Overjet is a startup that focuses on using artificial intelligence to help insurance companies and dentists understand dental scans. It has announced today that it has raised $7.85 million in what it describes as a seed round.
Wardah Inam is an MIT Ph.D. in computer science and electrical engineering. Moreover, he is the CEO of Overjet. According to Inam, the company raised funds from Crosslink Capital. Thus, it led its round, and E14 Fund, which only invests in startups from MIT, said Inam.
The connection between MIT and E14 is not surprising. Two different groups from MIT are supporting Overjet. Harvard Innovation Lab incubated the startup, which further indicates educational links in the Boston area. Inam told TechCrunch that the Harvard Innovation Lab is spreading out in terms of space.
Selecting Crosslink as its lead investor was not accidental. Inam told TechCrunch that Overjet is interested in raiding funds from Crosslink thanks to its prior investment into Weave. The weave is a startup whose software is often used in the context of the dental sector. TechCrunch previously reported that Weave raised a $70 million Series D in 2019 at a unique valuation.
You will often get an x-ray taken of your teeth when you go to the dentist. Afterward, the dentist tends to read the chart and making some recommendations. They might say, for example, that you are in good shape, and you can come back in a few months for a cleaning. Or it could be that your dentist may tell you that some more work needs to be done. The latter case is where Overjet can help.
Overjet
The core technology from Overjet helps to determine what treatments are in need, according to Inam.
In an interview, the CEO told TechCrunch that most medical imaging artificial intelligence services have the focus to find if there is anything wrong with someone (executive of the startup gave an example of tumor detection). Nevertheless, the CEO said that Overjet could go one step further. It can help one note not only that there is a problem (tooth decay, as a hypothetical), but it also can suggest the extent of the issue itself.
The ability to determine what treatments are necessary and to analyze clinical data at such a scale is critically attractive to both insurance companies and dentists alike. That is how the CEO of Overjet communicated it over the phone.
It has the ability to lean on artificial intelligence-styled technology to help confirm a diagnosis or help in not missing issues that are hard to spot for dentists. Overjet might also be able to aid insurance companies in processing their dental images’ massive influx more quickly. Inam told TechCrunch that, currently, every crown that is sent to any major insurance company is double-checked manually by humans. Thus, that is a considerable expense for them.
If a claim is reasonable and not fraudulent, artificial intelligence may be able to notice more efficiently and quickly.
This also aids patients to a degree. Unfortunately, you don’t have a lot of control over the trials your teeth go through. Thus, this could open up chances for a dentist to pursue unneeded treatments for their own financial gain. If Overjet can help to root out some fraud in the system, it can lead to better patient care.
