Company: ALGN
Filing Date: 2025-05-08
Form Type: 10-Q
Source: 0001097149-25-000034
Chunk: 165

Company: ALIGN TECHNOLOGY INC
Filing Date: 2025-05-08
Form: 10-Q
Item: Item 8
Chunk 165
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 expect aggressive competition from existing competitors and emerging companies that introduce new technologies, products or services in the future, and customers who alone or with others create orthodontic appliances and solutions or other products or services that compete with us.

The dental industry is experiencing immense and rapid digital transformation, and we face competition from a variety of competitors including companies that specialize in our products or systems and services. While solutions such as the Invisalign System, iTero intraoral scanners, CAD/CAM software and digital platform facilitate this transition, we face competition from companies that seek to introduce new technologies and products and companies that remain dedicated to traditional products. As we continue to expand globally, we may see new competition in different geographic regions. We have experienced price-focused competition from competitors in various markets we serve and we anticipate this will continue. We may be unable to compete with these competitors or they may render our technology or products obsolete or economically unattractive, particularly as competitors incorporate artificial intelligence (“AI”) and machine learning into new or existing services and technologies that facilitate changes in doctor-patient interactions, expectations and treatment workflows. We may be unable to devote adequate financial resources to develop or acquire new AI technologies and systems in the future and sufficiently meet evolving industry trends and consumer demands.

The number and types of competitors we face are diverse and growing rapidly. The Invisalign System competes primarily against traditional wires and brackets and increasingly with clear aligners manufactured and distributed by new market entrants and existing competitors, including traditional medical device companies, laboratories, startups and, in some cases, doctors and dental service organizations (“DSOs”). Our competitors also include direct-to-consumer companies that provide clear aligners using a business model requiring little or no in-office care from trained and licensed doctors, and doctors and DSOs who manufacture custom aligners or procure from third-party white-label providers. Large consumer product companies may also 

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start supplying orthodontic products. Orthodontists, GPs and DSOs have and may continue to sample competitive and alternative products and take advantage of competitive promotions and sale opportunities.

Our iTero intraoral scanners are also facing increased competition from new and existing competitors. Our scanners compete with polyvinyl siloxane impressions and numerous new or existing intraoral scanners, as well as traditional bite wing 2D dental x-rays and dental imaging systems that leverage near infrared imaging technology for detecting interproximal caries. We experience and may continue to experience competition with our scanners and software solutions by competitors who introduce products at lower prices or with functionality that better meets