Almost half of the world wants straighter teeth and a more beautiful smile. While they think it may be just about improving the aesthetics of their smile, in reality, for many, a poor bite is actually a lifelong health issue, that can lead to issues including TMJ problems, the inability to chew food properly, and even headaches. But for most Americans, going to a licensed orthodontist and getting Invisalign treatment is cost prohibitive.

This is an issue for both patients and orthodontists alike. Many don’t realize that the majority of orthodontists come out of 11-years of schooling with an average of $500,000 - $1,000,000 in debt — they are the most in debt professional in the United States. The operational costs of running a practice meant I, like many orthodontists, had to charge patients over $10,000 for treatment, just to stay afloat. And for orthodontic treatment, insurance works like a rebate, meaning only $1,000-$1,500 is covered by insurance.

It’s no surprise that the direct-to-consumer, at-home aligners have become popular. For a fraction of the cost, patients take at-home impressions of their own teeth and receive a box of aligners in the mail. But the truth of the matter is that off-shore technicians in Eastern Europe with no dental expertise, not a licensed orthodontist, use tooth movement software to move teeth. And when an orthodontist isn’t the person designing a patient’s treatment plan, patients don’t get the results they were promised, and sometimes they leave treatment with dangerous outcomes, such as loose teeth and TMJ issues.

That’s where Two Front comes in. We combine technology with an operating system for orthodontists to partner with local dental offices to deliver orthodontist-led, in-person care with a streamlined, digital patient experience at an accessible cost. Think Uber meets Airbnb, for teeth. Here’s how it works:

• Patients receive care from an orthodontist explicitly trained in the art and science of shifting teeth, from the familiarity of their dentist’s office. We combine in-person visits with a virtual experience that handles everything from scheduling to payment plans and 2-way communication between patients and orthodontists.
• Orthodontists have a fundamentally new way to start a hybrid practice — for free. No longer does an orthodontist need to take out an additional loan to take on the traditional operating expenses of a brick and mortar practice. Two Front allows them to see qualified patients from local dental offices — all while enjoying scheduling flexibility and freedom from the confines of running a business.
• Dentists have the first opportunity in history to generate income without having to work with their hands. They can incorporate a modern orthodontic practice within their existing businesses for a large additional revenue stream. Dentists provide one chair, once a month, and leverage the Two Front platform to run their orthodontic operations without any out-of-pocket costs.

Today, we’re excited to share that we’ve raised $3.5M in seed funding led by Craft Ventures. Many providers that deeply understand the value of our business because they’ve experienced the need first hand have also invested, including Dr. Junyi Xie, Dr. Zach Hollander, Dr. David Wagner and Dr. Dan Pinar.  

“Two Front has the opportunity to make an impact on the $250B aligner market in the US today and to fundamentally change the orthodontics business model for the better. We are impressed by their innovative business that benefits every stakeholder - dentists, orthodontists, and patients - and their vision to provide patients with safer, orthodontist-led care," said Arra Malekzadeh, Partner at Craft Ventures.

While we’ve served hundreds of patients in Los Angeles today, with these funds, we plan to build our team, operating system and platform, and expand to new geographies across the US so that we can help more patients get the smile and confidence they deserve in a safe and affordable way.

If you’d like to learn more about what we’re building, we’d love to hear from you! Reach out at hello@mytwofront.com.