Align Technology has entered into an agreement with Henry Schein Dental, the US dental business of Henry Schein for the distribution of Realine, an entry-level five-stage clear aligner product targetting minor cosmetic fixes in dental practices.
Realine is a primary level aligner product that is used for very minor crowding and spacing issues between the teeth that general practitioner (GP) dentists come across every day.
Realine offers non-Invisalign GP dentists a easy to use product for patients with very limited treatment goals, especially adults whose teeth have shifted or "relapsed" after adolescent orthodontic treatment.
It will be available in the US by mid-June.
Align Technology vice president and general manager Greg Morrow said that this is Align's first exclusive distribution partnership in North America for a clear aligner product.
"Henry Schein Dental provides the reach, scalability, and strong long term relationships with GP dentists to help Align reach an untapped market of more than 80,000 dentists with Realine, while still allowing us to maintain our primary focus on Invisalign providers and comprehensive orthodontic treatment through Invisalign," Morrow added.
Henry Schein North American Dental Group president Tim Sullivan said, "Realine provides GPs and their patients a new method for correcting minor alignment issues and, in partnership with Henry Schein Dental, a new way to grow their practice."
The terms of the distribution agreement between the two firms have not been disclosed.
