First oral-focused VC fund invests in Choice Payment Services, Walnut, FeatherPay, Plan Forward, Zuub, AirPay and Tuuthfairy to streamline billing, insurance and finance processes

Revere Partners, the first and only venture capital fund focused on oral health, announced today that the fund is investing more than $10 million in fintech for the dental industry, including in startups such as Choice Payment Services, Walnut, FeatherPay, Plan Forward, Zuub, AirPay, and Tuuthfairy. All of these investments from Revere were completed in 2021-2022, with more investments in fintech closing in Q4 2022, and several more in the category expected in 2023.

A recent survey indicated that nearly 60% of patients are concerned with the overall cost of healthcare services, while 30% have skipped necessary care due to high out-of-pocket costs. The implementation of fintech solutions for oral-health is expected to help reduce those barriers, while bringing about payment and insurance transparency, as well as consumer-friendly financing.

These investments address the current lack of centralization for financing and billing processes within the dental industry by delivering a more comprehensive approach to revenue cycle management solutions. Revere Partners is providing the capital, innovation, and dental expertise necessary to grow and scale these portfolio companies, which exist across the following industry sectors:

● Patient financing (Choice Payment Services, Walnut): Will lead to greater acceptance of a broader range of FICO scores and reasonable interest rates for providers and patients.

● Payments (FeatherPay, Plan Forward): Providers will be able to accept many forms of payments in consumers’ preferred methods, including payment and membership plans.

● Insurance technology (Zuub, AirPay, Tuuthfairy): Allow patients to access benefits verification, rate sheet confirmation, accumulator tracking and policy limitations in real time.

● Claims processing: An ability to file and track claims and understand and improve reimbursement rates efficiently and effectively.

Revere Partner’s investments across these dental fintech sectors bring more affordability, transparency, and interoperability to the entire industry across dental offices, consumer products, providers, and patients.

“All of these investments have the potential to make a lasting impact across the entire dental ecosystem,” said Dr. Jeremy Krell, Revere Partners’ co-founder and managing partner. “These startups will help offer providers a single, efficient, and modernized solution for dealing with what is currently a chaotic and disjointed system for handling payments, financing, and insurance claims. And for patients, advancements in these categories should lead to reduced time and stress, improved oral-health experiences and, ultimately, more reasonable costs and connectivity across the system.”

“Revere Partners is backing the best companies in dental, but they're also breaking down walls between tech-savvy, best-in-class clinicians and business owners, and the technology that is changing the practice of dentistry,” said Nancy Coy, CEO of Choice Payment Services, Inc. “With this fund and their focus, the Revere team is shining a much needed light on an area of healthcare where there has been underinvestment in tech as an agent of change.”

With a world-renowned venture team, Revere Partners identifies opportunities for investors and provides capital for cutting-edge innovations in the oral-health and systemic health sectors. The fund is currently taking in $50M from investors (with a goal of $200M), has made 28 investments and one successful exit, and has an IRR of 31.7%.

To learn more about Revere Partners, visit reverepartnersvc.com. The fund can be contacted directly at info@reverepartnersvc.com and investment applications can be accessed here.

Ultradent Products, Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of high-tech dental materials, is being recognized as the Manufacturer of the Year (1,500–2,999 employees) by the Utah Manufacturers Association (UMA). Ultradent was also presented the Best Company Culture award. Both awards given during a ceremony on Saturday, November 12.

“This is an incredible honor for Ultradent and all the amazing employees we have across the company,” says VP of Manufacturing, Chuck Anger. “It was humbling to attend the ceremony with my colleagues and receive these awards. This reflects how Ultradent continues to improve and battle through obstacles.”

The recognition from the UMA came shortly after Ultradent was named a top-five Best Large Workplace in Manufacturing and Production by Fortune Magazine. “The culture at Ultradent is genuinely unique, and the acclaim we’re receiving truly exemplifies that,” says VP of Human Resources, David Alsop. “We are a growing company that is continuously looking for ways to help our team members grow with us, and we're proud of the environment we are building together. We’re honored to continue in the traditions and examples set by (Founder and CEO Emeritus) Dr. Dan Fischer”

Second Opinion®, the first-ever FDA-cleared multi-pathology detection AI software, is featured on TIME’s list of inventions that deliver groundbreaking impact on consumers, industry, and society.

Pearl, the global leader in dental AI solutions, announced today that TIME has named its Second Opinion® software to its Best Inventions of 2022 list as a special mention. This year’s special mentions list featured 50 inventions recognized for their unique impact and transformational capabilities.

Evaluated by an esteemed panel of TIME editors, the publication’s Best Inventions list honors the innovations across all industries that deliver groundbreaking impact and influence on consumers, the industry, and society at large.

“Impactful innovation is core to our mission at Pearl and this recognition from TIME is a testament to our progress in pursuit of that mission,” said Ophir Tanz, founder and CEO of Pearl. “It is also rare to see a dental technology garner popular interest, so for a widely read and respected publication like TIME to single-out Second Opinion® for a list of premier inventions is a particularly special honor.”

Earlier this year, Second Opinion® became the first-and-only chairside AI radiologic aid authorized by the FDA to read both bitewing and periapical x-rays of adult teeth in patients as young as 12 years old. The AI delivers its findings in real-time for patient-facing display in the dental operatory, helping dentists ensure the accuracy of their x-ray evaluations and enabling them to better communicate diagnoses to patients.

Click here to read about Second Opinion® on this year’s TIME Best Inventions list.

To learn more about Second Opinion or to schedule a demo, visit: https://www.hellopearl.com/secondopinion.

New Orleans-Based Biotech Firm Gains Portfolio of Extensive Intellectual Property Focused on Transdermal Delivery of Medications for a Range of Industries

Henley Ion, a New Orleans-based biotech company developing next generation technology in respiratory protection and medical devices, today announced it has merged with HGMT, a Colorado biotech startup founded by Dr Julian Henley and Dr Sarvjit Gill. HGMT is a developer of transdermal solutions invented by Dr. Julian Henley with numerous patents in transdermal and novel electro kinetic solutions to delivery of pharmacological agents and related molecules directly into tissues. The merger of these two companies expands Henley Ion’s capabilities to develop novel solutions for the healthcare. HGMT benefits from merger as it acquires an experienced business development team that cut its teeth with novel respiratory protection technology during pandemic where few companies would venture to develop new solutions. This union now gives Henley Ion over 30 issued and pending patents in its IP portfolio, benefitting the airway protection, air safety and transdermal and tissue drug delivery categories.

“The technologies we are actively developing and testing at Henley Ion through this merger under one unified effort fulfill my original desire to save lives by forging better medical solutions with novel technologies and save lives when we can,” said Dr. Henley, surgeon, inventor and co-founder of Henley Ion. “The merging of HGMT’s multichannel transdermal iontophoresis platform with Henley Ion’s groundbreaking ionization technology greatly strengthens our ability to solve the problems of today and be the leader in new solutions for tomorrow.”

Henley’s core transdermal technology utilizes multichannel electrokinetic technologies that can be applied to multiple medical applications. The company’s two initial products will have profound impacts in wound management and the dental space.

Dr. Henley’s novel dental device prototype delivers full-mouth anesthesia in 4 minutes with no needles and no pain. 50 - 80% of the population suffer from some form of dental anxiety. 60% avoid the dentist altogether for fear of needles. The introduction of a needless, painless, and highly effective solution for delivering anesthesia is a game-changer.

Initial clinical trials of Henley’s dental transdermal technology are scheduled for early 2023.

“We are currently utilizing anesthesia for approximately 15 – 20 children’s dental procedures per day. The most frequent and challenging issue we face on a daily basis is patient fear of needles,” says award-winning pediatric dentist Dr. Jason Parker. “The ability to administer local anesthesia without a needle would have monumentally positive impact in how we treat our patients and run our practice, as well as fundamentally changing their perception of visiting the dentist for the better all from an early age. Simply put, this is a game changer.”

In addition, the Henley Trauma Bandage is in development and leverages the patented multichannel iontophoresis platform to treat chronic and acute wounds by mitigating microbial colonization, which prevents infection and further tissue damage, and simultaneously help with local pain management from such wounds or burns. The bandage, once sealed around a wound and activated, can deliver antimicrobial, antiseptic, and clotting agents directly into the wound.

The trauma bandage has been designed to save the lives of America’s soldiers by extending the critical Gold Hour to Golden Days, providing time to get the soldier to a health facility. Rather than focusing on more logistical support to extract the wounded soldier, the Henley Trauma Bandage allows for immediate medical management at the time of injury.

“By bringing in HGMT’s transdermal patent portfolio, Henley Ion expands its mission of improving human health and saving lives,” says Henley CEO Skipper Bond. “Henley was founded with the development of our novel respiratory protection technology, and we are now collaborating with partners in the defense and PPE spaces to advance develop and deploy this technology to saves lives.”

Henley Ion’s respiratory protection technology uses miniaturized electrostatic precipitation (mEP) to remove aerosol particles from the airway, including viruses, bacteria, particulate matter and organophosphates, such as pesticides.

The technology is a fundamental change in respiratory protection, there is no filter, so it’s easier to breathe through, is bi-direction protection on both the inhalation and exhalation, is agnostic in terms of the aerosol particle it removes, and has the capability to allow the wearer to monitor his or her own respiratory protection. Existing filter based respirators give no indication whether they are working properly and offer respiratory resistance which make them cumbersome for extended periods of time.

In initial testing with Henley’s first prototype at a high-containment laboratory located at the Tulane University National Primate Research Center, the Henley Ion Virus Defender removed >99% of SARS-CoV-2 bioaerosols under rigorous Biosafety Level 3 testing conditions.

Chad J. Roy, PhD, Associate Dean for Research and Director of the Center for Airborne Infection & Transmission Science at the Tulane School of Medicine, led the laboratory testing. “The preliminary evaluation of this product’s ability to protect against airborne viruses like SARS-CoV-2 is encouraging,” said Roy. “Aerosol particle removal without the use of filtration represents a step change in respiratory protection technology.”

In April 2022, the medical journal Viruses, published a peer-reviewed paper validating Henley’s mEP technology.

Continuing evaluations are ongoing at the Tulane University National Primate Research Center under a cooperative research agreement between Henley Ion and Tulane University.

“Saving lives with new technology is our goal,” says Dr. Henley. “It is our mission as company and for me as doctor.”

Productive Dentist Academy (PDA), the leading dental consulting and marketing firm in the nation, announced the promotion of Hillary Kelly to Business Process Manager.

“One of the pillars of PDA’s new strategic initiative, Investment Grade Practices™ (IGP), is developing durable and predictable systems and processes. So, to ensure we continue to ‘walk the talk,’ we have created the Business Process Manager position,” said Dr. Victoria Peterson, co-founder & CEO of PDA.

“Our mission at PDA is to optimize dental practices across the nation,” said PDA Chief Communications Officer Regan Robertson. “Hillary brings a unique blend of skills critical to accomplish our goals. With her years of dental industry consulting knowledge, advanced Salesforce certification, and natural talent for data organization and visualization, PDA’s internal processes will receive the same investment-grade level treatment our clients experience.”

With a strong background in project management, Kelly will work closely with PDA’s business consultants, marketing consultants, and creative and production teams to develop new internal systems and processes which will help the organization run efficiently, which will help more doctors optimize their business and elevate patient care.

“I am very excited to take on the Business Process Manager role,” said Kelly. “I will continue working with our wonderful team to build and document PDA’s systems, map out our clients’ journeys, and optimize the tools we have to their fullest. My ultimate goal is to make life easier and PDA scalable.”

In her previous role as Salesforce & Data Administrator, Kelly’s leadership and stewardship of healthy data management ensured clients were served to the highest possible standards. Earlier this year, Kelly won the 2022 Admin Achiever Award.

“Hillary is thoughtful, strategic, caring, and tenacious in finding new ways to work smarter – not harder,” said Robertson. “We are grateful to continue working with Hillary in this capacity and we look forward to streamlining our processes to increase our capacity to serve dental practices.”

Investment fills gap in access to preventive and restorative dental care for individuals in need

As part of its commitment to uplifting underserved communities and expanding access to dental care, DentaQuest this year has continued its support of free health care services to individuals in need at Missions of Mercy and similar pop-up clinics across the United States. Since the start of 2022, DentaQuest contributed $115,000 to help fund 13 clinics that provided free dental care to nearly 10,000 patients.

Free dental care days are often state-based and organized by state dental associations and their foundations, or organizations like Missions of Mercy and Remote Area Medical USA. These groups support local dentist community efforts, reinforcing the relationship between provider and patient, and enlist volunteers to help provide free health services including dental care to residents who are un- or underinsured and people who “fall through the cracks'' of our health care system. DentaQuest has supported these free dental care days for over 12 years, contributing more than $1 million and countless volunteer hours, because people remain in need across the nation.

“The services that a pop-up clinic provides unfortunately remain incredibly important to ensuring all people can access dental care,” said Steve Pollock, president of DentaQuest. “At DentaQuest, we know first-hand the challenges individuals face when accessing dental coverage, which is why supporting these free care clinics is essential for millions of people – right now. The goal, however, is to eliminate the necessity of these clinics by systematically expanding dental benefits to everyone.”

In the U.S., an estimated 76.5 million adults lack access to dental insurance, three times the number of adults who lack health insurance. Uninsured people face a multitude of barriers including socioeconomic factors, racial inequity, transportation, language, cultural disconnects and more. A recent survey conducted by CareQuest Institute for Oral Health found that 29% of adults cited lack of insurance as a reason to avoid future dental care, 27% cited cost, 18% cited the COVID-19 pandemic, 11% said they had no reason to go, and 9% cited dental anxiety.

“Pop-up clinics are providing necessary preventive and restorative dental care, but it’s only the first step,” Steve continued. “Improving the oral health of all means providing access to dental care for all. At DentaQuest, we envision a future where these missions are no longer the sole solution to expanding dental care access and people nationwide can feel secure when scheduling their next dental appointment.”

DentaQuest has focused its efforts on supporting and partnering with various organizations to increase access to preventive oral health care. Last month, DentaQuest and TeamSmile announced the launch of the TeamSmile Dental Home Project powered by DentaQuest, a nationwide initiative that connects children in need with long-term dental care resources and dental teams. To learn more about DentaQuest’s corporate citizenship efforts, visit https://dentaquest.com/about-us/corporate-citizenship/  

In recognition of Veterans Day, Delta Dental reaffirms its dedication to expanding oral health care access to our nation's veterans through its partnership with the Dental Lifeline Network (DLN).

Since the program began in 2020, Delta Dental companies across the country have partnered with the DLN's Lifeline Heroes Challenge to improve comprehensive dental care for veterans in need.

To date, Delta Dental companies have contributed more than $450,000, which has supported the mobilization of $9.8 million in donated oral health care delivered to veterans, according to DLN.

"Delta Dental is committed to expanding dental care access for veterans who have served our country, as good oral health is essential to overall health," said James W. Hutchison, President & CEO, Delta Dental Plans Association. "We are proud of our partnership with the Dental Lifeline Network and remain steadfast in supporting our nation's heroes on their oral health care journey. Delta Dental would also like to extend a sincere thank you to the volunteer dentists and hygienists for their many hours of service."

For many veterans, dental care is not covered by their Department of Veterans Affairs benefits. To address this issue, the Delta Dental and DLN partnership has bolstered recruitment efforts for volunteer dentists and hygienists, expanding access to oral health care for veterans.

"We are deeply grateful for our continued partnership with Delta Dental to support our veterans with increased access to oral health care," said Lynda Ricketson, DLN President & CEO. "The generosity of supporters such as Delta Dental has made a significant difference in improving their overall quality of life."

Dentists can visit WillYouSeeOneVet.org to learn more about volunteer opportunities with the DLN to honor and support veterans in the community.

Jack Marrano, CDT, Director of Signature Prosthetics for Absolute Dental Services, was honored by the American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) with the 2022 Dental Technician Leadership Award at the organization's 2022 Annual Session from November 2-5 in Austin, Texas.

The Dental Technician Leadership Award has been given out 11 times in the ACP's history. It recognizes outstanding service to prosthodontics and the dental laboratory profession.

Marrano was recognized for his exceptional abilities and lifelong dedication to the dental industry.

Collaboration creates new growth opportunities, increased efficiency and profitability for orthodontists

orthobrain® – an Ohio-based, practice growth system with a total solution that makes integrating orthodontics easy and profitable, has partnered with OrthoSelect®, a leading orthodontics software company and digital orthodontics laboratory.

Together, the organizations will use their clinical expertise and technology-driven models to deliver a quality, cost-effective clear aligner solution and personal support to clinicians looking for growth opportunities. orthobrain’s SimplyClear™ aligner system will be OrthoSelect’s official clear aligner partner, offering its clients a system that combines premium plastic, orthodontist-led treatment planning and support, resulting in time-savings and profitability.

“We’re thrilled to be partnering with orthobrain who shares our passion for providing exceptional patient experiences and clinical outcomes,” said Steven Gardner, OrthoSelect’s President. “orthobrain’s game-changing aligner system offers the full package when delivering orthodontic care, and we are excited to be able to offer its comprehensive treatment plan to our clients.”

In August 2022, orthobrain launched its new SimplyClear aligner system, revolutionizing the way orthodontic treatment is delivered. Developed by orthodontists and industry leaders with decades of orthodontic experience, every SimplyClear case is powered by comprehensive support and complete case management, ensuring providers can confidently deliver quality orthodontic outcomes while minimizing doctor time.

“Expanding access to healthy smiles is the cornerstone of what we do,” says Dan German, founder of orthobrain. “Together, with OrthoSelect, our shared vision will allow for transformative growth and quality patient outcomes.”

The first electronic flosser to make flossing easier and more effective is launching November 18, 2022, by State Dental, Inc. Designed by a dentist, the Slate Electric Flosser™, is a revolutionary technology that helps users improve their oral health by addressing the critical need of accessing hard-to-reach areas between teeth that water-based electronic flossing tools struggle to access.

"Water-based electronic flossers are easy to use, but they're only effective at accessing the exterior parts of teeth, missing key problem areas." said Dentist Dr. Danny Snyder, co-founder and inventor of the Slate Electric Flosser. "By bringing real, high-grade dental floss together with a unique and powerful vibration technology and our patent-pending Gum Sweeps™, we make it easy for consumers to floss, while still getting to those hard-to-reach areas in the mouth."

Tested by over 500 registered dental hygienists in the United States, the Slate Electric Flosser was rated by 73 percent of them as better than anything that is available on the market.

The Slate Electric Flosser's innovative floss head vibrates at 12,000 sonic vibrations per minute, enabling the high-grade floss to easily glide through tight teeth and access the problem areas. The patent-pending Gum Sweeps™, uniquely contours each tooth, massages, stimulates, and cleans the gums to help eliminate plaque, bacteria, and other food particles that lead to tooth decay and gum disease. On the back of each floss head there's an anatomically shaped, 3-blade tongue scraper. It's perfectly designed to remove any unwanted particles, removing up to 30% more odor-causing bacteria than a toothbrush.

The floss heads are designed to be used multiple times and are easily replaceable. Compared to single-use floss heads or floss picks, Slate floss heads can keep almost 700 floss picks from hitting the landfill yearly, making it a product that's good for your teeth and for the environment.

The Slate Electric Flosser also provides orthodontic floss heads, designed for use by people with braces. The orthodontic floss head has bracket sweeps that easily get between braces wires to clean the gums, teeth, and braces, which is challenging with traditional floss, and very messy with water-based electronic flossers.

The Slate Electric Flosser can be purchased for $79.99 directly from the company's website at www.slateflosser.com.