Designs for Vision, Inc.

Ronkonkoma, NY

Interviewee:
Peter J. Murphy, BS, Co-Owner

QUESTION NO. 1

Inside Dentistry (ID): The dental industry and the oral health care arena have been changing rapidly within the past 5 to 10 years. What do you see as the most significant of those changes?

Peter Murphy (PM): The significant benefits of cosmetic dentistry, together with the aging of the population, higher expectations for oral health, and the development of new products and procedures all have combined to have changed the face of dentistry the past 5 to 10 years.

QUESTION NO. 2

ID: In what ways—both internally and in dealing with the broader oral health care marketplace—has your company responded to these changes?

PM: Our active participation in other facets of the health care industry allowed us to quantify the changes likely to occur in the oral health care market in the early 1990s and identify that many of the likely changes required enhanced visualization. Designs for Vision, Inc, initiated a plan in 1994 to significantly expand the usage of magnification and illumination devices in dentistry. The development of new technologies—dental lasers for example—require increased levels of magnification and illumination. Designs for Vision has available our 4.5X and 6.0X Dental Telescopes to meet the requirements of these cutting-edge technologies. In just the past year we have introduced two revolutionary illumination devices: the DayLite Metal Halide, which is 3X brighter than competitive products and one third of the cost of Xenon lights, and the L.E.D. Portalite, a totally unteathered, lightweight, portable headlight. Both lights provide true white light (6,500 K), which provides true color rendition that has not been previously available with traditional overhead or halogen lights.

QUESTION NO. 3

ID: What do you see as your biggest responsibility to the marketplace, and why does your choice rank as your No. 1 priority?

PM: Our biggest responsibility of the market place is really twofold: product and communication. Our customers are surgeons, dentists, and persons with visual handicaps. Designs for Vision has always believed that the essential tools of dental and medical professionals are their eyes and hands. Since the company’s founding in 1961, we have always refused to compromise on quality. All designs for Vision Dental Telescopes and Headlights are designed, engineered, and manufactured in Ronkonkoma, NY. Many competitive products are mass-produced overseas. We believe that craftsmanship and quality of optical devises for dental and medical professionals should not be sacrificed to the bottom line.

We feel equally important in this market is communication. The responsibility of the manufacturers to the dental market is truly a contributive responsibility. They must not just add something to the armamentarium of the dentist but they must add product that is truly an improvement. We find it regretful that companies have entered the market selling products without regard to truth in areas such as magnification, ergonomics, etc, to the detriment of the patient and the dentist.

QUESTION NO. 4

ID: What product categories—whether preventative, restorative, operative, auxiliary, diagnostic, etc—do you feel are most in need of innovation based on what’s currently available?

PM: Innovation in the oral health care market has been exciting over the past 10 years. Materials, instrumentation, equipment, and techniques have all played a part in the continuing expansion of the dental market. Recently, Designs for Vision has been involved in improving the ergonomics and enhancing the clinical performance of dental hygienists and dental assistants. We have designed innovative products to meet their specific needs. Auxiliaries who use enhanced visualization are more productive, and are able to provide better clinical care to the patients. Many practices that have incorporated magnification for their auxiliaries have been pleased with the results.

QUESTION NO. 5

ID: What do you see as the best approach to the research, development, testing, and ultimate delivery to the market of such needed advancements?

PM: Designs for Vision has always believed that the best research begins with the ability to listen to the professionals. After identifying needs, concerns, and wishes, the next step is to design a number of possible solutions. Product development cannot take place in a vacuum, so we next work with members of the oral health community to obtain feedback and direction to improve design models and prototypes. Finally, bringing product to market involves education, promotion, and word of mouth. Personal testimonials and positive feedback drives the demand for products and solutions.

QUESTION NO. 6

ID: With the saturation of competitive options in many product categories, what advice can you give to dentists when selecting products for clinical use?

PM: The global economy has provided health care professionals with a large number of competitive options in many product categories. In certain product categories, the quality of some options has decreased as the quantity of options has increased. For these product categories, the market efficiency has actually decreased because the dissatisfaction with goods mass-produced overseas. Our advice to the oral heath community is to compare quality and do not settle for inferior performance.

Design for Vision’s partners (from left to right): Peter J. Murphy, Richard Feinbloom, and Herbert Schwartz.		Design for Vision's state-of-the-art design facilities demonstrate the company's commitment to quality craftsmanship.