Competition record
Align Technology
Deep profile · 1 linked library matter
Align makes Invisalign clear aligners and iTero scanners. The European Commission opened a formal investigation in June 2026 into whether scanners are tied to aligners.
Overview
Align Technology sells Invisalign, the best-known clear-aligner system, and iTero, the intraoral scanners dentists use to start a case. A scanner that only sends a file into one aligner system is a tie between a diagnostic tool and a treatment product.
On 30 June 2026 the European Commission opened a formal investigation, case AT.40900. The question is whether Align restricts dentists and rival aligner makers by linking iTero to Invisalign. Opening an investigation is not a finding.
Dentists are the customers. Rival aligner companies are the ones who need the scan file. If the scanner will not export a usable file, the rival never gets the case.
The US market has its own aligner litigation history, including disputes with SmileDirectClub's estate and with other device makers. Those cases are not this Commission file. This profile follows the 2026 EU investigation.
Competition footprint
AT.40900 asks whether iTero is tied to Invisalign.
Scanner file formats are the technical version of a tie.
Dentists who lease a scanner may be the locked-in customer.
An open investigation is not an infringement decision.
Consumer & business angle
Patients rarely choose the scanner. They choose a dentist, who may already be inside one system.
A rival aligner lab needs the scan. A closed file format is the barrier.
What to watch
- Whether the Commission sends a statement of objections in AT.40900.
- Export formats on new iTero software.
- Any US follow-on that cites the same tie.
Markets
clear aligners · dental scanners · orthodontic devices · intra-oral scanners
Also known as: invisalign, itero