Phase 1: Start
Laying the Foundation for Aligner Success
Integrating clear aligners into your practice is not just about offering another service - it’s about establishing an orthodontic department within your dental practice. The workflows required are vastly different from your usual restorative or general dental workflows.
To achieve long-term success, the first step is to master these workflows. This means setting up systems, refining protocols, and practicing until efficiency and profitability follow naturally.
You might be thinking, "I already knew this."
Maybe so—but have you acted on this insight?
The First Barrier: Mastering Clinical Workflows
Let’s take clinical photography as an example.
Do you only pick up the camera, retractors, and mirrors when a patient is already interested in clear aligner treatment? If so, you're making the same mistake as 95% of your colleagues, and this will make integrating clear aligners significantly harder.
Here’s why:
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First Impressions Matter – If your photography technique feels unpolished—if you hesitate, seem unsure, or take too long—patients will sense it. A patient who experiences a lack of confidence or professionalism before even starting treatment is far less likely to trust you with their smile transformation.
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Quality Impacts Treatment Outcomes – Clinical photos are a critical diagnostic tool. The clarity, consistency, and accuracy of your photos directly correlate with your ability to diagnose cases correctly and achieve predictable results.
✔️ Key takeaway: You and your team should be able to take a full series of high-quality clinical photos in under two minutes—without assistance.
Here is a link to our free online dental photography course.
The course covers both photos taken with SmartPhone and DSLR camera.
Main Focus Areas for Success
Set Clear Treatment Goals
Example Goal: Treat 30 cases over the next 15 months.
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Start with 6 cases in the first 3 months (this will take time to refine workflows).
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Then, aim for 2 cases per month to build momentum.
Identify Your Patient Potential
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20% of your patient base could benefit from aligner treatment.
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If you have 2,000 active patients, that’s 400 potential aligner cases.
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With an initial 30% case acceptance rate, you need to present 7 treatment plans per month to reach your goal.
Dedicate Time for Training
Mastering workflows takes deliberate effort. Successful clinics set aside 2–4 hours per week for:
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Clinical photography training
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Setting up the operatory
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Presenting treatment plans
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Patient communication and expectation management
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Delivering aligners, performing IPR, and bonding attachments
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Monitoring progress and tracking results
Many dentists underestimate the time and experience required to create a smooth workflow.
Those who succeed prioritize training and implementation.
Tracking & Measuring Progress
If you don’t measure it, you won’t improve it.
✔️ Set up a visual tracking board for your team to see daily progress.
✔️ Clearly outline your goals and update them regularly.
✔️ Keeping these goals visible and measurable will keep the entire team accountable and focused.
✔️ Without tracking, you’re likely to slip back into old habits—and old habits don’t build new success.
Get Started NOW
The faster you implement what you’ve learned, the better your retention.
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One week after a course, you retain about 20% of what you learned.
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After a month, that drops to just 5%.
The key to success is simple: Take action now.
Use External Support at First
At this stage, you likely don’t yet have the full skill set required to:
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Perform a comprehensive orthodontic assessment
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Create a realistic and effective treatment plan
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Modify a digital setup into a predictable virtual treatment plan
This is completely normal. Mastery comes from doing.
How to Accelerate Learning:
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Work with experienced orthodontists (on-site or online) in the beginning.
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Have an expert guide case selection - this takes significant experience to refine.
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Study successful treatment plans, read books, take courses, and analyze case outcomes.
Transitioning to Phase 2: Clinical Mastery
Once you’ve completed your first 100–200 cases with guidance, you’ll start recognizing patterns. You’ll begin to predict challenges, refine treatment sequencing, and improve case selection.
Now, it’s time for Phase 2 - where you move from relying on external support to owning the entire diagnostic and treatment planning process.
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No more outsourcing case selection - you now know which cases to treat.
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No more blindly accepting software-generated setups - you refine them with confidence.
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No more uncertainty - you control the diagnosis, objectives, and outcomes.
Final thoughts
Phase 1 is about building a strong foundation - mastering workflows, training your team, and creating a structured system.
Phase 2 is about clinical mastery - transitioning to independent diagnostics, advanced treatment planning, and consistent, predictable outcomes.
You’re well on your way. Now, let’s take it to the next level.
