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Earned Placement: Digital Indirect Bonding

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Orthotown Magazine 

Advancing speed and precision in orthodontic treatment with Dibs AI

Dr. Jason Battle
Dr. Jason Battle
Dr. T.C. Hardy
Dr. T.C. Hardy
Dr. Michael Kamatovic
Dr. Michael Kamatovic

Digital indirect bonding (IDB) continues to make major strides in helping orthodontic treatment become faster, easier and more effective. OrthoSelect has been at the forefront of driving advancements in digital IDB with its Dibs AI platform, which combines patented artificial intelligence software with precise 3D-printed transfer tray designs to shorten bonding appointments, enhance bracket placement accuracy and help orthodontists make their practices more efficient.

We recently spoke with three Dibs AI “power users” to get their perspective on using the platform and how it has affected their practices: Dr. Michael Kamatovic in Niagara Falls, Ontario; Dr. T.C. Hardy of Erie, Colorado; and Dr. Jason Battle from Orlando, Florida.


Why do you use digital indirect bonding software in your practice?
Dr. Michael Kamatovic: Positioning brackets extraorally has always made sense to me because it could be done without the challenges of chair time, patient movement or limitations of a direct view.


Dr. Jason Battle: Digital indirect bonding maintains consistent, accurate bracket placement. When the brackets are placed correctly, cases can be treated more efficiently.


Dr. T.C. Hardy: Going back to chairside/direct bonding would create so many inefficiencies in bracket positioning that I couldn’t justifiably go back, for the patient’s sake.


How did you “do the math” to analyze and decide to use Dibs AI?
JB: I needed a system for placing brackets quickly and consistently. Dibs AI filled that role perfectly. The cost is very reasonable, especially considering the time saved.


MK: What fascinated me was the ability to place brackets virtually, analyze bracket/wire interactions and adjust as necessary. Taking it one step further was the ability to produce a printed transfer tray.


TCH: It was something I needed to do for my practice to get the best outcomes possible. Doing Dibs AI for several years now, it has been easy to look back at patients, see how many visits they had and determine averages for time saved in the chair to calculate cost savings.


How has placing brackets digitally changed case outcomes vs. direct bonding?
JB: My case outcomes have greatly improved with Dibs AI. I have fewer or no repositions, and I can focus more attention on finishing cases.


MK: I can analyze, position and reposition every bracket as needed. I can review scanned models from every angle, even before generating the indirect bonding transfer tray.


TCH: On average, we save about two visits and my overall satisfaction with Dibs AI case finishes is higher.


How do you decide whether to use Dibs AI or direct bonding for a particular case?
MK: When we had trays printed by an external lab, same-day starts would be direct-bonded. Since introducing in-house tray printing, all initial bondings are indirect.


JB: Dibs AI is part of our workflow for all cases, and the process of starting a patient is the same for braces or aligners. It also allows you to use your current bracket system, so there’s very little disruption.


What is the average treatment time you see with Dibs AI, compared with a similar direct bond case?
JB: We have 30%–40% fewer appointments, with reposition and finishing appointments reduced or eliminated. The case pictured below took 16 months—two months earlier than estimated!—with seven appointments. This patient’s older sister, using direct bonding, finished three months later than estimated with twice the number of appointments.
Earned Placement: Digital Indirect Bonding
Before
Earned Placement: Digital Indirect Bonding
After


TCH: I save about four months of treatment time, on average.


How has Dibs AI changed the patient experience?
JB: Dibs AI is much faster than direct bonding, which is easier for the patient because retractors are in their mouth for a shorter time.


MK: It sets us apart as an office at the forefront of technology.


TCH: We have received multiple comments from parents during our bonding visits about how it’s such a different experience from when they got braces as a kid.


How has Dibs AI changed your staff, workflow and culture?
JB: My team loves Dibs AI because it allows them to work independently. It has eliminated the need for me to position brackets. Now, same-day starts begin with an intraoral scan, which my treatment coordinator can do!


MK: Dibs AI has streamlined our bonding appointments. The team far prefers bonding a segment of brackets to positioning them one at a time. Patients also prefer indirect bonding; there is less chair time, less time in cheek retractors and less doctor time required.


TCH: Staff love how fast they can get through bonding. Despite shorter bonding visits, I still give my staff the same amount of time for a bonding procedure; this allows them to relax and give patients a good initial-visit experience.



Dibs AI allows you to “start with the end in mind,” with real-time changes to a predicted outcome. How has this affected your treatment planning?
JB: I can see occlusal interferences and navigate around these in my treatment plan. I can also craft a unique smile for each patient. However, the software is so good, often I change nothing.


MK: I can see real-time changes and simulations on the screen. Treatment simulations allow me to make adjustments—it could be the angulation of a single bracket or an aesthetic adjustment—and play them out in simulations before bonding. With direct bonding, those adjustments would occur midtreatment with bracket repositions or wire bending.


TCH: There is a default bracket positioning, but from there the AI software uses algorithms to create an ABO finish. It also gives providers a lot of additional information to consider on how the bracket positioning for an individual patient can be improved based on the patient’s anatomy torque, tip, rotations, etc.


What do you consider to be a superpower of Dibs AI, and are there any elements you believe could be improved?
JB: It’s a combination of customer service and predicted outcome. From initial intraoral scan to digital design takes just a few hours; the trays can then be printed and delivered to my office in three to four business days. The only thing that needs to be changed is a better integration with Mac computers. However, the team at Dibs AI has created a custom workflow that allows me to remote in to a PC to use the system.


MK: The team of developers behind the product has spent a great deal of time developing Dibs AI software but continues to be hands-on through its evolution. Like any software program, it’s impossible to have it perfect right out of the box, but the developers listen to doctor feedback and continue to improve it.


TCH: Predictive outcomes help providers go much further in knowing where brackets should be positioned and setting up an ideal treatment plan for a patient. However, predictive outcome has weaknesses similar to the difficult movements we experience chairside as providers. Our professional degrees, education and experience are still critical factors to a successful outcome!


What has been the overall impact of Dibs AI on your orthodontic practice?
JB: With Dibs AI, I can start a case from anywhere in the world. A patient can begin with an intraoral scan and a contract. When I return to the office, we can deliver brackets with customized trays.


MK: Dibs AI has been a great addition to our office. The future of orthodontics points in a digital direction. As a profession, many of our practices have been digital for quite some time. Now that bracket placement software is available, many will also proceed in that direction.


TCH: I feel more confident in getting a predictable and accurate outcome. Our bonding procedures are less involved because a lot of the planning has already occurred, making for a more enjoyable experience for all. Dibs AI allows me the flexibility to focus on treatment planning in more detail. It also allows me to set up a case at a time convenient to me.


As “power users” with hundreds of completed cases using Dibs AI, do you have any advice to doctors considering or just starting to use the system?
JB: I wouldn’t make many adjustments on the digital setup. The software does a great job! Also, treat Dibs AI as you would an aligner patient start. It’s the same workflow.


TCH: Dibs AI can help lead to better outcomes and more efficiencies within an office, but it doesn’t eliminate one from needing to put on their doctor hat. It is a very powerful tool, but as with many appliances and programs out there, it isn’t going to solve all of a doctor’s woes with a click of a button.

Dibs AI has tons of features— spend the time to learn them. As you learn the software, a case can be set up extremely efficiently.

If your team doesn’t have any experience with indirect bonding, it will be drastically different for them. Plan on it taking a while, and plan on some failures. t will take time to learn how the software works and then see what happens chairside. Be patient, monitor, learn and grow from it!

The wonderful thing about Dibs AI is because you’ll most likely be using the same bracket system you’re already using, the learning curve is not that steep.


MK: It begins with believing in a digital bracket placement philosophy. Convey to your team and patients the reasons behind a change from direct bonding; express how it will improve patient comfort and experience and how it will lead to better treatment outcomes.

Any new technique is going to have a learning curve, but the software is intuitive and the bonding technique is similar to bonding aligner attachments. The end results will be worthwhile!

LEARN MORE ABOUT DIBS AI
To find out more about Dibs AI, visit dibsai.com.
Orthotown Magazine
September 2025
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