In celebration of Ultradent’s 40th Anniversary this year, we’ve been sharing stories from Ultradent's employees about meaningful moments, sentimental memories, exhilarating milestones, and turning points in their careers that have come as a result of their time at Ultradent. For this edition of “40 Years of Stories,” we thought we’d chat with a couple of Ultradent’s vice presidents about their experiences at Ultradent, their thoughts on leadership, and their memories with Ultradent’s founder and CEO, Dr. Dan Fischer, throughout the years.

You’ve seen those awful tetracycline tooth stains before. Perhaps you’re the one struggling with them. Perhaps you thought there was no hope to get a white, stainless smile except extremely expensive veneers. Meet Karen Stein. She was born and raised in Salt Lake City. Sometime between when Karen was three and eight years old, a doctor treated a common illness she had with tetracycline, a type of antibiotics that at the time, medical professionals did not know would stain her teeth forever. Well, at least that’s what Karen thought. She says,

Heinz Seidl General Manager of Northeast Europe 13 Years at Ultradent I have so many crazy, wonderful memories from my time here at Ultradent, and one of them is my memory of how I first learned about Ultradent. It’s a wild coincidence that I’ve never forgotten. It all started in Autumn 2004. Although I didn’t work in the dental industry, I visited an old friend of mine in Cologne, Germany, who was there for a local trade show. When I walked into the trade show, my immediate perception of the whole show was dark, boring, and full of uninspired people in suits all over the place. That is…except for one booth that was completely outstanding to me. This particular booth had far more visitors than any of the others, and the people behind its counters looked open, energetic, and friendly. They all looked like they had a story to tell. However, the most obvious difference was how they were dressed. They all wore colored shirts that I later learned represented the three flavors of the precursor product to Opalescence Go® whitening, the Tréswhite disposable whitening system. The flavors were Mint, Melon, and Peach. I knew this company was different.

Because acquiring CE is a requirement for so many dentists, Ultradent firmly believes that the CE experience should be truly enlightening, innovative, intimate, and fun. With these standards in mind, Ultradent created a signature event that occurs twice per year and takes place right at Ultradent headquarters. There are many things that make Ultradent Summits unique, but we have picked our top five reasons you should attend an Ultradent Summit. They also happen to be the reasons so many doctors return to the Summit year after year. We hope you’ll become a familiar face too.

1. This month we’re launching our My Smile is Powerful Opalescence® Whitening Systems campaign. What does the phrase, “my smile is powerful” mean to you? We firmly believe that all smiles are powerful. The phrase “my smile is powerful” relates back to the things I’ve been saying in my lectures for years. The smile—the lips and the teeth—are the number one body language communicator. In fact, statistics show that when people first meet, 50% of people look at the other person’s eyes first, and the other 50% notice the smile and teeth first. A thousand words can be communicated in an instant with a smile. It’s a fabulous communicator! It radiates the inner feeling and soul of the other person, and it enables them to communicate beyond words, or it accentuates words in an instant. It is so powerful.

Dr. Dan Fischer Receives 2018 Distinguished Service Award from Loma Linda University Dr. Dan Fischer, founder and CEO of Ultradent Products, Inc., received the 2018 Distinguished Service Award from his dental school alma mater, Loma Linda University, on May 27, 2018. Loma Linda University awarded Dr. Fischer with the honor for his public attainments and commitment to excellence “which have contributed to mankind in a manner which is congruent with the mission of Loma Linda University Health,” said Dr. Richard H. Hart, president of Loma Linda University.

Everyone’s smile is powerful. A smile can break down barriers, cut through tension, make a stranger feel welcome, and lift a friend’s day. The problem is that many people are too self-conscious to show their unique smile to the world, and Opalescence whitening is on a mission to change that. Whether someone has coffee- or wine-stained teeth, teeth that are a little crooked, or a smile flanked by dimples large or small, everyone has a reason to celebrate their uniqueness. Something that often helps those who are self-conscious about their smile is tooth whitening. However, concerns and questions abound about this hot topic: Will whitening damage my teeth? Exactly how white can I get my teeth? How long will the whitening last? Is the chemical used in tooth whitening toxic? We’re here to help, and in doing so, help your patients embrace their most confident, powerful smile. Let’s get right to it.

One of the most important things that being an American gives me is freedom. Having grown up in, and then subsequently leaving the FLDS society–which was very oppressive and ultra-conservative, freedom is a big deal to me. The more in balance freedom and responsibility are, the more they work together towards good.

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. Today we talk to two longtime Ultradent employees, Steve Clark and Olga Mencnarowska. Read their stories below about working at Ultradent Products, Inc.

On Thursday, May 24, we gathered to celebrate the 25th work anniversary of one of Ultradent’s finest, most loyal employees, David Kendall—known to most as simply, “Dave.” David Kendall receiving “25 Years of Service” Award from Dr. Fischer Throughout his years at Ultradent, Dave has made himself indispensable for his expertise, knowledge, integrity, care, hard work, and innovation in each and every one of the many roles he has played. Some of these are roles he created himself because he saw a need and stepped up to fill that need. That is the embodiment of innovation!