When we last covered LightForce Orthodontics in August 2023, the Boston-based company had just closed an $80 million Series D round to scale production and advance AI in its workflows. Nearly three years later, the company launched LightBracket Metal™, a patient-specific 3D-printed metal bracket.
Since that funding round, LightForce has continued building its manufacturing footprint and deepening its clinical proof points. Total backing has now reached $200 million, with investors including Kleiner Perkins, Ally Bridge Group, and the American Association of Orthodontists. The company also hosts what it describes as the world’s largest facility for directly 3D-printed functional medical devices by volume, manufactured in the United States.
The launch targets a gap the ceramic bracket system, introduced in 2019, could not fully address. Roughly 65% of orthodontic patients worldwide choose metal, a majority that has, until now, been locked out of individualized fixed treatment.
Each bracket is generated directly from the orthodontist’s digital treatment plan and individualized across six dimensions: bracket base, slot height, slot prescription, bracket position, tie wings, and hooks.
Three slot sizes are available, with a lower-profile design intended to improve patient comfort and reduce debond rates. Algorithmically generated indirect bonding trays allow for staff-delegated bonding.
The clinical rationale is grounded in results already documented with the ceramic system. Published data shows up to 60% fewer appointments and 43% shorter treatment times compared to conventional braces, outcomes that LightForce is now positioning to extend to the broader, metal-preferring patient population and a global orthodontic market valued at $4.7 billion.
THE 3D ADEPT WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
The industry moves fast. Stay ahead.
Every week, the latest additive manufacturing news, in-depth features and real-world applications, straight to your inbox. Plus, be the first to know when a new issue of 3D ADEPT Mag is out.
Free · One email a week · Unsubscribe anytime
Clicking loads our email provider’s sign-up form, including its analytics and Google’s anti-bot protection. You’re only subscribed if you complete the sign-up. Read our privacy policy.