Five Questions with Dr. Fischer Volume VI

Our Icons of Dentistry: A Workshop for Women event is coming up next month. What unique aspects do you think women bring to the dental industry?

There’s not one lecture I give where I don’t emphasize the strong and incredible dimension that women bring to dentistry. I always give the example of Dr. Patty Lewis, a pediatric dentist in New York who has since sadly passed. She pointed out to me and a number of male pediatric dentists many things about pediatric caries and bottle mouth syndrome. I learned so much from her. I also have a daughter, Dr. Jaleena Jessop, who is a fantastic dentist and is so detail-oriented. In fact, thanks to her sensibilities and attention to detail, we now put lip balm on our patients in the office. Women are also so great at technical work. They have a sensitive, soft touch and display beautiful artistry in their esthetic dental work. Another thing Dr. Jessop pointed out to me in my own dental practice is that we needed a softer bite block. The harder one was uncomfortable for our patients, so we made a softer one and now it’s all I use. Women bring such a sense of class, gentleness, and attention to detail to dentistry that men don’t.

Icons of Dentistry: A Workshop for Women will take place at
Ultradent Products headquarters in South Jordan, Utah, on June 22–23, 2018

The Icons of Dentistry: A Workshop for Women event will be held in June in Utah, which is a beautiful time in Ultradent’s home state. What do you love most about summer in Utah?

Oh, summers in Utah are grand, although my wife, Leenie, loves the snow and winter. I always say though, there’s nothing nicer than a summer night in the Rockies! The balmy air and cool breeze and the smell of the mountain air wafting into the valley…there’s nothing like it. It’s really hard to beat. Hopefully the dinner in the orchard of our home during the event will give our attendees a hint of that serenity.

The Rocky Mountains at Snowbird Ski Resort

If you had to pick one, which Ultradent product have you seen make the biggest difference in people’s lives?

I would say that the single Ultradent product that has made the biggest difference for the greatest number of patients has to be Opalescence^® Tooth Whitening Systems. With that product line, we’ve been able help a huge spectrum of patients—from those who are aging and have dark, discolored teeth due to years of wine and coffee, to patients with mild discoloration that make them more self-conscious than they need to be when they smile, to the extremes of tetracycline staining and mottling that we see in some cases. With enough persistence, time, and the right products, we’ve been able to change these patient’s lives dramatically in terms of self-confidence and the way others perceive them as well. It’s brought us great satisfaction to see their results, while we maintain our minimally invasive approach in never cutting the teeth or damaging their enamel. Many people go the crown or veneer route when their healthy, gorgeous teeth can be transformed with whitening!

Opalescence Tooth Whitening Systems

You are a CEO of a large, international company which has so many products in its catalogs. What is your secret to running a huge company while maintaining a personal life?

My secret is that I make sure I have the quality people in the right seats of the bus. They’re able to make great decisions for different aspects of the company, and I know I can trust them implicitly thanks to their commitment to our core values: innovation, quality, care, hard work, and integrity. In many cases, these people can make better decisions than I could in their areas of expertise, and I’ve found that it’s so important to listen to them and defer to them and to help them be the very best they can be. Of course, there are times we will disagree and I will direct them to a different path, but for the most part, I learn a lot from listening to them and trusting their instincts, which is why they’re in that seat on the Ultradent bus in the first place!

Dr. Dan Fischer, founder and CEO of Ultradent Products, Inc., at Delicate Arch, in southern Utah

How does continuing to support Ultradent’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit charity, The Diversity Foundation, enrich your life?

It enriches my life in several ways. Many of these young people (teenagers and people in their 20s) come from parents that I knew in my childhood, or are the grandchildren of people that I knew when growing up in the FLDS community. I know what kind of pain they’ve had to endure—never receiving a proper education or the tools necessary to make it in the real world. It’s our goal to help them get the education and tools they need that they’ve missed out on. We hope it offers them some added help, support, and strength to be able to go out and contribute to society in positive and meaningful ways that will enrich their lives and the lives of others.