Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Singapore start-up Zenyum promises straighter teeth at affordable prices with dental app

Singapore start-up Zenyum promises straighter teeth at affordable prices with dental app

Zenyum launched in Singapore in 2018 and secured US$13.8 million in venture capital financing last month

For years, Rueban Kumar wanted to fix his misaligned teeth, but found metal braces too much of a hassle. Clear aligners from brands such as Invisalign, which are virtually invisible when worn, cost up to US$7,000, which was outside his budget.

So when he came across Zenyum, a Singapore-based start-up promising straighter teeth with clear aligners for just a third of the cost, Kumar decided to give it a try.

“When I signed up, Zenyum was still pretty new and I had my reservations,” said the 27 year-old, who works as an office administrator in Singapore. “But the staff were forthcoming and open … I was very happy with the service.”

Within six months, Kumar completed his treatment and now has the straight teeth he always wanted. Kumar is part of the demographic that clear aligner start-ups such as Zenyum are hoping to target – consumers who want to make cosmetic corrections to their teeth, but are unwilling to fork out large sums of money to do so.

Zenyum is one of many companies globally hoping to disrupt the multibillion-dollar orthodontics market by offering clear aligners at a third of the cost of traditional brands on the market, with fewer dentist visits.

The company is currently focusing on serving the Asia market, and operates in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, Zenyum’s treatment costs HK$13,800 (US$1,762), compared to market leader Invisalign, which can cost more than HK$35,000.

“There are a lot of people who want to use clear aligners but for them, the existing options are simply too expensive … it’s a luxury product that some people cannot afford,” said Julian Artopé, chief executive of Zenyum. “We’re opening up a new segment of customers in the orthodontics market … who don’t want to go back to traditional braces.”

Having clear aligners produced within Southeast Asia, as well as Zenyum’s ability to remotely monitor how a customer’s teeth are moving via an app, are important factors that help to bring down the overall cost of treatment compared to traditional players, according to Artopé.

Instead of seeing a dentist every month, Zenyum customers will typically see their orthodontist at the beginning of the treatment process, to take an X-ray and a 3D scan that helps create a customised plan of how their teeth will move over the course of the six-to-nine months. Customers also see their orthodontists at the end of treatment.

In between, they are required to regularly upload photos of their teeth to the Zenyum app, so that a professional can check that their teeth are moving according to plan.

This mix of teledentistry – or remote dental care – and orthodontist visits sets Zenyum apart from some of its peers. In the US, for example, customers of a similar company called SmileDirectClub may not see a health care professional at all.

They simply create a 3D model of their teeth for the aligners by administering a mailed impression kit on their own, without getting medical advice on whether they have underlying issues with their teeth that may make them an unsuitable candidate.

“You sometimes see these business models where a customer never sees a dentist, and we think that it’s just plain wrong,” said Artopé. “If you don’t take X-rays to check for conditions you can’t see, bad things could happen, you could lose teeth.

“For us it’s important that a [professional] is involved. The app is a means to increase efficiency, but you still have to see a dentist in person.”



Zenyum also pre-screens and selects candidates for its treatment. It only treats adults over 18 years of age, and only those who do not have serious misalignment issues that may cause complications during treatment. This ensures that the company has a higher treatment success rate and that customers are less likely to run into complications during the teledentistry treatment process.

To be sure, some specialists remain sceptical of teledentistry in orthodontics, even if customers are checked beforehand for underlying conditions.

Ideally, “doctors need to supervise and monitor the whole process to ensure that the patient's teeth are moving properly. They can make adjustments in time in case the teeth are … not moving as predicted,” said Lin Yifan, a clinical assistant professor for paediatric dentistry and orthodontics at the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Dentistry.

“You may also need to check teeth from different angles [which photos are unable to show].”

Hong Kong resident Olivia Niu is considering straight her teeth, but remains sceptical about the new business model. “I only trust the first-class hospitals [because I want to] manage the risk if my teeth don’t move predictably,” the finance worker said. “For this kind of highly customised medical service, I trust face to face diagnosis and timely communication.”

But Artopé, who launched Zenyum in Singapore in 2018 and secured US$13.8 million in venture capital financing last month, believes his company’s treatment is both safe and high-quality. He picked Singapore as the first market in Southeast Asia because the country has one of the most stringent regulations and highest standards when it comes to licences for health care services in the region.

“Because of the rigour Singapore has … we were satisfied that we fulfilled these checks in terms of the quality of the product, and that whatever we put out to the market is safe,” he said.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×