FAQ
Questions about working with YVO?
Answers about the YVO model, submitting a case, clear-aligner treatment support, refinements, retainers and getting started.
About YVO
What is YVO?
Your Virtual Orthodontist (YVO) provides dentists with orthodontic diagnosis, clear-aligner treatment planning, digital setup review, refinement planning and case-specific orthodontic support — while the treating dentist maintains the direct relationship with the patient.
Who is YVO designed for?
Dentists who provide, or want to provide, clear-aligner treatment in their own practices and would like orthodontic expertise built into that workflow.
Does YVO replace the treating dentist?
No. YVO works alongside the treating dentist as an orthodontist-to-dentist consultation service.
You maintain the direct relationship with the patient, provide their care and communication, exercise independent professional judgment, and retain final decision-making authority regarding treatment. YVO supplies the orthodontic expertise those decisions are made with.
Working with YVO
Does YVO communicate directly with my patients?
YVO is designed as an orthodontist-to-dentist consultation service. Orthodontic recommendations and case-specific support are provided directly to the treating dentist, who remains the primary point of contact for the patient and communicates with the patient throughout treatment.
What does YVO review when I submit a case?
The orthodontic diagnosis and treatment plan are based on the diagnostic records your practice submits:
- Clinical photographs, intraoral and extraoral
- An intraoral scan
- A panoramic radiograph or full-mouth series
- Your clinical information and treatment goals for the patient
- Anything else the case calls for, requested as part of the submission
What happens after I submit an initial case?
YVO reviews the submitted records and develops the orthodontic diagnosis, the treatment goals and the treatment plan, then prescribes the clinical protocols the aligner setup is built to.
The manufacturer creates the digital setup from those protocols. YVO reviews it against the plan and requests modifications as needed before the case proceeds toward manufacturing.
The clinical information reaches your practice through your YVO account as it becomes available.
Cases and treatment
Does YVO create the digital aligner setup?
No. The aligner manufacturer creates the digital setup, based on the treatment plan and clinical protocols prescribed for the case.
YVO reviews that setup against the orthodontic diagnosis, the treatment objectives and the intended plan, and requests modifications as needed. The treatment plan drives the setup, not the other way around.
Who makes the final treatment decisions?
You do. The treating dentist retains final decision-making authority regarding the patient's treatment and exercises independent professional judgment.
YVO provides orthodontic consultation, recommendations, planning and case-specific support to inform those decisions.
Can I ask YVO questions about a case during treatment?
Yes. YVO provides case-specific orthodontic guidance to the treating dentist for YVO-supported cases, at the points in treatment where you want it.
Does YVO guarantee a particular treatment outcome?
No. Orthodontic treatment is influenced by clinical findings, biology, patient cooperation, treatment response, tracking and other case-specific factors.
YVO develops treatment goals and plans from the submitted records, and reassesses the limitations that bear on what is achievable as treatment progresses — but no outcome can be guaranteed.
Clear-aligner systems
Which clear-aligner systems does YVO support?
YVO provides orthodontic support for Invisalign and Angel Aligner cases.
Who chooses which aligner system to use?
The treating dentist chooses which supported aligner system to use for the case. Invisalign cases submitted through YVO require an iTero scan. Angel Aligner cases can be submitted using scans from other supported intraoral scanners.
Refinements, retainers and replacements
What happens when I submit a refinement?
When a refinement is submitted, YVO evaluates treatment progress using the current submitted records, identifies the remaining orthodontic objectives, and develops the refinement treatment plan for the next series of aligners. This includes determining any adjustments needed to continue working toward the treatment goals and reassessing treatment limitations that may affect the achievable final outcome.
The manufacturer then creates the subsequent digital setup from that refinement plan and its prescribed protocols. YVO reviews the setup and requests modifications as needed before the additional aligners proceed toward manufacturing.
What if the patient is ready for retainers instead of a refinement?
If active aligner treatment is complete and no further aligners are being planned, the practice submits a retainer request rather than a refinement.
Can YVO help with replacement aligners?
Yes. Replacement aligners are a supported submission type for YVO practices, for when an aligner is lost or damaged during treatment.
Getting started
How do I start working with YVO?
Use Get Started to tell YVO about your practice and how you currently work with clear aligners. YVO reviews that information and follows up with the next steps for getting the practice connected.
Sending it does not create an account.
I already work with YVO. Where do I go?
Use Client Sign In to reach your YVO account.
More detail on the model is on How YVO Works and Services.