Fall 2019 launch tour. Since officially launching from the NESO podium in late September, we have had great discussions with orthodontists from Boston to Hawaii, and Florida to Newport Beach CA, with stops in Dallas and Branson, MO in between.

We’ve enjoyed meeting everyone and appreciate the strong interest in the LightForce system. We’ve also learned a lot from listening to your ideas and suggestions. After six shows in a little over a month we noticed a few common questions and decided to answer them in our blog upon returning home.

Here are the top 6 questions we heard from you:

What are LightForce brackets made of?

LightForce brackets are made of 100% polycrystalline alumina. Polycrystalline alumina has been used to make high quality brackets for decades. Our proprietary formulation has been modified to allow 3D printing but once cured the material is virtually identical to that used in many of the best selling ceramic brackets on the market today.

Do your brackets come in any other colors?

Our initial bracket system which we debuted in 2019 is opaque white. It is designed as an everyday solution for patients that would normally get metal brackets. While not intended to replace translucent or clear ceramic brackets, kids seem to like that their brackets are little different and that colored elastics really pop against the white! The answer on other colors is not just yet. However our 3D printing capability makes our R&D team very fast and agile so a translucent version as well some intriguing new options for shades and colors are in our sights.

How long does it take to receive a complete set of brackets & IDB trays?

The average turn-around time is 7-10 business days after the orthodontist has approved the treatment plan.

Will an online workflow end up giving me more work to do outside of the office?

Our digital workflow is intentionally streamlined for speed and efficiency. The initial registration can be done in 10 minutes or less. LightForce TPS reps provide initial case setups for you at no additional cost, further reducing keyboard time if that’s your goal. If you’re not currently using software for treatment planning you may end up doing different tasks but the total time required to plan a case should not change much.

There may be situations where you want the control in your hands so our software is powerful and yet easy to use. And don’t forget that precise IDB trays make boding appointments faster and customization often means fewer re-positioning appointments.

Can I do mixed dentitions cases?

Absolutely! Unerupted teeth still get a custom bracket when the contra-lateral tooth is erupted and can be mirrored.