[Startup Review] clara AI and Dr. AlignNavi, Used by a
Dentist: "Lowering the Barriers to Orthodontic Treatment"
• donga.com
• Entered 2026-07-31
15:31
[Editor's Note] A startup refers to a company that "begins" to solve a specific problem.
Since a company’s survival is at stake, startups strive to find the most efficient solution to a problem.
There are many cases where the result of their solitary struggle has become the
“innovation” we enjoy today.
However, most startups,
despite having good technology and services, are not growing sufficiently.
Although it is the result of various causes working together, the biggest
problem is that even when there is good technology, it is not well communicated
to society. Through [Startup Review], we aim to present a series that explores
great startup technologies, how to use them, and the perspectives of industry professionals.
innoDtech is a digital dental solutions company that provides AI-based orthodontic solutions, offering
the clear aligner “clara AI” and the AI-based treatment planning solution “Dr.AlignNavi.”It provides 'Dr.AlignNavi."
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clara AI is a clear
orthodontic appliance custom-made to fit each patient’s individual dental
condition. Unlike wire braces, it is less visible on the outside and can be
easily attached and removed, which helps reduce pain and the burden of hygiene
management. Dr. AlignNavi is a solution that analyzes the condition of a
patient’s teeth and proposes an optimal treatment plan, completing the
treatment planning process that used to take several hours in just a few
minutes. Dr. Align Navi was recognized for its technology and completeness by
receiving the Innovation Award in the Digital Healthcare category at CES 2026.
innoDtech explains that
clara AI and Dr. AlignNavi are “solutions developed based on the clinical
experience and know-how of CEO Joo Bo-hoon, who has worked as an orthodontic
specialist for over 30 years, and data from more than 5,000 successful
orthodontic cases,” adding, “Because they lower the barrier to orthodontic
treatment, they can be fully utilized even by those who are not orthodontic
specialists.”
Then how do they feel in real medical settings? We spoke with Dr. Jae-Young Cho of Daejeon 365 Centum Dental Clinic and
Dr. Tae-Hoon Oh of D-Day Dental Clinic,
who are using innoDtech clara AI and Dr. AlignNavi
in real medical settings, to hear their impressions of using them.
Dr. Jae-Young Cho is an orthodontic specialist who also personally treats gum disease and cavities,
performs extractions, and provides implants. Through extensive clinical
experience, even patients who need to undergo multiple treatments
simultaneously are treated with precisely planned care. In orthodontics, they respond
sensitively by examining not only tooth movement but also the condition of the
bones, nerves, and gums that are not visible.
Director Jo Jae-young operates Daejeon 365 Centum Dental Clinic together with Director Oh Jae-hoon and Director Han Bong-gu.
Daejeon 365 Centum Dental Clinic, located in Dunsan-dong, Daejeon, opened in 2018 and relocated and expanded in 2024.
The clinic provides a wide range of services, from emergency care for sudden toothache or accidents to complex procedures such as implants,
orthodontic treatment for adults and growing children, and wisdom tooth extractions.
The strength of Daejeon 365 Centum Dental Clinic lies in its rapid multidisciplinary collaboration system involving specialists
such as orthodontic specialists and integrated dental medicine specialists.
Three chief doctors collaborate to provide orthodontic treatment, implants, and general dental care.
Thanks to this, emergency patients and cases requiring
tooth extraction, gum treatment, or cavity treatment before orthodontic
treatment can also be treated quickly.
Director Oh Tae-hoon, a specialist in integrated dentistry, runs D-Day Dental Clinic near Seolleung Station in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, together with Director Kim Moo-jin. D-Day Dental Clinic operates on the principle of owner-managed care, where the director personally handles everything from consultation to diagnosis and treatment.
It also aims to begin treatment only after the patient fully understands it,
thereby minimizing the burden of pain. The main treatment areas are implants,
cavity and gum treatment, laminates, teeth whitening, and orthodontics.
A transparent orthodontic appliance with low pain and high
aesthetic appeal
Directors Jae-Young Cho and Tae-Hoon Oh actively use clear aligners in orthodontic treatment.
Brace orthodontic appliances, which involve attaching brackets to the teeth and using
wires for correction, are associated with high patient pain and aesthetic
stress. Director Jo Jae-young said, “Because of the noticeable device, patients
experience severe aesthetic stress, and thorough tooth brushing becomes
difficult. He added, “There are cases where, if a cavity becomes severely
advanced during orthodontic treatment, it becomes difficult to visit the clinic
every month, causing treatment to be interrupted. To overcome these limitations,
we actively considered introducing clear aligners.” Director Oh Tae-hoon said,
“Because of the hospital’s geographical location, many working patients seek
orthodontic treatment that improves aesthetics without interfering with their
social lives, which led us to introduce clear aligners.”
The two directors predicted that transparent orthodontic appliances would become even more widespread in the future. Director Jo Jae-young said, “In the past, there was a perception that clear aligners were only suitable for simple front tooth alignment, but recently, the range of treatments has been expanding by incorporating attachments (small protrusions attached to the teeth) and elastics (rubber bands used in orthodontics).” He added, “Previously, the proportion of clear aligner treatments was below 10%, but now it has reached nearly half.” He added, “There are still cases where clear aligners are difficult to apply, such as severe skeletal disharmony, highly complex distal orthodontics, and overall posterior displacement of teeth, but as AI solutions become more advanced and precise, the number of cases where they are applied will increase rapidly.”
Directors Jae-Young Cho and Tae-Hoon Oh use innoDtech’ clara AI and Dr. AlignNavi, even among clear aligners.
Because of the trust in CEO Joo Bo-hoon and the solution. Director Jo Jae-young said,
“CEO Joo Bo-hoon is a leading figure in Korea’s transparent orthodontics field,
and he has ample research data and clinical experience regarding material properties and the forces applied to teeth, which gave us confidence in him.”
He added, “Global company products are too expensive, placing a heavy burden on patients,
but clara AI and Dr. AlignNavi offer reasonable prices with high quality, so we
believe they can satisfy both patients and doctors.”
After being introduced to clara AI and Dr. AlignNavi by a dentist acquaintance, Dr. Oh Tae-hoon first
verified the stability and reliability of the device by undergoing orthodontic
treatment himself using the solution. He explained, “The direct reasons for
adopting it were the clinical references we have built up over many years in
Korea, and the ability to efficiently develop treatment plans using AI solutions.”
clara AI and Dr. AlignNavi contribute to improved treatment efficiency and completeness
The two directors point to improved treatment efficiency and greater completeness as the strengths of clara AI and Dr. AlignNavi.
Director Jo Jae-young mentioned advantages such as adjusting patient visit frequency and shortening consultation hours. Because the clear orthodontic appliances can be prepared in advance, patients can continue orthodontic treatment without visiting for an extended period, and the “chair time” when patients remain seated in the treatment chair has been greatly shortened, reducing waiting time and treatment fatigue. From the doctors’ perspective, it was assessed that it had become much easier to receive assistance from or collaborate with support personnel when developing treatment plans.
Improving the consultation consent rate is also one of the
advantages Director Cho Jae-young pointed out.
When a patient’s oral scan file is sent to innoDtech, it provides an initial dental movement plan for consultation within five minutes.
Through this, patients can directly see the treatment process and results with their own eyes during consultation.
As a result, patients’ understanding and cooperation, as well as treatment consent rates, are expected to increase.
Director Jae-Young Cho said, “At the beginning of its implementation, there were doubts about whether the tooth movement plans created
by AI could be carried out accurately in real clinical settings, but as clinical data accumulated, we gained confidence in it.”
Director Oh Tae-hoon
said that its advantage is that it can save time while improving the quality of
orthodontic treatment. He said, “Before treatment begins, we need to carefully
develop a tooth movement plan by integrating diagnostic data and the patient’s
requirements, which requires a significant amount of time and energy,” adding,
“Through Dr. AlignNavi, we were able to greatly reduce that.” After analyzing
and comparing the various treatment plans presented by Dr. AlignNavi, it is
explained that by supplementing them according to the patient’s needs and oral
condition, the final treatment plan can be completed relatively quickly. The
time and energy secured through this were used for treating and consulting with
other patients, as well as for hospital operations. Thanks to that, both the
treatment environment and management efficiency improved.
Director Oh Tae-hoon continued, “By verifying the treatment plan you have personally developed once
more, you can reduce the possibility of mistakes that may arise from relying
solely on personal judgment,” emphasizing, “This is an important factor in
enhancing the completeness of treatment.”
The two directors said that the patients’ reactions were also positive. At first, there was some
skepticism, but once treatment actually began, satisfaction was high because,
although it was not obvious on the surface, the pain was less and hygiene
management was easier. Director Oh Tae-hoon added, “Patients have responded
positively to the Dr. AlignNavi simulation because it allows them to accurately
understand their current condition and visually monitor the entire treatment process.”
A solution to lower the barrier to orthodontic treatment
Director Jo Jae-young evaluated clara AI and Dr. AlignNavi as solutions that help general practitioners,
who are not specialists in orthodontics, also have easy access
to orthodontic treatment. Because it visualizes and presents treatment plans
that account for more than half of orthodontic treatment, it can minimize
errors and mistakes compared to decisions made by a single doctor. Even during
treatment, there is no need for complex procedures such as installing or
removing brackets or replacing wires; treatment proceeds according to the
treatment plan, and as long as each step is checked precisely, general
practitioners can provide treatment without anxiety or worry,” he explained.
“Any doctor interested in orthodontics can easily access this.” However, he
urged that for complex orthodontic treatments or when the treatment does not
proceed as planned, it is best to work closely with an orthodontic specialist.
Finally, Director Jae-Young Cho advised, “If features that analyze various data together—such as
oral CT, panoramic X-rays, and cephalometric imaging—are added, it could evolve
into a more sophisticated solution.” Director Oh Tae-hoon added, “As more
clinical cases accumulate in the future, we expect analyses of more complex
cases to become even more sophisticated.”
Reported by Han
Man-hyuk, IT Donga (mh@itdonga.com )