Align Clear Aligner Volume Rose 6.6% in Q3 as Orthodontist Shipments Turned Up

Edited by Orthotown staff

Align Technology shipped 690.6 thousand clear aligner cases in the third quarter of 2026, up 6.6% from a year earlier, the company reported Oct. 28 in quarterly results filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Total revenue was $1.015 billion, up 1.9% year over year. Clear aligner revenue rose 4.2% to $839.3 million, while revenue from imaging systems and CAD/CAM services fell 7.6% to $175.5 million.

President and CEO Joe Hogan said that for the first time in six quarters, orthodontist shipments in North America increased year over year, and that shipments to dental service organizations rose by double digits among both orthodontist and general dentist customers. He also cited a record number of submitting doctors and record third-quarter shipments.

Hogan said non-GAAP gross margin of 70.4% came in modestly below the company’s expectation, reflecting higher fuel-related transportation costs, lower clear aligner average selling prices, and geographic and product mix. Operating margin was 16.7%, compared with 9.7% a year earlier, and diluted earnings per share were $1.90, up from $0.78.

The number of iTero scanner units placed, including leased, rented, and certified pre-owned systems, increased by double digits year over year to more than 157,000 systems worldwide, according to the company.

For the fourth quarter, Align projected revenue of $1 billion to $1.02 billion, clear aligner volume up by low single digits, and average selling prices down about 1% year over year. The company said it expects to repurchase up to $300 million of its common stock during the quarter.

The results come weeks after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit revived two antitrust class actions accusing Align of monopolizing the clear aligner market by ending Invisalign’s interoperability with 3Shape’s TRIOS scanner. That Oct. 5 ruling did not decide whether Align violated antitrust law.

Sources:
Align Technology, Form 8-K, Exhibit 99.1, “Align Technology Announces Third Quarter 2026 Financial Results,” filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Oct. 28, 2026: sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1097149/algn-q326earningspressrele.htm
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Simon and Simon, PC v. Align Technology, Inc., Nos. 24-1703 and 24-1783, opinion filed Oct. 5, 2026: cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2026/10/05/24-1703.pdf