Uniform Teeth raises $10 million for its teeth-straightening operations
Uniform Teeth, the teeth straightening startup that helped me figure out I needed a root canal, has just raised a $10 million round of funding led by Canaan Partners. This brings Uniform Teeth's total funding to $14 million.
With the new funding, Uniform Teeth plans to open up two more locations, one in Seattle and one in Chicago early next year. Uniform Teeth currently operates two locations in San Francisco. By the end of next year, Uniform Teeth plans to open more locations throughout the U.S.
The startup takes a One Medical-like approach in that it provides real, licensed orthodontists to see you and treat your bite. Ahead of the first visit, patients use the Uniform app to take photos of their teeth and their bite. During the initial visit, patients receive a panoramic scan and 3D imaging to confirm what type of work needs to be done.
The reason Uniform Teeth requires in-office visits is because 75 percent or more of the cases require additional procedures.
"There really is a need that is not being addressed in the market," Uniform Teeth CEO Meghan Jewitt told TechCrunch. "We see so much of the activity in the space targeting simple vanity cases, but that's just a small fraction of the market. We're focused on the moderate to full-spectrum cases, which is like 75% of the market."
Uniform Teeth faces a number of competitors, most notably SmileDirectClub and Candid. SmileDirectClub, which went public amid concerns from dental associations in August, provides an at-home teeth-straightening service. In its S-1, SmileDirectClub addressed those concerns as risk factors, saying, "national and state dental associations have issued statements discouraging use of orthodontics using a teledentistry platform."
Uniform Teeth's in-person approach doesn't allow it to reach as many customers as the likes of SmileDirectClub and Candid, but perhaps customers will opt to meet with an orthodontist in person rather than not at all.