In its efforts to provide world-class orthodontic care globally and now in the United States, invisible orthodontics provider Impress recently opened three new clinics in Chicago following its 2022 merger with West Coast-based orthodontic clinic Uniform Teeth. While traditional braces have been known to take up to 2 years of treatment, Impress prides itself on cutting down treatment time with invisaligns to 6-10 months.

Since it was started in 2019 by orthodontists Dr. Khaled Kasem and Dr. Kjeld Aamodt, Impress has expanded its physical locations quickly to over 160 cities in eight countries. Impress now has three Chicago locations in The Loop, Wicker Park and downtown Evanston at the following addresses: 

• The Loop — 20 South Clark St., Suite 1520

• Wicker Park — 1620 N Damen Ave.

• Downtown Evanston — 901 Church St.

Including its new clinics, nine Impress offices reside in the U.S. across Illinois, Washington, and California. The three new Chicago clinics have been the first in the company’s U.S. expansion plans since its merger with Uniform Teeth.

What’s most interesting though is Impress’ ability to undergo incredible growth in the last four years. The company credits its own patented Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to providing faster and more efficient patient care to aid in its growth, using this technology to create more jobs and empower a deeper patient-doctor relationship. 

Using AI to Expand and Improve Patient Care

According to Dr. Aamodt, the AI technology Impress utilizes — consisting of 3D x-rays of the entire mouth and 3D scans of the teeth — allows the clinics to treat more patients in half the time, all while being less expensive. 

The mastermind behind all the company’s AI technology patents, Dr. Aamodt noted the most important aspect is that patients get a totally customized version of orthodontic treatment, as fitting a patient’s teeth requires a great deal of individualization and precision. Safety-wise, he explains how this technology reduces uncomfortable scans that typically give off a lot of radiation.

When asked about the controversies surrounding AI use, such as job loss, Dr. Aamodt stated how the technology used by Impress actually lessens the burden of their staff for doing menial tasks. Essentially, the company’s growth has skyrocketed from the use of AI by giving more time back to staff members, allowing them to see more patients and also spend most of each patient’s visit speaking with the patient. 

“We believe technology is the key to democratizing healthcare, making it more accessible without making it more exorbitantly expensive,” says Dr. Aamodt. “AI has been critical for our expansion so we can see more patients and put a smile on more people’s faces. Orthodontics ought not to be so burdensome and unaesthetic — people shouldn’t feel inconvenienced by scheduling so many appointments, having to change their entire diet because of braces, and go through painful experiences while at the clinic. Those are exactly the issues our technology fixes.”

Scaling During the Pandemic

Unlike many companies that struggled during the challenges of the pandemic, Impress had already been fully prepared to accommodate its patients thanks to its forward-thinking technology. Through the use of telehealth and a mobile app, Impress patients were able to communicate with their providers far before businesses had to shut their doors in 2020. 

“We had already believed patients shouldn’t have to come in every month, so upon starting in 2019, we thought about how we could reach more people and augment the doctor-patient relationship in between visits to reduce appointments,” Dr. Aamodt added. “None of our patients missed a beat since we continued safe oversight of their care and helped get feedback from our technology while everyone was in lockdown." 

On the other hand, demand for orthodontic care increased dramatically because of the pandemic, giving Impress an opportunity for growth at a time when businesses were shutting down. Never before had so many people had to work from home and utilize meeting services where they were forced to look at themselves on camera.

“Like many cosmetic industries, much of our expansion was seen during the pandemic with an increased demand for teeth aesthetics due to an influx in Zoom meetings,” said Lingling Chen, Impress Head of Marketing & Growth for North America. 

Chicago’s Resilience Pays Off

Though Chicago still went through its own turmoils during the pandemic, the midwest hub proved its ability to weather storms. Impress started its first Chicago location in downtown just a year after its global foundation. Clearly its ability to thrive over the next three years greatly impacted the decision for Impress to open additional locations.  

“Chicago particularly showed resilience,” Chen added. “When we opened our first location here in 2020, we continued to see patients come out for services and even for fun events such as happy hours in the dead of winter. That’s part of why Chicago now dominates our U.S. locations.”

When asked about its decision to add locations in Chicago, Dr. Aamodt added how that was influenced by both personal and professional reasons. Not only is Chicago a significant hub in the center of the United States, it’s a city where Impress saw much of its target audience residing  — meaning young professionals desiring more convenience, aesthetic and better-priced options.

“Part of what was also in the back of my mind were my mom’s words,” Dr. Aamodt went on to say, “Which was basically how amazing Chicago is. My mom attended the Art Institute of Chicago so growing up, all I heard was how incredible this midwest city is — the people, the vitality, the scene of innovation… It just seemed like a logical place for us to extend to.”

Future Plans for Expansion 

Impress shows no sign of slowing down the expansion of its worldwide clinics, with plans to open in New York by the end of this month. Later this year, the company is looking to extend to Florida, Texas, Arizona, and Washington DC. 

Dr. Aamodt commented on their growth and the current economic state saying, “We feel incredibly lucky to be able to expand more at a time when tech companies are laying off tens of thousands of people. We’re being mindful that this is a time where many businesses are struggling, and hopefully we can give more jobs to folks who might have been displaced from other macroeconomic trends.” 

Learn more about the Impress way to innovative orthodontic treatments on their website and book a free consultation.

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