As a dentist, you know that every person’s smile is powerful, and changing a smile for the better can positively change a life. You do everything in your skill set to help your patients, and you rely on products you believe are capable of doing the job.
But what if your patient is a family member? You want the ideal product for optimal results. And if the product didn’t already exist, you might feel the need to create it. That’s exactly what inspired Ultradent founder and CEO Dr. Dan Fischer to create a new tooth whitening brand, Opalescence whitening.
It was 29 years ago when Dr. Fischer’s daughter, a teenager at the time, begged her father to create something that would help whiten her teeth. She was self-conscious about her tooth shade, and Dr. Fischer wanted to find a solution that could give his young daughter confidence and pride in her smile. He approached his product development team at Ultradent with the idea, and Opalescence whitening was created with its signature sticky viscous gel.
Dr. Fischer’s daughter eagerly participated in the product’s earliest testing. The first night she tried it, she went to sleep with Opalescence in one half of the upper-arch tray and a competitor product in the other half. The results in just one night were astounding, Dr. Fischer recalls, as his daughter’s tooth shade had improved from an A3 shade to an A1 overnight—a result that was unmatched by the competition. The experiment also informed an important design feature: scalloping the trays so the gel doesn’t migrate.
Over the years, the Opalescence family of products has expanded to include take-home, syringe-delivered tooth-whitening gels; Opalescence Go, a prefilled hydrogen peroxide ready-to-go whitening system; and Opalescence Boost, a powerful 40% hydrogen peroxide in-office chairside whitening treatment, which offers instant results.
Achieving Bright Smiles Worldwide
Throughout 40 years in the dental industry, Ultradent has operated in a way that stays true to advice Dr. Fischer received from his grandfather: “It is only with an open hand to give that one has the ability to receive.” It’s why at Ultradent, “care” is not only a core value but also extends beyond the four walls of the company headquarters.
For the past 5 years, Ultradent and Opalescence whitening have partnered with the Crown Council to support its official public children’s charity, the annual 120-day Smiles for Life Foundation campaign. During this program, approximately 1,000 participating Crown Council dentists throughout the U.S. and Canada donate 100% of the proceeds from any teeth-whitening procedure performed in their office toward charity. Half of the appointment’s proceeds are donated to a local children’s charity chosen by the dentist performing the treatment, while the other half benefits other national or worldwide children’s charities selected by the Smiles for Life Foundation.
Ultradent supports the Smiles for Life Foundation by donating Opalescence whitening products to fulfill 100% of the campaign’s tooth-whitening needs. From 2017-2019 Ultradent gave approximately $1.5 million worth of whitening products to participating dentists, according to the company.
In a blog post detailing their humanitarian support around the world, Ultradent states, “We know the power that tooth whitening has not only on esthetic appearance, but on the confidence and self-esteem of the patient. The patients, the children's charities who receive donations, as well as the dentists who freely give of their time to participate in the Smiles for Life Foundation are all beneficiaries of the initiative.”
Read more about Opalescence and Ultradent’s humanitarian efforts on Ultradent’s website.
