This research project will primarily focus on Clear Aligners Therapy (CAT), also known as invisible braces, minor correction, or light correction, in orthodontics.

1. Technology-mediated Knowledge
Production and Practices
— A research project on AI applications in
orthodontics
Yu-cheng Liu
Department of Sociology
Soochow University, Taiwan
ycliu15@gmail.com

2. 1. How do orthodontists (professionals) view the application of arti
fi
cial
intelligence technology? What is the inherent change in the role of
orthodontists during the orthodontic treatment process? And how do they
understand their relationship with technology?
2. The acceptance of clear aligner technology varies within the orthodontic
profession. Some countries' dental communities resist it, but Taiwan seems
more accepting. Is this related to dental professional training? For example,
general dentists, who can enter the
fi
eld without traditional orthodontic
training, are more accepting and most are performing invisible aligner
corrections. Conversely, orthodontists with traditional training resist invisible
aligners more.
3. What are the changes in the relationship between orthodontists and
patients? What are the patients' views on this type of corrective technology,
and an analysis of related experiences?
Three issues concerning Clear Aligners Therapy in Othodontics

3. • Digital Orthodontics
• Digital Dentistry
• AI applicaitons
• Big Data Analysis
• Automation

4. Arti
fi
cial
Sociality
Philosophy of Technology
Anthropology of
Technology
Post-phenomenology Ethnomethodology
Embodiment Accountability
Human
Actors
Non-human
(social) actors
Theoretical perspectives - a research frame

5. Theoretical perspectives - a research frame
• Heidegger: enframe
• Marcel Mauss: “The body is man's
fi
rst and most natural
instrument. …man's
fi
rst and most natural technical object,
and at the same time technical means, is his body.” (Mauss,
1973, p. 75)
• Bernard Stiegler: homo technicus/technologicus
• Don Ihde: post-phenomenology
• Verbeek: Fusion relation (Verbeek, 2015, 2016)
• Andrey Rezaev: Arti
fi
cial Sociality

6. 1. The development of fully automated or AI technology, on the one
hand, provides more convenience and higher accuracy, but at the
same time, does it weaken the user's observation and imagination of
themselves? (Embodied experience and technological intervention)
2. How does the user interact with the technology object in their
technical practices? Or even, how do they complete a journey of
perceiving the surrounding world and environment with the
technological object? (The appearance of technological practice)
3. How does the technological object enter the user's daily life? How
does the user respond to its intervention? (The impact and inspiration
brought by the technological intervention in daily life practices)
Several further questions:

7. In the Invisalign orthodontic system, teeth are scanned using their self-developed iTero
Element oral scanner to create 3D images, which are then computed in the ClinCheck
software. The aligners are then manufactured using the SmartTrack material. The Invisalign
orthodontic system also advertises the introduction of arti
fi
cial intelligence, with the primary
patent being the ClinCheck simulation software.

8. The ClinCheck simulation software

9. Align Technology also released their next-generation remote monitoring solution,
called "Invisalign Virtual Care AI," in the latter part of 2022.

10. Another brand, ya!smile, focuses on AI
technology and allows users to monitor
their treatment progress through the
DentalMonitoring remote care system.
The brand o
ff
ers both anterior teeth and
full-mouth orthodontic solutions, with
treatment durations ranging from 12 to 24
months.
The treatment process is similar to the
aforementioned approach, involving
digital analysis from intraoral imaging for
treatment planning, along with AI-enabled
remote app management and tracking.
Additionally, they emphasize the use of a
French AI database and integration with
the ScanBox Pro device, which enables
scanning and analysis of results after
each aligner change.

11. Thank you for listening.
Yu-cheng Liu
Department of Sociology
Soochow University, Taiwan
ycliu15@gmail.com