LightForce
LightForce Orthodontics is a Burlington, Massachusetts-based medical device company that manufactures fully customized 3D-printed ceramic and metal orthodontic brackets for orthodontic practices in the United States and Canada, generating revenue primarily through per-case hardware sales bundled with its AI-enabled LightPlan treatment planning software.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersBurlington, United States
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What LightForce does
LightForce Orthodontics, Inc. is a Burlington, Massachusetts-based medical device company that designs, manufactures, and sells fully customized 3D-printed orthodontic brackets and associated appliances to orthodontic practices and their patients in the United States and Canada. Founded in 2015 by Dr. Alfred Griffin (DMD, PhD, MMSc, Harvard) and Dr. Lou Shuman, the company pioneered the "generative braces" category — a paradigm in which the digital treatment plan is the input and the physical bracket is the output, with each appliance individually tailored to a patient's tooth anatomy and prescribed movement. The technology stack pairs a cloud-based treatment planning platform (LightPlan, with AI-generated tooth positioning and anatomy modeling) with direct 3D printing of functional medical devices using proprietary polycrystalline alumina (ceramic) and metal materials, including the Six-Dimensional Bracket Customization approach (base, slot, prescription, position, tie wings, hooks) at micron accuracy.
The commercial portfolio comprises LightBracket Ceramic (launched 2019), LightBracket Metal (launched April 2026), patient-specific LightTray indirect bonding trays, LightTray: Turbos bite correction aids, Custom Rebond IDB trays, the Face Map diagnostic tool, and the Doctor Portal. LightForce sells directly to orthodontic practices through field sales, the Doctor Portal, in-office training, and major industry events such as AAO Annual Session, with pricing positioned between traditional metal brackets and clear aligners (HSA/FSA eligible). Manufacturing is anchored at a 36,000 square-foot facility in Wilmington, Massachusetts — described as the world's largest site for directly 3D-printed functional medical devices by volume — with a 60-person quality-control team in Costa Rica and a 15-person software engineering team in Kiev, Ukraine. To date LightForce has disclosed approximately $200 million in total funding across a $50 million Series C (Kleiner Perkins, November 2021) and an $80 million Series D (Ally Bridge Group, August 2023), and reports more than 180,000 patients bonded and teaching relationships with 51 of 66 North American orthodontic residency programs.
LightForce firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- LightForce
- Legal name
- LightForce Orthodontics, Inc.
- Website
- https://lf.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- LightForce Orthodontics is a Burlington, Massachusetts-based medical device company that manufactures fully customized 3D-printed ceramic and metal orthodontic brackets for orthodontic practices in the United States and Canada, generating revenue primarily through per-case hardware sales bundled with its AI-enabled LightPlan treatment planning software.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
LightForce industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Orthodontic Devices
- NAICS
- Dental Laboratories (339116), Dental Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (339114)
- SIC
- Dental Equipment & Supplies (3843)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Orthodontic Appliances & Aligners Fabrication (HLABAJAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Medical & Dental 3D Printing Services (patient-specific devices, dental labs) (IMAAADAG)
Keywords
Where LightForce is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Burlington
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
LightForce business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Custom 3D-Printed Brackets and Systems: Sale of patient-specific 3D-printed orthodontic brackets (ceramic and metal), indirect bonding trays, rebond trays, and related orthodontic appliances to orthodontic practices. Each bracket is made for one patient based on their digital treatment plan. Revenue is generated per case/patient treated.
- Digital Treatment Planning Software: Cloud-based treatment planning software (LightPlan) integrated with bracket manufacturing. Included as part of the overall system offering for orthodontic practices.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Custom braces treatment per patient case |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels10 records
LightForce product offering
Product offeringCore offering
LightForce manufactures and sells patient-specific, 3D-printed orthodontic brackets (ceramic and metal) generated from each patient's digital treatment plan, paired with its cloud-based LightPlan treatment planning software and patient-specific LightTray indirect bonding systems. Each bracket is fully customized across six dimensions (base, slot, prescription, position, tie wings, hooks) and is sold per patient case to orthodontic practices via a direct field-sales model.
Product overview
LightForce is a digital orthodontic platform providing generative braces — a category of care where the treatment plan is the input and the bracket is the output. The system generates completely individualized sets of orthodontic appliances for each patient, available in both ceramic and metal materials. The platform combines LightPlan digital treatment planning software (using AI to generate accurate patient anatomy representations and optimal tooth positions) with 3D-printed custom brackets (LightBracket Ceramic and LightBracket Metal), patient-specific indirect bonding trays (LightTray), bite correction aids (LightTray: Turbos), and custom rebond trays. All products are 3D printed in the USA at the world's largest facility for directly 3D-printed functional medical devices by volume. The workflow spans from digital intraoral scan through treatment planning, 3D printing, indirect bonding, and treatment monitoring.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- LightBracket Metal: First patient-specific 3D-printed metal bracket for orthodontics, part of the generative braces system.
- LightBracket
- LightTray
- LightTray: Turbos
- LightPlan
Products and services
- LightBracket Ceramic Patient-specific 3D-printed polycrystalline alumina ceramic orthodontic bracket system that pioneered the generative braces category. Each bracket is built at micron accuracy across six dimensions (base, slot, prescription, position, tie wings, hooks) and sold per patient case to orthodontic practices for fixed appliance treatment.
- LightBracket Metal First patient-specific 3D-printed metal orthodontic bracket, individualized for each patient across six dimensions (base, slot, prescription, position, tie wings, hooks) and available in three slot sizes. Targets the 65% of orthodontic patients who prefer metal braces and is sold per patient case to orthodontic practices.
- LightPlan (Treatment Planning Software) Cloud-based digital treatment planning platform used by orthodontists to design individualized treatment plans, review and approve bracket prescriptions, and generate AI-optimized representations of patient anatomy and tooth positions. Sold as part of the LightForce system to orthodontic practices and integrates with intraoral scanners including iTero and 3Shape.
- LightTray Indirect Bonding System Patient-specific 3D-printed indirect bonding tray system that optimizes the ease, speed, and accuracy of bracket placement and enables orthodontists to delegate bonding to staff where permitted by state law. Sold per patient case as part of the LightForce system to orthodontic practices.
Quantifiable outcome
- 60% reduction in number of appointments compared to traditional braces
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use LightForce
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
LightForce technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability4 records
Feature11 records
LightForce partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Roger George (Board Member)coreFormer Senior Vice President of Global Legal and Regulatory Affairs at Align Technology (Invisalign). Appointed to LightForce Board of Directors to help drive second-wave of orthodontic digitization. Brings 15+ years of orthodontics industry experience and expertise in IP protection.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
LightForce competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Align Technology: Align Technology (Invisalign) is the dominant player in the orthodontic treatment market with clear aligners. While it competes with LightForce for orthodontic patients and practice workflow mindshare, it serves a different modality (aligners vs braces) and operates at vastly greater scale with direct-to-consumer marketing.
- Dentsply Sirona (SureSmile): Dentsply Sirona's SureSmile offers custom orthodontic appliances and digital treatment planning, including robotic wire bending for fixed braces. It is a broad incumbent in dental equipment and orthodontic technology, overlapping with LightForce in the orthodontic practice workflow but at a different scale and modality.
- 3M Oral Care (Solventum): Solventum (spun off from 3M) includes the 3M Clarity and Incognito orthodontic bracket lines and is a major traditional braces and clear-aligner-adjacent supplier. Comparable to LightForce as an orthodontic appliance incumbent with established practice relationships.
- Ormco (Envista): Ormco, part of Envista, manufactures traditional orthodontic brackets (Damon System, Inspire ICE), wires, and clear aligner-adjacent products. It is a major incumbent fixed-appliance supplier directly comparable to LightForce's traditional competitors.
Others
- Stratasys: Stratasys is a leading 3D printing hardware and solutions provider with deep exposure to dental and orthodontic 3D printing applications. While not a direct competitor, it is an adjacent/ecosystem player whose technology underpins much of the dental 3D printing infrastructure that LightForce relies on.
- Henry Schein Orthodontics: Henry Schein is a major dental and orthodontic distributor supplying orthodontic practices with brackets, aligners, and related supplies. It is an ecosystem/distribution peer rather than a direct product competitor, but relevant to the orthodontic practice supply chain LightForce sells into.
Direct peers
- American Orthodontics: American Orthodontics is one of the largest traditional fixed-appliance (brackets and bands) manufacturers supplying orthodontic practices globally. It represents the incumbent stock-bracket approach that LightForce's custom 3D-printed brackets are designed to displace.
Emerging players
- uLab Systems: uLab Systems offers AI-driven orthodontic treatment planning software and in-office aligner printing systems, targeting similar digitally-enabled orthodontic practices. It is an emerging player with partial overlap in digital workflow and 3D printing.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
LightForce social profiles
Digital presenceLightForce compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
LightForce financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
LightForce leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles11 records
LightForce funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
LightForce M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about LightForce
What does LightForce do?
LightForce manufactures and sells patient-specific, 3D-printed orthodontic brackets (ceramic and metal) generated from each patient's digital treatment plan, paired with its cloud-based LightPlan treatment planning software and patient-specific LightTray indirect bonding systems. Each bracket is fully customized across six dimensions (base, slot, prescription, position, tie wings, hooks) and is sold per patient case to orthodontic practices via a direct field-sales model.
Is LightForce a public or private company?
LightForce is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was LightForce founded?
LightForce was founded in 2015. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is LightForce based?
LightForce is headquartered in Burlington, United States, in the North America region.
How does LightForce make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Custom 3D-Printed Brackets and Systems are the primary driver. The others are digital Treatment Planning Software.
Who are LightForce's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Align Technology, Dentsply Sirona (SureSmile), 3M Oral Care (Solventum) and Ormco (Envista). Others are Stratasys and Henry Schein Orthodontics. American Orthodontics is listed as a direct peer. uLab Systems is listed as an emerging player.
Does LightForce have an API?
No public API is recorded for LightForce.
What industry is LightForce in?
LightForce's product category is Orthodontic Devices. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLABAJAD, Orthodontic Appliances & Aligners Fabrication, with a secondary code of IMAAADAG, Medical & Dental 3D Printing Services (patient-specific devices, dental labs). Its NAICS code is 339116 and its SIC code is 3843.