Curious if your orthodontist or dentist offered any of the lower priced options to Invisalign like Angel? Supposedly their quality and customer/doctor service has come a long way and is a cheaper option as well. Thank you.
I also feel that because part of the process is digital, the fact that Invisalign has more customers means that they have a data advantage and, in theory, their treatment plans should be better optimized and more effective (on the margin, at least).
How long ago did you do it and did you ever have any problems with teeth moving afterwards? I assume that with the nighttime retainer things should go pretty smooth..
True for sure on the data advantage and your “power of habit comment” above can certainly apply here, but what I’ve been told by a few orthodontists is that there’s been long simmering animosity between orthodontists and ALGN (I guess because ALGN started selling to general dentists) and they’re eager for a competitor. As you say Smile flopped but I have friends in the investment business who can certainly afford to pay up for Invisalign but they were pushed by their orthodontist to use Angel ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and are no worse for the wear.
I got my Invisalign in ~ 2014 or so, right before they cut the treatment time in half. I’ve only had issues with the nighttime retainer when I haven’t worn it for an extended period. In other words, it just works (as long as you remember to wear it).
I suspect orthos pushing people to Angel may have more to do with how much profits they make per treatment than because of the quality of the treatment for the patient, in many cases, unfortunately. New entrants will often run at negative margins and try to buy market share for a while with incentives, lower prices, etc. But I don't know Angel at all and maybe it's really good ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
They haven't, I think they only carry Invisalign, and that's what I wanted anyway. I followed the SmileDirect saga a few years ago, from new entrant that many thought was going to disrupt Align to bankruptcy in a few years. I figured I'd go with the market leader and not take a chance with my teeth.
I have a lot of LLM apps on my phone and I find myself gravitating to ChatGPT as well. I think it’s what you’re saying, the UI is great, but I also think I’m getting into the mode where I’m subconsciously doing the AI = “Ask ChatGPT” like how people now do the Search = “Googling it” . Definitely a first mover benefit!
Yeah, we should never underestimate the power of habit and familiarity with something. To break that habit, the competition doesn't just have to be as good, it needs to be significantly better.
Taking creatine every day has definitely helped me eek out some extra power during my workouts 💪🏻.
Also, I love Claude Code! Yet, it's really interesting how it still needs to be run on a Linux subsystem if you're on Windows. Something about all the setup to get it working in your editor is comical given how frictionless the Claude chatbot is to use 😂.
It's part of the reason why in the land-grab phase of a new industry, players can almost seem irrational with how much money they're losing, but if the product is sticky, it can be worth it. We'll see how it is with AI, but I get the feeling that OpenAI is winning the chatbot space fairly decisively.
On paper 4 years ago, Google seemed better positioned, and they have great tech, but product-wise, they haven't quite pulled it off (yet?).
Curious if your orthodontist or dentist offered any of the lower priced options to Invisalign like Angel? Supposedly their quality and customer/doctor service has come a long way and is a cheaper option as well. Thank you.
Completely understandable, i am a happy Invisalign alum myself, thanks for the feedback.
I also feel that because part of the process is digital, the fact that Invisalign has more customers means that they have a data advantage and, in theory, their treatment plans should be better optimized and more effective (on the margin, at least).
How long ago did you do it and did you ever have any problems with teeth moving afterwards? I assume that with the nighttime retainer things should go pretty smooth..
True for sure on the data advantage and your “power of habit comment” above can certainly apply here, but what I’ve been told by a few orthodontists is that there’s been long simmering animosity between orthodontists and ALGN (I guess because ALGN started selling to general dentists) and they’re eager for a competitor. As you say Smile flopped but I have friends in the investment business who can certainly afford to pay up for Invisalign but they were pushed by their orthodontist to use Angel ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ and are no worse for the wear.
I got my Invisalign in ~ 2014 or so, right before they cut the treatment time in half. I’ve only had issues with the nighttime retainer when I haven’t worn it for an extended period. In other words, it just works (as long as you remember to wear it).
I suspect orthos pushing people to Angel may have more to do with how much profits they make per treatment than because of the quality of the treatment for the patient, in many cases, unfortunately. New entrants will often run at negative margins and try to buy market share for a while with incentives, lower prices, etc. But I don't know Angel at all and maybe it's really good ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Cheers! 💚 🥃
They haven't, I think they only carry Invisalign, and that's what I wanted anyway. I followed the SmileDirect saga a few years ago, from new entrant that many thought was going to disrupt Align to bankruptcy in a few years. I figured I'd go with the market leader and not take a chance with my teeth.
I have a lot of LLM apps on my phone and I find myself gravitating to ChatGPT as well. I think it’s what you’re saying, the UI is great, but I also think I’m getting into the mode where I’m subconsciously doing the AI = “Ask ChatGPT” like how people now do the Search = “Googling it” . Definitely a first mover benefit!
Yeah, we should never underestimate the power of habit and familiarity with something. To break that habit, the competition doesn't just have to be as good, it needs to be significantly better.
Taking creatine every day has definitely helped me eek out some extra power during my workouts 💪🏻.
Also, I love Claude Code! Yet, it's really interesting how it still needs to be run on a Linux subsystem if you're on Windows. Something about all the setup to get it working in your editor is comical given how frictionless the Claude chatbot is to use 😂.
Yea, that feels like a low-hanging fruit for them. Just make it easier!
Definitely! So important to get people in the habit of using something, like you always talk about.
It's part of the reason why in the land-grab phase of a new industry, players can almost seem irrational with how much money they're losing, but if the product is sticky, it can be worth it. We'll see how it is with AI, but I get the feeling that OpenAI is winning the chatbot space fairly decisively.
On paper 4 years ago, Google seemed better positioned, and they have great tech, but product-wise, they haven't quite pulled it off (yet?).