Aspen Dental Management has announced the close of its acquisition of ClearChoice Management Services (CCMS), which provides comprehensive practice support services to the nationwide network of ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers.

This milestone brings together two leading brands in the dental industry: With more than 860 locations in 42 states, Aspen Dental is the largest and fastest growing branded network of dental offices in the US, while ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers are leaders in fixed, full-arch dental restorations for patients with missing or failing dentition, with 65 locations in 27 states. Collectively, the two are the largest provider of fixed and removable prosthetics in the US.

“Together with the healthcare providers we support, we share a commitment to breaking down barriers to care and putting patients and practitioners at the heart of everything we do,” said Bob Fontana, chairman and CEO of ADMI. “We’re thrilled to partner with the CCMS leadership team to support the doctors at ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers to create access to dental care for patients across the country.”

As leaders in fixed, full-arch dental restorations for patients with missing or failing dentition, the growth of ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers has outpaced the market with an annual growth rate of over 15%, with more than 100,000 smiles restored since its inception in 2005.

“We are extremely proud to join forces with another category leader and become part of the ADMI family,” said Kevin Mosher, CEO of CCMS. “With our shared commitment to supporting dental practices as they deliver life-changing care, I’m excited with what we’ll be able to accomplish together in furthering our reach and our impact.”

ClearChoice will continue to operate largely independently, with CEO Kevin Mosher reporting to ADMI’s founder and CEO, Bob Fontana.

The two businesses are highly synergistic, and the acquisition will lead to enhanced procurement savings across dental supplies and equipment and accelerated innovation spanning outside and in-house labs, digital dentistry, AI, and other new technologies, a benefit that will be passed along to doctors at Aspen Dental and ClearChoice, and ultimately, to patients.

A Year of Growth

The ClearChoice acquisition caps off an impressive year of growth for ADMI, which now supports health and wellness practices across three categories: dental care, urgent care, and medical aesthetics.

Rejuv Medical Aesthetic Clinic, the largest single med spa clinic in the US, joined the ADMI family in October, while ADMI-supported WellNow Urgent Care completed its acquisition of Hometown Urgent Care, one of the leading urgent care providers in the Midwest, just last week. That acquisition puts WellNow among the top 10 urgent care providers nationwide.

“The ClearChoice acquisition brings the total number of healthcare offices we support to more than 1,000 locations in 45 states across three different verticals,” said Fontana. “That we’ve been able to make these strategic acquisitions and open nearly 60 new Aspen Dental locations and another 10 WellNow centers in what has been an incredibly challenging year for many businesses is a testament to the strength of our team and our clarity of purpose.”

As one the largest healthcare business support organizations in the US, ADMI continues to build and strengthen the infrastructure, expertise, and core competencies that successful healthcare practices need to accelerate their growth and fuel their success, while also giving providers the freedom to do what they do best: care for their patients.

Premier® Dental Products Company is proud to announce that its President and CEO, Julie Charlestein, has been named the gold winner for “Executive of the Year” in the Best in Biz Awards 2020 International, the only independent global business awards program judged each year by prominent editors and reporters from top-tier publications from around the world.

Serving as Premier’s first female CEO and the fourth generation to lead her family’s business, Charlestein has pioneered the rebranding and expansion of the company, spearheading the launch of award-winning products and advocating for innovation and increased access to dental care. Driving Premier through its next evolutionary phase, Julie is navigating the global public-private interface, supporting daily dynamic development – giving her unique insight into the challenges and possibilities of the medical device sector.

In the last year, Charlestein launched innovative dental devices that have made a significant impact on the industry including; AeroPro®, which was awarded the Dr. Bicuspid Best Preventative / Hygienist New Product for 2019, and Vac Attak™ GREEN, for green-conscious customers who can utilize the environmentally friendly formula. She also pivoted Premier to maintain purpose during COVID-19 as dentists struggled to keep businesses open, reconfiguring manufacturing lines to produce medical-grade hand sanitizer (Tize-It!™) and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), made accessible to the public with direct purchase.

“With the latest advances in dental innovation, it is an honor and a privilege to be recognized by Best in Biz 2020 International as Executive of the Year,” said Charlestein. “For more than 100 years, Premier Dental has dedicated itself to serving the global dental market with sales in over 75 countries, and I am humbled to lead the company in our mission to bring innovative solutions to meet the ever-changing needs of dentists.”

Best in Biz Awards 2020 International honors were presented in a range of categories, including Most Innovative Company of the Year, Customer Service Department of the Year, Operations Department of the Year, Executive of the Year, Most Innovative Product and Most Innovative CSR Program of the Year. The program’s uniqueness stems, in part, from this distinct composition of its judging panels, enabling it to best leverage the judges’ unparalleled expertise, experience and objectivity to determine award winners. For a full list of gold, silver and bronze winners in Best in Biz Awards 2020 International, visit: https://intl.bestinbizawards.com/intl-2020-winners.

About Premier Dental

Premier Dental Products Company develops, manufactures and distributes innovative dental devices and consumables for the oral health professional worldwide. As a fourth-generation, family-owned, global business, Premier Dental sells its award-winning products in more than 75 countries. Dental professionals have turned to Premier for more than 100 years to improve their daily procedures and practices, and to promote better oral healthcare outcomes for their patients. As a leader in bringing innovative products to the worldwide market, Premier is dedicated to inspired solutions for daily dentistry. For more information visit our website: https://www.premierdentalco.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

About Best in Biz Awards

Since 2011, Best in Biz Awards has made its mark as the only independent business awards program judged each year by a who’s who of prominent reporters and editors from top-tier publications from North America and around the world. Best in Biz Awards honors are conferred in two separate programs: North America and International, and in more than 80 categories, including company, team, executive, product, and CSR, media, PR and other categories. For more information about the International program, see: https://intl.bestinbizawards.com .

Heartland Dental announced today the acquisition of Tru Family Dental, the Southfield, Michigan-based regional dental support organization (DSO), which includes ten offices in Illinois and thirteen in Michigan. The all-cash transaction closed Monday, Dec. 21. As the nation's leading DSO, Heartland Dental supports more than 1,700 dentists in over 1,100 offices across 38 states.

"We are thrilled to welcome Tru Family Dental into the Heartland Dental family, and we believe our similar doctor-led and patient-focused organizations are well-aligned for mutual success," said Patrick Bauer, Heartland Dental President and CEO. "Tru Family Dental has achieved incredible milestones over the past six years, all the while supporting its doctors to provide exceptional oral health care to their patients. Together, we will continue to build and strengthen Tru's infrastructure while using Heartland Dental's proven systems and processes to best support these great doctors and their teams in delivering their communities the highest quality dental care and experiences."

As a result of the acquisition with Heartland Dental and its supported PCs, the Tru Family Dental team will access increased resources and support services including drawing on the nation's best clinical and leadership training, state-of-the-art equipment, best-in-class purchasing methods, and superior benefits. Supported doctors will especially benefit from the industry leading structure which provides them a valuable stake in the performance of their practices. Tru Family Dental practices will be supported by dedicated teams to assist with marketing, office operations, information technology, human resources and payor relations.

Tru Family Dental co-founders, Naimish Patel and Brandon Halcott, added that they are extremely excited about joining the Heartland Dental family, which will continue to support the Tru Dental Family philosophy in adhering to complete clinical autonomy for its supported doctors, while enhancing the organization for future success. "Being new to dentistry, we built a great rapport over the years with the Heartland Dental leadership team in order to learn from them. Their commitment to clinical autonomy and doctor leadership is aligned with ours," said Patel. "Supported doctors can now take advantage of Heartland Dental resources, which would have taken us years or even decades to perfect on our own," added Halcott.

Tru Family Dental supported doctors will gain access to Heartland Dental's world-class support including benefits such as real-time access to a nationwide network of over 1,700 Heartland supported clinicians, scale to obtain the best clinical products at the best prices, a dedicated payor relations team working on the behalf of doctors to navigate the payor landscape, world-class operational support, and a patient marketing team to help supported doctors efficiently and effectively source and communicate with their patients. In addition, the 23 newly supported offices will access teams focused specifically on technology, operations, and more.

"We believe there are things that only dentists can do – and things they can most definitely delegate," added Bauer. "At Heartland Dental we provide support for those needs which can be delegated. Our supported doctors enjoy management relief, enhanced work/life balance, opportunities for growth, and access to a community of like-minded professionals."

Tru Family Dental (https://trufamilydental.com/) was founded in 2014 with the goal of providing exemplary lifetime care to patients throughout Illinois and Michigan. The regional DSO's highly talented team members have been recognized for delivering exceptional patient care.

Heartland Dental provides non-clinical administrative support so dentists and their teams can focus on delivering high-quality clinical care and excellent patient experiences. Heartland's support includes assistance with human resources, marketing, IT, supplies, insurance credentialing, accounting, and more. The company is also widely known for providing supported doctors and hygienists with an abundance of continuing education programs and leadership development opportunities.

About Heartland Dental

Heartland Dental is the nation's largest dental support organization providing non-clinical, administrative support services. What started from the entrepreneurial spirit of Rick Workman, DMD, with his single dental practice, has evolved into supporting over 1,700 dentists in over 1,100 dental offices across 38 states. The company is majority owned by KKR, a leading global investment firm. For additional information, please visit the company online at heartland.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Mid-Atlantic Dental Partners, a dental support organization (“DSO”) dedicated to improving the delivery of dental services for dentists, is pleased to announce that CEO Mitchell Goldman has been elected vice president of the Association of Dental Support Organizations (ADSO), effective immediately. In this role, Goldman will work with newly elected President Emmett Scott to advance the ADSO amid growing health concerns due to the pandemic and strategize new ways to adapt the organization to best meet the needs of DSOs, dentists and hygienists nationwide.

“It is an honor to accept the position of Vice President of the ADSO during a time where the dental industry continues to navigate a new normal and combat the challenges of COVID-19,” said Mitchell Goldman. “I look forward to working closely with Emmett to advance the organization’s mission of supporting dentists working to provide high-quality oral healthcare to their patients. In addition, I hope to expand the organization’s membership to include individual dentists and hygienists, all of whom are and should be considered essential healthcare workers.”

A successful health care entrepreneur, Goldman brings his strategic vision and health care innovation experience to the redesigning of the delivery and management of community dental services. He currently serves as CEO of Mid-Atlantic Dental Partners, a national dental support organization founded in 2016 that supports 237 dental practices across 17 states. Prior to his current role, he was a nationally ranked health care transactional and regulatory lawyer. Throughout his professional career, he developed new health care services including an innovative medical malpractice insurance company. He has worked in almost every part of the health care industry, including advising health care entrepreneurs in mobile health, accountable care organizations, dental support organizations, dental practice acquisitions and dental supply companies.

Goldman is currently a member of the Board of Overseers of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, the Professional Advisory Board of the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Goldman’s three -year term will start effective immediately and will run through 2023.

About Mid-Atlantic Dental Partners

Founded in 2016, Mid-Atlantic Dental Partners is a dental support organization dedicated to improving the delivery of dental care by elevating the importance of dental care in the overall health care of patients and their communities. By providing dentists with financial management, marketing and technology services, Mid-Atlantic Dental Partners alleviates administrative burdens and allows dentists to focus on their patients.

For more information, visit https://www.mid-atlanticdental.com

About the ADSO

The Association of Dental Support Organizations (ADSO) is a non-profit organization committed to providing support to its members, allowing them to focus on patients, expand access to quality dental care and improve the oral health of their communities. Comprising more than 50 DSO member companies, several association partners, and more than 180 industry partners, the ADSO represents Dental Support Organizations (ADSOs) before the public, policymakers, and the media. Its members operate in 44 states and provide the highest level of non-clinical support to more than 100,000 dentists across the country as well as in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.  

Upplands Väsby, Sweden – The innovative manufacturer of dental consumables Directa with headquarters in Upplands Väsby, Sweden is proud to announce the acquisition of the Swedish endodontics manufacturer Sendoline AB on December 15th, 2020.

Sendoline is a Swedish manufacturing company founded in 1917. The company develops, manufactures and markets dental products in the field of endodontics. Sendoline’s core products are root canal instruments, endodontic files, the mechanical cleaning systems S1 and S5 and SendoSeal MTA, Sendoline’s new bio-compatible and MTA-based root canal sealer.

One of Sendoline´s earlier product innovations was the Hedström file (also known as the H-File), developed in the 1940s and still one of the most widely used files worldwide. The introduction of the S-file in the 1980s is another example of Sendoline’s contribution to endodontics.

Sendoline products will be included in the product range of Directa as of January 1st 2021. The acquisition of Sendoline strengthens Directa’s endodontic products portfolio and further strengthens the position of Directa as a manufacturer of premium products

Medit and Straumann have entered a global distribution partnership for intraoral scanners effective as of January 1st, 2021. This agreement leverages the existing partnership of the two companies for dental laboratory scanners.

The distribution agreement includes Medit’s highly popular intraoral scanner, the i500. The scanner delivers excellent performance for a wide range of applications, and last month the company released a software update, further enhancing the i500’s capabilities.

Straumann Group is a global leader in tooth replacement and orthodontic solutions that develops, manufactures, and supplies innovative global brands for replacement, corrective, and digital dentistry.

With Medit’s strong presence as an open system provider and Straumann Group’s large digital ecosystem, the partnership is based on powerful synergies and the common goal of driving the adoption of digital dentistry. With the distribution agreement, the Medit i500 will be integrated in Straumann’s prosthetic and clear aligner workflow solutions, such as ClearCorrect. The alliance will also include the workflow between Medit’s open collaboration platform, Medit Link, and Straumann Group’s open software platforms for surgical planning, CAD/CAM prosthetics, and treatment services.

GB (Gyu Bum) Ko, CEO of Medit: “We are pleased and proud to announce the partnership with the Straumann Group, a world-renowned corporation in the dental industry. Medit’s i500 intraoral scanner has been highly appraised for its superb quality and excellent performance in dental applications. We are truly excited to get a step closer to attaining our vision of driving the adoption of digital dentistry through the partnership."

Guillaume Daniellot, CEO of the Straumann Group: “A key strategic goal for the Straumann Group is to create the leading ecosystem for esthetic dentistry, connecting all our digital solutions, services and equipment with partners and third parties to provide seamless workflows for dentists and optimal treatment outcomes for patients. Intraoral scanners have a pivotal role in this, and with Medit we will be able to include a very large segment of dentists for whom affordability has been a major hurdle.”

Myerson, LLC announced they are acquiring assets related to the Dentivera™ milling disc from Solvay® Specialty Polymers USA, LLC. Solvay has also granted Myerson an exclusive license for the dental industry to use the Ultaire® AKP trademark.

“Advancing Dentistry for over 100 Years, Myerson works to provide quality products and exceptional service to enhance smiles globally. Adding the Dentivera™ milling disc to the Myerson family of products gives us the opportunity to broaden the solutions we provide for patients needing partial dentures and other removable dental appliances,” says Jim Swartout, Myerson’s President and CEO. 

Dentivera™ is the only milling disc made from Ultaire® AKP. Dentivera is a clinically proven product and was specifically designed to meet the critical performance requirements for removable partial denture frames.

Ultaire® AKP is an innovative aryl ketone polymer that was purposefully engineered to provide a biocompatible, lightweight, and non-irritating alternative to metal. It was formulated to be rigid and supportive, yet have enough flexibility to protect the abutment teeth and preserve gum tissue. Ultaire® AKP frames are digitally designed for an accurate fit and hold their shape so they require fewer adjustments, saving dentists and patients time and money.

The American Dental Association (ADA) announced it has retained the executive search firm Korn Ferry to lead the search for its next Executive Director. The announcement comes after current ADA Executive Director Kathleen T. O’Loughlin, D.M.D., M.P.H. announced her decision to retire at the end of 2021 after 12 years of service.

The ADA Board of Trustees approved an Executive Director Search Committee to work with Korn Ferry to conduct a robust search. The ADA is seeking a leader with extensive knowledge of the health care industry, the dental delivery system, governmental health related agencies, and/or the profession of dentistry, as well as association management and nonprofit financial, operational, and strategic planning skills. The position does not require candidates to be dentists. The full job specification can be found here.

“I thank Dr. O’Loughlin for her long-running commitment to our great organization and we are grateful she has given us more than a year’s notice so we can conduct a robust search,” said ADA President Daniel J. Klemmedson, D.D.S., M.D. “As we look to the future, we are committed to finding the most qualified candidate to build on Dr. O’Loughlin’s work to power the profession of dentistry and assist dentists in advancing the health of their patients.”

The not-for-profit ADA is the nation’s largest dental association, representing 163,000 dentist members and serving as the premier source of oral health information. The next Executive Director will continue the ADA’s work to advance the oral and overall health of the public.

For more information about the position, please contact Kelly Ashmore at kelly.ashmore@kornferry.com or view the job specification.

Editor’s Note: Reporters are invited to follow the ADA on Twitter @AmerDentalAssn

About the ADA

The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing 163,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer dental care products. The monthly The Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA) is the ADA's flagship publication and the best-read scientific journal in dentistry. For more information about the ADA, visit ADA.org. For more information on oral health, including prevention, care and treatment of dental disease, visit the ADA's consumer website MouthHealthy.org

Ascentcare Dental Products, a dental product development company, announces the recent launch of their latest product: a universal isolation mouthpiece. The company launched their VacuLUX HVE isolation adapter in January of this year. The adapter was designed to allow dentists instant use of Dryshield and Zyris Isolite mouthpieces using their current HVE valves at an affordable price point. Developing the VacuLUX mouthpiece was a natural next step for the company.

During the product’s development, Ascentcare had one unique advantage: talking to thousands of doctors regarding their likes and dislikes of other isolation mouthpieces available on the market. This allowed Austin Ritter, inventor and CEO of the company, to engineer the new mouthpieces with the features you love while addressing your biggest complaints. Their new mouthpieces have several unique advantages as a result.

“We wanted a mouthpiece that would fit both versions of our VacuLUX HVE adapter, which work with either Zyris Isolite or Dryshield mouthpieces. This led to the creation of a mouthpiece that universally fits either brand’s isolation systems as well, allowing dentists with any system to enjoy the benefits of the VacuLUX mouthpiece,” says Austin. Further, “an evacuation chamber was designed to allow for continuous, uninterrupted negative pressure suction without collapsing on itself. A patient comfort flap, made of optical grade, soft silicone, folds to protect the patient’s mouth for increased acceptance.”

These autoclavable mouthpieces were engineered for easy cleaning and are currently available in size medium. Other sizes, including large, small and pediatric, will be available in February of 2021, followed shortly by disposable versions of all four sizes. For more information on the VacuLUX mouthpiece and other thoughtfully engineered products developed by Ascentcare, visit www.AscentcareDental.com/hve-isolation or call (616) 600-4505.

Ascentcare is a dental products company focused on developing dental technologies that span a diverse set of applications. Awarded for their innovative product lines, Ascentcare specializes in engineering, designing, and manufacturing dental product solutions.

Abutment Direct, Inc., is now an authorized full distributor of Amann Girrbach products in Canada. Formerly, the partnership was mainly focused on zirconia distribution but has now expanded into CAD/CAM equipment, core and model management products, as well as an expanded line of Amann Girrbach materials.

“We are very excited to partner with Abutment Direct based on their knowledge and expertise in the dental field, as well as their dedication and sense of urgency when it comes to the customer,” says Ramon Flores, National Sales Manager for Amann Girrbach North America.

As a full line authorized distributor, Abutment Direct, Inc., is authorized to extend all aspects of the Amann Girrbach warranty. The company, which is based in Markham, Ontario, is fully equipped to demonstrate and support the Amann Girrbach products and will be the main customer liaison for communications to Amann Girrbach during and after the warranty period. For more information, visit abutmentdirect.com or contact info@abutmentdirect.com.