Approximately two-thirds of untreated U.S. adults studied had at least one clinically meaningful malocclusion.
A study of 8,804 untreated U.S. adults ages 17–46 using NHANES III data found that only one-third exhibited no clinically meaningful malocclusions.1
This is a population estimate. It does not mean two-thirds of any individual practice’s patients have malocclusion. It does mean the program is built for the size of the question.
The conversation doesn’t have to start with straight teeth.
“Have you ever thought about clear aligners?”
“We’re seeing some things about your bite that we’d like to document and continue monitoring with you.”
The objective is not to turn every observation into an immediate aligner presentation. It is to ensure clinically relevant malocclusion is recognized, documented, explained appropriately, and revisited rather than forgotten.
Occlusion and alignment can change over time.
Research has documented long-term changes in malocclusion traits,2 and U.S. population research found several clinically meaningful malocclusion traits varied significantly with age.1 That is one reason they deserve to be documented and periodically reassessed.
This is not a claim that malocclusion always gets worse. It is the reason the program creates a longitudinal record instead of treating every examination as an isolated snapshot.
Identify → Document → Educate → Monitor → Reassess → Activate → Treat → Maintain
Eight steps that live inside normal care. Select a step.
Different malocclusion traits can carry different clinical considerations.
The evidence supports associations, not universal outcomes. The program is built on the former and makes no promises about the latter.
A “not now” doesn’t have to mean “never discussed again.”
The patient may not currently want treatment. That does not require the practice to repeatedly sell to them. Clinically appropriate observations remain part of the longitudinal record and are reassessed during future care.
Treatment acceptance is an event.
Monitoring is a process.
Education continues between visits.
Selling doesn’t.
Monitoring connects the program to the Activate Alignment Method: patients in monitoring receive relevant education over time, and the treatment conversation returns when the provider and the patient are ready.
It is a clinical pathway, not a disguised automated sales funnel.
Monitoring one patient is easy.
Monitoring hundreds requires a system.
As the monitoring population grows, patients exist at many stages. Align AI organizes the workflow information: monitoring status, previous documentation, last relevant interaction, education delivered, upcoming recall, practice-defined reassessment workflows, follow-up tasks, engagement and team responsibilities.
Align AI supports organization and workflow. Diagnosis and treatment decisions remain with qualified dental professionals.
Technology surfaces the opportunity.
People make it matter.
It can organize the history, remind the team and recommend the workflow. The most important interaction still happens between people.
AI + Human Implementation →The evidence behind this page.
Evidence is listed as published. Align AI’s interpretation is shown separately and does not extend the findings.
AI can get you closer.
People get you across the finish line.
See how Align AI, DAS playbooks, human coaching and your team turn all of this into execution.