Uniform Teeth Secures $10M Funding to Expand In-Person Orthodontic Care Network

VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned from foreign media reports that on December 4, 2019, Uniform Teeth, a startup specializing in orthodontic treatment, announced it had raised $10 million in funding. The specific round of financing was not disclosed. It is reported that this round of funding was led by Canaan Partners.

Following the completion of this funding round, Uniform Teeth’s total capital raised will reach $14 million. With the new infusion of capital, Uniform Teeth plans to open two additional clinics in early 2020, located in Seattle and Chicago, respectively. Currently, Uniform Teeth operates two clinics in San Francisco. By the end of next year, the company aims to expand its network by opening more clinics across the United States.

Uniform Teeth has adopted an approach similar to that of One Medical, providing patients with treatment for dental occlusion issues from licensed orthodontists. Prior to the initial visit, patients can use the Uniform app to take photographs of their dental occlusion. During the first appointment, a panoramic scan of the patient’s oral cavity will be performed to generate 3D imaging, which will confirm the subsequent treatment plan.

Uniform Teeth requires patients to receive treatment in-clinic, as 75% or more of patients need additional treatment procedures.

Meghan Jewitt, CEO of Uniform Teeth, stated, “There is indeed an unmet need in the market. We have seen many campaigns catering to patients’ cosmetic vanity, but this represents only a small segment of the market. We focus on moderate-to-comprehensive cases, which account for approximately 75% of the market.”

Uniform Teeth has many competitors, the most notable being SmileDirectClub and Candid. SmileDirectClub recently went public under the scrutiny of dental associations, committed to providingRemote Dental Diagnosisservices. Previously, SmileDirectClub had addressed teledentistry-based orthodontic treatment as a risk factor, stating: “State and Nashville dental associations have issued statements discouraging the use of orthodontics by teledentistry platforms.”

According to Uniform Teeth, its in-person consultations may not attract as many patients as the remote orthodontic models offered by SmileDirectClub and Candid; however, many patients prefer seeing a dentist in person to achieve better treatment outcomes.

Canaan Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm managing $500 million in assets. Over the past 30 years, Canaan has invested in some of the world’s leading technology and healthcare companies. The firm’s key investment areas include fintech, cloud technology, biopharmaceuticals, digital health, and medical technology.

(Compiled by: Xiong Hui)