Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	3 Months Ended
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	Mar. 31, 2022
Notes To Financial Statements [Abstract]
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared by Align Technology, Inc. (“we”, “our”, "Company", or “Align”) on a consistent basis with the audited Consolidated Financial Statements for the year ended December 31, 2021, and contains all adjustments, including normal recurring adjustments, necessary to state fairly state the information set forth herein. The unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), and, therefore, omit certain information and footnote disclosures necessary to present the unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S.”). The information included in this Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included in Item 8 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021. The results of operations for the three months ended March 31, 2022 are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the year ending December 31, 2022 or any other future period, and we make no representations related thereto. Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) in the U.S. requires our management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could differ materially from those estimates. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including those related to revenue recognition, useful lives of intangible assets and property and equipment, long-lived assets and goodwill, income taxes and contingent liabilities, the fair values of financial instruments, stock-based compensation and the valuation of investments in privately held companies among others. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that are believed to be reasonable, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities. Certain Risks and Uncertainties As the pandemic continues and new variants of the virus emerge, we are seeing a resurgence of severe preventative measures to prevent its spread in China and, consequently, continuing fluctuations in the numbers of patients seeking treatment for dental services and the number of doctors providing services and treatments in other markets. The full extent to which the pandemic, including as a result of any new variants, business restrictions or lockdowns, and the impact of vaccinations, will directly or indirectly impact our business, results of operations, cash flows, and financial condition will depend on future developments that are highly uncertain and cannot be accurately determined. Further, we could also be materially adversely affected by supply chain disruptions, including shortages and inflationary pressures, uncertain or reduced demand, labor shortages, delays in collection of outstanding receivables and the impact of any initiatives or programs that we may undertake to address financial and operational challenges faced by our customers. The military conflict between Russia and Ukraine and its related impacts on the economy has caused significant worldwide challenges. While the situation is highly uncertain and evolving, its impact on the economy such as inflation, supply chain challenges, impacts on consumer confidence, purchasing power, sanctions and retaliatory sanctions among others, have impacted and could potentially subject our business to materially adverse consequences should any portion of its impacts become prolonged or escalate beyond its current scope. Revenue Recognition Our revenues are derived primarily from the sale of aligners, scanners, and services from our Clear Aligner and Systems and Services segments. We enter into sales contracts that may consist of multiple distinct performance obligations where certain performance obligations of the sales contract are not delivered in one reporting period. We measure and allocate revenues according to ASC 606-10, “Revenues from Contracts with Customers.” We identify a performance obligation as distinct if both of the following criteria are met: the customer can benefit from the good or service either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available to the customer and the entity’s promise to transfer the good or service to the customer is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract. Determining the standalone selling price (“SSP”) in order to allocate consideration from the contract to the individual performance obligations is the result of various factors, such as changing trends and market conditions, historical prices, costs, and gross margins. While changes in the allocation of the SSP between performance obligations will not affect the amount of total revenues recognized for a particular contract, any material changes could impact the timing of revenue recognition, which would have a material effect on our financial position and result of operations. This is because the contract consideration is allocated to each performance obligation, delivered or undelivered, at the inception of the contract based on the SSP of each distinct performance obligation. Clear Aligner We enter into contracts (“treatment plan(s)”) that involve multiple future performance obligations. Invisalign Comprehensive, Invisalign First, Invisalign Moderate, and Lite and Express Packages include optional additional aligners at no charge for a certain period of time ranging from six months to five years after initial shipment, and Invisalign Go and Invisalign Go Plus includes optional additional aligners at no charge for a period of up to two years after initial shipment. Our treatment plans comprise the following performance obligations that also represent distinct deliverables: initial aligners, the option of additional aligners, case refinement, and replacement aligners. We take the practical expedient to consider shipping and handling costs as activities to fulfill the performance obligation. We allocate revenues for each treatment plan based on each unit’s SSP. Management considers a variety of factors such as same or similar product historical sales, costs, and gross margin, which may vary over time depending upon the unique facts and circumstances related to each performance obligation in making these estimates. In addition to historical data, we take into consideration changing trends and market conditions. For treatment plans with multiple future performance obligations, we also consider usage rates, which is the number of times a customer is expected to order additional aligners. Our process for estimating usage rates requires significant judgment and evaluation of inputs, including historical usage data by region, country and channel. We recognize the revenues upon shipment, as the customers obtain physical possession, and we have enforceable rights to payment. As we collect most consideration upfront, we consider whether a significant financing component exists; however, as the delivery of the performance obligations are at the customer’s discretion, we conclude that no significant financing component exists. Systems and Services We sell intraoral scanners and CAD/CAM services through both our direct sales force and distribution partners. The intraoral scanner sales price includes one year of warranty and unlimited scanning services. The customer may also select, for additional fees, extended warranty and unlimited scanning services for periods beyond the initial year. When intraoral scanners are sold with an unlimited scanning service agreement and/or extended warranty, we allocate revenues based on the respective SSP of the scanner and the subscription service. We estimate the SSP of each element, taking into account factors such as same or similar historical prices and discounting strategies. Revenues are then recognized over time as the monthly services are rendered and upon shipment of the scanner, as that is when we deem the customer to have obtained control. CAD/CAM services, where sold separately, include the initial software license and maintenance and support. We allocate revenues based upon the respective SSPs of the software license and the maintenance and support. We estimate the SSP of each element using data such as historical prices. Revenues related to the software license are recognized upfront and revenues related to the maintenance and support are recognized over time. For both scanner and service sales, most consideration is collected upfront and in cases where there are payment plans, consideration is collected within one year and, therefore, there are no significant financing components. Recent Accounting Pronouncements Not Yet Effective We continue to monitor new accounting pronouncements issued by the Financial Accounting Standards Board and do not believe any of the recently issued accounting pronouncements will have an impact on our consolidated financial statements or related disclosures.