Easysmile Expands Globally: How China's Attachment-Free Orthodontic Innovation Is Entering International Markets

The Yawos Forum has attracted significant attention from industry professionals due to its prominence in the field of dentistry. Many practitioners have chosen it as their preferred venue for launching major products and showcasing business models. Numerous cutting-edge innovative technologies have also reached broader markets through the Yawos Forum.

At the 9th Asia-Pacific Dental Voss South China Conference in 2025, numerous heavyweight industry experts and practitioners were invited to participate. During this forum, Yi'erdai, a company specializing in clear aligner orthodontics, showcased its innovative attachment-free clear aligner system to the public. Thanks to its continuous dedication to the field of dentistry, Ke Yishi, co-founder of Yi'erdai, was appointed as an expert member of the Greater Bay Area Digital Smart Dentistry Expert Group at the conference.

Founded in 2016, the company is launching a new business model built on its highly original orthodontic system and leveraging its established network of 4,000 partner supply stores. Its commercial reach is expanding from China to overseas markets, gradually entering the larger global orthodontics market.

"Change is the only constant." This holds true for the dental industry as well.

In the past, as a representative sector of consumer healthcare, the dental industry experienced robust growth. Driven by high growth rates and substantial profit margins, numerous dental companies made their way to the secondary markets, enjoying considerable success. However, impacted by the centralized procurement policy for dental implants and the broader economic environment, the previous high-growth trajectory has disappeared, leaving many dental clinics facing shrinking revenues and compressed profit margins.

How to break the current deadlock is a question that dental clinics must consider. Easy Day has focused its attention on orthodontics.

Orthodontics is a dental specialty focused on the diagnosis, prevention, and correction of malocclusion. From a market perspective, the overall prevalence of malocclusion in China is extremely high. In 2020, the national prevalence rate was approximately 74% (affecting 1.04 billion people), with complex malocclusion accounting for 49% (compared to 23% in the United States during the same period). Benefiting from increased household purchasing power and heightened awareness of oral health, China’s orthodontics industry has experienced rapid growth in recent years, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16.2% from 2015 to 2021. As the market size expands, the industry is gradually entering a phase of steady growth. According to Frost & Sullivan, the domestic orthodontics market is projected to reach approximately RMB 106 billion by 2030, with a CAGR of 6.7% from 2021 to 2030.

In this still-growing market, pain points are also evident. Easy Day stated, “The biggest challenge for orthodontists is a lack of time. Orthodontic treatment is a long-term service, requiring patients to make continuous follow-up visits throughout the process. Once an orthodontist manages as many as 200–300 patients, the entire service cycle can span four to five years, leaving the doctor with little capacity for other tasks. In such scenarios, patients may sometimes fail to secure a same-day appointment for their scheduled follow-up due to the dentist’s heavy workload, thereby delaying optimal treatment timing and significantly compromising the patient experience.”

To better address this issue, Easy Day has chosen to pursue two parallel approaches:

First, it involves creating a combined treatment system featuring the Yi’er Dai accessory-free, soft-and-hard dual-layer clear aligner system plus a 3D multifunctional adjuster, to address issues such as cumbersome steps in current orthodontic workflows. By helping orthodontists improve diagnostic and treatment efficiency, this approach further increases the number of patients served by individual dental clinics.

After more than two decades of development, clear aligner therapy still relies on traditional orthodontic auxiliaries to complete cases of moderate or higher complexity. To address the pain points of clear aligner treatment, Easy Day has innovatively improved its original positioner into the current “3D Multi-Functional Adjuster – A 3D Orthodontic Auxiliary Tool.” The combined treatment using the “Easy Day Attachment-Free Dual-Layer Soft-and-Hard Membrane Clear Aligner System” and the “3D Multi-Functional Adjuster” significantly reduces the time dentists spend on clinical operations with orthodontic auxiliaries. Patients no longer need to wear multiple orthodontic accessories in their mouths, greatly enhancing patient experience and comfort.

Furthermore, Easy Day provides online case management systems for dentists in dental clinics. Dentists can design treatment plans, and Easy Day will assist in modifying the plans through clinical experts to make them more precise and controllable, thereby minimizing the burden on doctors. Easy Day is using technology-driven products to empower dentists, freeing their hands and time, and utilizing AI big data to optimize diagnostic designs and assist dentists in long-term management of orthodontic patient follow-up records and medical histories, enabling every orthodontist to maximize their effectiveness.

Currently, the Easy Day orthodontic system is suitable for pediatric, adolescent, and adult patients.

Second, it involves creating an innovative business model. By expanding coverage through company-owned and franchised clinics co-established with dentists, it addresses the challenges orthodontic patients face in accessing continuous care when traveling across provinces or internationally for business or tourism.

Since its inception in 2016, Easy Day has partnered with over 4,000 dental clinics in the past nine years. The company primarily provides these clinics with comprehensive solutions featuring attachment-free clear aligner orthodontic systems and online case management platforms.

Starting this year, Easy Day has begun exploring more innovative business models, officially launching the development of company-operated stores and franchise stores in collaboration with dentists. Currently, the number of its partner stores has reached eight, located in:

Easy Day has clearly stated that building a long-term competitive moat cannot be achieved by technological strength alone; it also requires addressing the pain points in long-term patient care. By establishing company-owned and franchised clinics in collaboration with dentists, Easy Day is turning these outlets into key touchpoints for patient services under its orthodontic system. The goal is to ensure that patients using Easy Day’s orthodontic products receive high-quality follow-up orthodontic care at any of these clinics.

Notably, Erydai’s orthodontic technology solutions and business model are expanding overseas, gaining recognition from a broader international audience.

Among them, the partner clinic in Australia, Avignon Dental Clinic, was established in July 2024. It was founded by Dr. Sharon Chui, a Hong Kong-born dentist who studied in the United States and holds dual master’s degrees in Dental Health Sciences and Dentistry. Based on the long-standing close cooperation and trust with Easy Day, she chose to partner with Easy Day to open the clinic in Australia. By leveraging the minimalist, convenient, and efficient features of the Easy Day orthodontic system, the clinic provides high-quality orthodontic products and services to local patients, thereby earning their trust. Meanwhile, as an overseas service outpost, Avignon Dental Clinic also provides follow-up visit support for individuals studying abroad or traveling who are using Easy Day orthodontic products, helping them obtain professional and rapid technical support from the original manufacturer.

This is precisely a microcosm of the business model that Easy Day aims to build: enabling Easy Day patients worldwide to receive timely and professional orthodontic services at any Easy Day-affiliated clinic. According to Easy Day, all patients will “share clinics and share orthodontists.” After patients pay for and receive orthodontic products and services at an Easy Day partner clinic (from which Easy Day derives revenue through fees for custom manufacturing of orthodontic products, among other charges), they can return for follow-up visits at any Easy Day partner clinic in the future. Subsequent costs incurred by patients, such as those for dental radiographs and related services, will be covered by Easy Day.

Currently, Easy Day has imposed certain restrictions on site selection for its directly operated stores and franchise outlets to implement regional protection and safeguard their profitability. Regarding market expansion, Easy Day stated that it will focus on new first-tier and second-tier cities in the domestic market. It plans to screen its existing base of 4,000 supplying clinics through a funnel approach to identify those interested in cooperation, converting them into either directly operated or franchised locations. Meanwhile, Easy Day does not rule out acquiring clinics through capital investments. In overseas markets, in addition to Australia, Easy Day is accelerating its partnership efforts in Europe and the United States. It is expected that Easy Day’s partner stores will soon appear in other countries as well.

This Chinese orthodontic technology is going global, with the potential to reach more patients worldwide.

It is important to emphasize that, with the launch of a new development phase for Easy Day, the company is transforming its role and image. It is no longer merely a “manufacturer” and “supplier” of clear aligner products, but has evolved into a “digital orthodontic solutions service platform” built on its proprietary patented technologies, driven by data, and covering the entire value chain from “screening, diagnosis, treatment, retention, to value-added services.”

In addition to platform development, Easy Day is pursuing innovative expansions. In terms of talent cultivation, the company has established close school-enterprise partnerships with Songtian College and Guangzhou Baiyun Technical Business College in the field of dental technology, jointly training dental technicians and dental clinic consultants. Regarding product iteration, Easy Day is developing smart chip-enabled products to further assess patients’ wearing duration and treatment outcomes.

Its ultimate goal is to build a commercial closed loop for Easy Day. Easy Day is transitioning from the linear mindset of “selling products” to an ecosystem mindset centered on “managing users and physicians.” As this closed-loop ecosystem is further developed, it is expected to generate strong network effects and data barriers, making it difficult for competitors to replicate its ecosystem, thereby securing Easy Day’s long-term competitive advantage and brand value.

This is undoubtedly a more challenging yet more imaginative business path.

Business remains business. For Easy Day, the original aspiration has always been to “leverage technology—supported by vast databases, electronic health records, and AI—to serve every patient well with its innovative ‘Early Childhood Orthodontics – MOT’ and ‘Clear Aligners – Easy Day’ products, enabling patients to resolve orthodontic issues before the age of 18 and smile with confidence.”