Some people say that it is expensive to see a doctor, and a sick family is poor, but in fact, with the continuous improvement of the social security system, many major diseases are "supported" by medical insurance. By the end of 2021, the number of people insured by the mainland's basic medical insurance has exceeded 1.36 billion, and at the same time, in the first 11 months of 2021, the mainland medical insurance fund has also spent more than 2.46 trillion yuan for the majority of insured persons.
The real "expensive" is not to see a doctor, but to see the teeth. In an article published by Caijing magazine on March 2, it was written that the cost of a dental implant can reach 10,000-20,000 yuan, and if it is full of more than a dozen teeth, the price can even reach hundreds of thousands of yuan, so it is called "a mouth implant, a Tesla".
Fortunately, now that dental implants have entered the collection, the price is likely to drop significantly. However, there is another dental item that is not cheap, and that is orthodontics.
The demand for invisible orthodontics is increasing
Orthodontics is what we call orthodontics, and in recent years, the demand for orthodontics from the mainland people is also very large. The "Fourth National Oral Health Epidemiological Survey Report" released earlier shows that the incidence of wrong jaws in the mainland has now reached 74%, in other words, about 1.036 billion people in the mainland suffer from wrong jaw deformity.
Moreover, the proportion of complex jaws in the mainland is relatively high, and about 50% of people are second and third types of wrong jaws, that is, about 690 million people. In the United States, on the other hand, the proportion is only 23%, which is about 80 million passengers. The main thing is that although the proportion of mainland China is high, the number of orthodontic cases is low.
Treatment penetration is well below the U.S. 1.8 percent, at just 0.3 percent. From the above data, it can be seen that the demand for orthodontics in the mainland is very large. In addition, today's people pay more and more attention to oral problems, as well as the needs of young people to "love beauty", the demand for invisible orthodontics is increasing.
The so-called invisible orthodontics is to wear invisible braces, compared to the "one mouth of steel teeth" of ordinary braces, invisible braces are more beautiful, and at the same time, they are better in comfort and hygiene, which is more and more popular. Statistics released by China Insight Consulting show that from 2015 to 2020, the number of orthodontic cases in mainland China increased from 1.6 million to 3.1 million.
Among them, the number of cases of invisible orthosis correction has also increased from 47,800 to 335,500, with a compound annual growth rate of 47.7%, which shows that more and more people are using this method for orthodontics. According to the forecast of China Insight Consulting, by 2030, the number of invisible orthodontic cases will reach 3.8 million.
"Profiteering industry": buy 10,000 and sell 50,000?
However, since invisible orthodontics are "excellent" in all aspects, then the price will naturally not be cheap, and many people who have done invisible orthodontics say that from customization to sales, the price of an invisible braces can even be sold to 50,000 yuan, which is even worse than dental implants.
"Science and Technology Innovation Board Daily" has also previously said in the article that the price of such products is not low now, and the reference price of imports can reach up to 60,000 yuan. This is indeed not low, it is already equivalent to the house prices in Beijing and Shanghai. But in fact, whether this price is "reasonable" is still debatable, because from the perspective of market data, invisible orthodontics is really a "profiteering" industry.
The so-called invisible braces that sell for 50,000 yuan may only buy for 10,000 yuan. This, we look at from the data released by Angelalign, the "first stock in the industry". Angelalign is a large enterprise of invisible orthodontic braces, officially listed in 2021, and it is also the only company listed on this track, and it is also a company that relies on invisible orthodontics to achieve an annual income of more than 800 million.
We look at its data, as a company that develops and sells invisible correctors, Angelalign's performance is stronger and stronger year by year. From 2018 to 2020, the company's revenue rose from 488 million yuan to 817 million yuan, and in the first half of 2021, it directly reached 570 million yuan.
The most important thing is that the company's gross profit margin is maintained at more than 70%, which is already a high level among listed companies.
In other words, maybe an invisible orthosis is priced at 10,000 yuan, and the company can earn 7,000 yuan, and with such a profit level, it is definitely called "huge profit". In addition, invisible orthoses are sold to medical institutions, medical institutions plus service costs, treatment costs, invisible orthodontics is definitely a project that most people cannot consume.
Subsidies are given in various localities
Some people ask, dental implants are included in the collection, is there no "good news" about invisible orthodontics? In fact, there is really a fact that the state attaches great importance to the dental health problems of the people on the mainland, so it has also launched a healthy oral action plan, and various subsidies for dental orthodontics have also been introduced according to the requirements.
For example, In Jinan City, Shandong Province, after the Spring Festival in 2022, it will launch a dental subsidy, in addition to tooth decay, dental implants, orthodontic projects such as uneven teeth and deformities can also receive subsidies, and not only for local household residents, permanent residents can also receive subsidies. The subsidy includes a 100% subsidy for the cost of 10 examinations, as well as a minimum correction subsidy of 6,000 yuan, and even teenagers can receive additional subsidies;
Since March, Fuzhou, Fujian Province, has also launched dental subsidies ranging from 100 yuan to 50,000 yuan, of which the orthodontic subsidy ranges from 3,500 yuan to 17,000 yuan, and there are additional special subsidies for the first registration, and even interest-free and handling fees of "installment payment", and the minimum down payment is only 2999 yuan.
In addition, Hunan, Jiangxi and other regions, there are different degrees of dental subsidies, with these, even if invisible orthodontics is a "profiteering" industry, the price is expensive, and now people can "see the teeth". Don't know where you have subsidies? What do you think is the most expensive item to look at? Feel free to leave a comment in the comments section.