The AAO has selected Dr. Alfred Griffin and the company he founded, LightForce, to receive the 2022 Ortho Innovator Award.
“It has been an amazing journey to launch a system enabling something that has long been a dream for many orthodontists: a 100 percent personalized braces system that refocuses us on the teeth, instead of adjusting hardware,” said Dr. Griffin, CEO of Lightforce. “Our team is honored to receive the AAO Ortho Innovator Award, and to bring the benefits of digital treatment planning and mass-customization to more fixed appliance patients.”
LightForce is a digital platform providing orthodontists with fully customized, 3D printed tooth-moving tools. LightForce brackets are manufactured via a proprietary ceramic 3D printing process. Treatment plans are designed within the company’s “LightPlan” software, which is a simple cloud-based interface to enable doctors to have full control of the patient’s case.
“LightForce’s mission is to apply modern technology to help orthodontists create a bite and smile that is as unique as the patient being treated,” says Dr. Griffin. “Our LightPlan software is designed to customize every bracket around a doctor’s treatment plan for each patient and provide full bracket customization. We remove tooth anatomy as a variable for bond strength, allow for placement of brackets anywhere on the clinical crown, and in the process elevate the indirect bonding (IDB) experience.”
Headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts with more than 300 employees, LightForce received U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance for its products in 2019. The complete system was officially launched at the 2019 AAO Annual Session in Los Angeles.
Dr. Griffin and LightForce were selected to receive the 2022 Ortho Innovator Award by the AAO Committee on Technology (CTECH). The committee reviewed 35 entries to this year’s Ortho Innovator competition. CTECH evaluates entries by their uniqueness, originality, functionality or feasibility, and value for the orthodontic practice.
The AAO Ortho Innovator program, now in its fourth year, is part of an ongoing effort to strategically support innovation among orthodontists and partners in the industry. Companies offering new products or services for orthodontic treatment or orthodontic practice management are eligible to enter the competition.
CTECH members will present the Ortho Innovator Award to Dr. Griffin at the 2022 AAO Annual Session, which will be May 21-24 in Miami Beach.
