LightForce Orthodontics is on a mission to rid the world of one-size-fits-all braces and replace them with personalized, 3D-printed braces.
On Wednesday, LightForce Orthodontics announced it raised an $80 million Series D round led by Ally Bridge Group. Additional investors in the round included Transformation Capital, and Care Capital. Omega Venture Partners, Matter Venture Partners and the American Association of Orthodontics, as well as existing investors Kleiner Perkins, Tyche Partners and Matrix Partners.
The Burlington-based company raised a rare Series D round in a year when few companies are bringing in later-stage fundings. Three Massachusetts companies — ElevateBio, Boston Micro Fabrication and Gradiant — have announced Series D rounds in 2023, according to Crunchbase. In 2022, 12 Massachusetts companies secured Series D rounds. LightForce raised a $50 million Series C round in 2021, per Crunchbase.
LightForce was founded in 2015 and launched commercial operations in 2020. CEO Alfred Griffin said last year the company grew over 300% and that about 10% of orthodontists in North America have a LightForce account.
The company has a space in Burlington that operates as an administrative headquarters and factory, and as of March, a 36,000-square-foot factory in Wilmington.
Going up against stock braces
LightForce is building on advancements in software and 3D printing to improve orthodontic care, which Griffin said is an area with little room for error.
“If you’re even off by half a millimeter, you feel it. The cost of being wrong in the mouth is higher,” Griffin said. “What we’ve realized is that the best application of mass customization in the medical device space is actually in the mouth.”
Griffin completed a DMD and Ph.D. at the Medical University of South Carolina. He also has a master’s of medical science and certificate in orthodontics from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine. Griffin is an ABO-certified practicing orthodontist and said he still sees patients two days a month.
LightForce uses digital scans to create 3D-printed braces for orthodontists’ patients. The company’s software integrates AI to read the digital scans, build digital representations of patient anatomy and determine the best teeth positions.
“You put the teeth in a computer screen, you optimize the exact right bite and then you make a custom appliance that will only get the teeth to that end result,” Griffin said.
Griffin said LightForce’s approach cuts down on how often patients need to visit the orthodontist because the personalized approach means each tooth “takes a direct flight to the ideal end result” rather than needing to be checked and adjusted every month. The chief executive said LightForce patients have over a 40% reduction in treatment time and over a 40% reduction in the visit numbers compared to those with stock metal braces. This also frees up orthodontists to see more patients, Griffin said.
LightForce’s customers are orthodontists who primarily serve teens getting braces. Griffin said they’re not trying to compete with Invisalign, which focuses more on direct-to-consumer outreach and adult patients.
Instead, Griffin said this Series D funding would help the company go up against stock metal braces.
“The world we envision is where stock braces don’t exist. You have clear aligners and you have Lightforce. Everything that goes in a patient’s mouth is mass customized because it results in a better experience and better results and faster treatment,” Griffin said.
Some of the Series D funding will be used to drive clinical education on building a fully digital practice and moving away from one-size-fits-all braces.
The new capital will also include hiring in areas like engineering, sales and manufacturing to join Lightforce’s team of about 650 workers, Griffin said. A little less than half of those employees are based in Massachusetts.
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