Smile Direct Club Granted Patent for SmileShop Retail Concept and Treatment Process As Shops Plan to Reopen
April 28 2020 - 7:06AM
SmileDirectClub today announced it has been issued a patent for its
SmileShop intellectual property from the United States Patent &
Trademark Office (”USPTO”). The patent, U.S. Patent No. 10,636,522,
further strengthens the telehealth dentistry pioneer’s efforts to
bring affordable, accessible oral care to more people through its
unique and innovative teledentistry platform and direct-to-consumer
business model. The patent ensures no clear aligner competitor will
be able to duplicate SmileDirectClub’s unique model for 18 years.
“This patent designation is a significant
validation of our unique customer-oriented care model, and expands
our category ownership, including the manufacturing and retail
experience,” said David Katzman, CEO of SmileDirectClub.
“SmileDirectClub is continually seeking to improve the
affordability and accessibility of oral care for consumers. As the
industry pioneer and inventor of the SmileShop concept, this patent
is recognition that SmileDirectClub offers an innovative way for
consumers to access oral care that is safe, doctor-directed and
convenient. We look forward to welcoming customers back to our
SmileShops at the earliest and safest possible time.”
The patent encompasses the unique SmileShop concept
and process, including scheduling of an appointment at a SmileShop,
sending the scheduling confirmation to the customer, conducting the
intraoral scan, generating a treatment plan, receiving approval of
the treatment plan by a licensed dentist or orthodontist, producing
aligners in accordance with the treatment plan, and sending those
aligners to the customer. SmileDirectClub’s clear aligner therapy
platform has helped more than 1,000,000 customers achieve a
straighter and brighter smile.
Katzman continued: “We are focused on the entire
teeth straightening and care process, and we now own the
manufacturing process of our clear aligner products, the customer
experience via our teledentistry platform, as well as the retail
experience for clear aligner therapy. This patent is another step
in our process as we continue to grow and protect our
business.”
The company also announced it is making plans to
slowly reopen its SmileShops beginning in May in the U.S., Canada,
Germany, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland as local
governments begin to lift business restrictions. After its shops
temporarily closed in March, SmileDirectClub, one of North
America’s largest 3D printing manufacturers, dedicated some of its
capacity to producing 3D printed personal protective equipment
(PPE) to help in the fight against COVID-19. The company has
shipped more than 40,000 face shields to medical organizations,
elder care facilities, dentists and orthodontists during this time,
and will supply all of its SmileShop team members with face shields
and other PPE along with staggered appointment times, temperature
scans and other social distancing measures to ensure a safe,
sanitary experience upon reopening.
The patent protection of SmileDirectClub’s retail
experience comes as the company has made its clear aligner therapy
solution available to dental professionals to use in their
in-office practices. The SmileShop patent allowance is the latest
in a string of innovations as SmileDirectClub grows from a DSO
(dental service organization) platform to an end-to-end oral care
company.
About SmileDirectClub
SmileDirectClub, Inc. (Nasdaq: SDC) (“SmileDirectClub”) is an oral
care company and creator of the first direct-to-consumer medtech
platform for teeth straightening, now also offered directly via
dentist and orthodontists’ offices. Through our cutting-edge
teledentistry technology and vertically integrated model, we are
revolutionizing the oral care industry, from clear aligner therapy
to our affordable, premium oral care product line.
SmileDirectClub’s mission is to democratize access to affordable
and convenient care, unleashing the power of a person’s smile to
positively impact their place in the world. SmileDirectClub is
headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee and operates in the U.S.,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany
and Hong Kong. For more information, please
visit SmileDirectClub.com.
Contact: SmileDirectClub Media
Relations: Press@SmileDirectClub.com
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