In this episode of Dental Tech Talks, we sit down with Khamzat Asabaev, CEO and founder of SoftSmile, the AI-powered orthodontic platform redefining treatment planning. After a decade structuring multibillion-dollar M&A deals at Linklaters, Khamzat made an unexpected pivot—leaving corporate law to take on one of dental’s toughest challenges: improving the precision and scalability of orthodontic treatment through software. He shares how a failed startup and a genius friend led to the creation of Vision, SoftSmile’s flagship product, now powering over 60 aligner brands with FDA-cleared, biomechanically intelligent planning tools. We get into everything from FDA hurdles to patent strategy, why AI is the perfect co-pilot for orthodontists, and how SoftSmile is quietly building an ecosystem that could make high-quality ortho care radically more affordable and accessible.