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.

Many dentists refer out their orthodontic business, essentially giving away the massive revenue that this part of dental practice offers. However, the simplicity of clear aligners has provided a way for dentists to easily and affordably offer effective orthodontic solutions to their patients.

As we celebrate Ultradent’s 40th Anniversary throughout the coming year, we also celebrate the people who work here and the rich stories they have to tell about the company, how it’s grown, and the role they’ve played in its history. Find out how Ultradent has changed the lives of Dr. Fischer's own children. Jaleena Jessop Director of Clinical Affairs 39 Years at Ultradent There are so many stories and memories about my time here at Ultradent, but there is one thing that stands out in my mind as “life-changing.”

Dr. Dan Fischer, founder and CEO of Ultradent Products, Inc., says, “Minimally invasive endodontics is paramount, even for root canal instrumentation, as removing as little tooth structure as possible allows us to maintain as much tooth structure as possible.” With this philosophy in mind, the world-renowned endodontist and endodontic researcher Dr. Carlos Spironelli Ramos created Ultradent’s minimally invasive, award-winning line of endodontic products meant to be used before, during, and after endodontic procedures. The complete line includes everything from equipment to irrigants, tips, gutta percha points, and beyond. Here are six essentials that every clinician should have on hand to make their endodontic procedures easier:

As we celebrate Ultradent’s 40th Anniversary throughout the coming year, we also celebrate the people that work here and the rich stories they have to tell about the company, how it’s grown, and the role they’ve played in its history. Today we talk to three longtime Ultradent employees, Karen Phillips, Nicolas Sondaz, and Steve Gerber. Read their stories about working at Ultradent Products, Inc. Karen Phillips Director of U.S. Sales 18 Years at Ultradent When I started in dentistry as a dental assistant many years ago, I was actually quite shy and had been that way my whole life—through childhood and as a young adult. Quite shy! In a crowded room, I was always the wall flower, but I loved dental assisting. Then, when the opportunity to work for Ultradent came around, I started coming out of my shell as I had to go in to dental offices as a sales rep. Later, as a regional manager, again, I blossomed a little bit more. After a few years in that position, I became a product trainer and remember distinctly a few occasions where I would talk to my mother on the phone and say, “Oh, I have a class of 30 people to train today,” or “I’m going to speak at our National Sales Meeting and I have 100 people to present to.” One day she stopped me and said, “Oh my gosh, Karen, how do you do that? You’re SO shy!” Karen giving one of the many lectures she’s performed throughout her career It stopped me in my tracks and it was an “Aha!” moment for me. That moment was a real marker for me in my career because I had almost forgotten that I used to be shy and to look back and go, “How did I get here?!” was amazing. I realized, and told my mom, that when you love what you do, and you’re passionate about it, you gain confidence. I mean, I went from being incredibly timid to public speaking and presenting for a living! I believe this all happened because Ultradent recognizes passion in people and fosters growth in those areas. That’s what I love the most about Ultradent. The only reason I’m in the position I am today as the director of U.S. sales is because Ultradent identified and recognized the passion I had for our products at the beginning, and helped me cultivate it and build on it by making me a trainer, which helped develop my skills further to help me become what I am today. I thank God for that and that I’m part of a company that does that for and with their people. Nicolas Sondaz Las Americas General Manager 12 Years at Ultradent Something about my time here that really stands out for me is that Ultradent has provided the environment that caused me to make a huge change in my personal life that has, in turn, greatly changed and influenced my professional life as well. About ten years ago, Ultradent organized a distributor meeting that was to take place in the summer at the South Jordan, Utah headquarters. As part of the meeting, Ultradent was planning a very small 5K race, and although I wasn’t involved in any sports or fitness activities at the time, this little race got me hyped about training for it. The week that I arrived in South Jordan for the meeting, I trained every day with Fabio Fowler. I wasn’t really competitive at that time, but I decided I would give this short race my all. Well, the race came around and to my surprise and shock, I finished in second place and I got a little prize and recognition. This was a real turning point. For the rest of the meeting, I received many compliments from people, urging me to keep pursuing running, so when I returned home, I started entering and training for more small races, then, over time, they got longer and longer. Then, from running long races and even marathons, I was inspired by Dirk Jeffs, Ultradent’s president, to start doing triathlons and eventually several Iron Man triathlons. Nicolas running one of the many races he’s competed in over the last 10 years It’s been ten years and exercise and fitness has become my passion and my main hobby. I absolutely love it. This happened because of the encouragement of my Ultradent colleagues and my wonderful first experience with that small 5K at Ultradent. It helped me to discover that I had a talent for this and it has truly changed my life. It would be difficult to count how many races, triathlons, long-distance runs, and ultra-trail runs (40, 100, 120, and 160 kilometers) I’ve done since then. I’ve got a big race next month in Argentina that I’m looking forward to! I run a race almost every weekend. However, the real change in myself that I’ve seen through this process is the focus I’ve gained in my career, the reduction of stress, and the increase in energy and efficiency when it comes to my career. When I’m exercising in the morning, it gives me so much time to clear my head, strategize, and prioritize what’s most important for my work that day. I make my best decisions when I’m training versus when I’m working on my computer or in an office setting with interruptions. It is my special time and it’s become essential for me to perform at the highest level in my career. Sports have taught me balance, improved my nutrition, improved the quality of my sleep immensely, elevated my moods, and lowered my stress levels. Were it not for my career at Ultradent and the inspirational people I’ve been surrounded by through this company, I don’t know that I would be the man who I am today. Steve Gerber Sales Trainer & International Lecturer 25 Years at Ultradent I travel around the world for about half of the calendar year, training and lecturing to Ultradent’s dealers, distributors, sales reps, and managers. I’ve been everywhere from Russia, the Middle East, China, all over Western and Eastern Europe, North, South, and Central America, and beyond. Although I’ve had many incredible experiences, there’s one that stands out as very special for me. Steve Gerber lecturing to a group of doctors in Asia I was traveling around Central America in the mid-2000s about ten to twelve years ago when we flew into Nicaragua for a morning lecture/training session with a group of dealers. We landed and went straight to the motel where the lecture was taking place. The motel was layed out in a “U” shape, with rooms and conference rooms, as well as the lobby, surrounding the hotel pool. The lobby had glass windows that looked out on the pool and so did many of the meeting rooms. We planned to stay overnight, so the dealer who was hosting us took our bags straight to the hotel where we were staying, while we stayed at the motel where the meetings were scheduled so we could set up and prepare. We arrived a bit early, so I had some time to kill before our meetings started. It’s incredibly hot and humid in Nicaragua and I was wearing a suit and tie so I decided to go look for a little shop where I could buy a bottle of water. Upon returning, I walked into the motel lobby and heard a woman screaming “Ayudame! Ayudame!” (Spanish for “Help me!”) from the pool area behind the lobby, but no one was doing anything. Everyone was just standing there, frozen, looking at this poor woman. I ran through the lobby to the pool area and saw the woman frantically pointing toward the deep end of the pool, but the bottom of the pool was painted white, and at first, I didn’t see anything. Then, suddenly, I saw a little head of black hair, and realized that her son, who was probably two or three years old, was wearing a white t-shirt and had sunk to the bottom of the pool. I realized no one was doing anything because no one—neither the kids nor the adults—could swim and this little boy was at the bottom of a six or seven-foot-deep pool. Having no idea how long he’d been down there, I flipped my shoes off and dove in with my suit coat, tie, socks, pants, wallet, cell phone…everything. I grabbed the little boy, he must have weighed 35 or 40 pounds, and he was totally limp. I still don’t know how I did it to this day, but I took him in my arms, swam up to the top of the pool, and by some miracle, was able to raise him out of the water and put him on the edge of the pool without anything below my feet to leverage the weight because the bottom was much farther down than I was. It’s moving to me, how I was able to do that without sinking us both deeper into the pool. After I got him to the side of the pool, I lifted myself out, and in that moment, I was just sick to my stomach because I had a son that age at the time and I truly thought the boy was dead. Nevertheless, I started chest compressions and CPR until he started throwing up water and coughing. After a few moments, the ambulance arrived and he sat up, gasped for air, and his eyes fluttered open. The paramedics then rushed him and his mother off. A few moments later, I walked back into the motel and my American colleague who was traveling with me, completely oblivious to what had just occurred, saw me soaking wet in my suit in the hall and the most perplexed look came over his face. He said, “Steve! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” and I said, in my joking and sarcastic way, “I had a few minutes before the lecture, I thought I’d take a swim!” We still had a few minutes before the lecture so I was able to run to our hotel and change my clothes. But unbeknownst to me at the time, that colleague of mine called my wife and told her, “You will not believe what your husband just did. He just jumped in a pool and saved a kid’s life. He just performed a miracle.” Anyway, my phone was completely fried, my suit was ruined, but we did the lecture. However, I don’t believe I was in Nicaragua on that day to do that lecture. I believe we were there for a very different reason, and I’m grateful I was in the right place at the right time. Post Script: Steve Gerber later received the Dan E. Fischer Award for his heroic act of bravery and poise under pressure for saving that young boy’s life. Learn more about Ultradent »

A trip to the dentist can be tricky for many patients. From dental phobia to just plain discomfort, it’s important for clinicians, hygienists, and dental assistants to ease these pain points as much as possible for the patient, but still accomplish the task at hand. A dental appointment sometimes becomes a balancing act between providing high-quality dental care and managing the patients’ feelings and desires to ensure they leave happy.

Ultradent Announces Icons of Dentistry: A Workshop for Women Event Ultradent is pleased to announce an upcoming special two-day event, Icons of Dentistry: A Workshop for Women. It will be a weekend of networking, socializing, rejuvenation, and education to celebrate women in dentistry. This year’s theme for the workshop will be Compassion.

In honor of International Women's Day, we sat down with Jaleena Jessop, Ultradent's Director of Clinical Affairs. She is also a practicing dentist. In our conversation, she discusses how, through hard work and determination, she achieved her goal of becoming a dentist despite coming from a very conservative background where women weren't encouraged to pursue careers.

With so many endodontic motor options available to general dentists and endodontists today, it’s no wonder that clinicians can have a difficult time initially selecting the right one for them. On the other end of the spectrum, some clinicians can end up stockpiling multiple endodontic motors in their supply closets due to changes and advancements in technology, discontinuation of files, or simple dissatisfaction with the motor or system they’re using due to excessive file breakage, malfunction, or other issues. However, selecting an open motor endodontic system instantly solves both of these issues, as it leaves the clinician open to options regarding which files are best to use on individual patients, as well as the ability to continue evolving technologically when new file advancements hit the market. Still not convinced? Let’s explore three important reasons dentists and endodontists should opt for an open motor endodontic system for the benefit of their practice and their patients.

As we celebrate Ultradent’s 40th Anniversary throughout the coming year, we also celebrate the people that work here, and the rich stories they have to tell about the company, how it’s grown, and the role they’ve played in its history. Today we talk to Whitney Jones, Ultradent’s illustrator, and the talent behind the massive mural depicting scenes from throughout the state of Utah that graces Ultradent’s worldwide headquarters’ South Jordan, Utah lobby. Learn more about his fascinating 24-year journey with the company and the many experiences he’s had here: