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Corporate Profile: Den-Mat Benjamin Lund, Editor, Dentaltown Magazine

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"We want our customers to do business with us because we are committed to help them practice dentistry with greater ease, help them build better practices and, most importantly, provide them with tools to help create optimal patient outcomes."

Den-Mat CEO
Nicholas L. Teti Jr.
Den-Mat, one of the most recognizable brand names in the dental profession, has undergone quite a bit of change in a short amount of time. In December 2007, a transaction was finalized in which DLJ Merchant Banking Partners (DLJMB), a private equity investment affiliate of Credit Suisse, acquired a majority interest in Den-Mat. This change brings about a more traditional form of management and essentially relaunches the company - which will positively affect offerings like its continuing education courses, and new technologies such as LUMIsmile. Den-Mat's new CEO Nicholas L. Teti Jr. recently took the time to answer some of our questions.
Nick, what are the short-term implications for the new change in management?
Customers can expect change in the way Den-Mat operates. With new capital behind the company, it was the intent that a new management team, more in tune with running a company in a more traditional sense, was going to be put in place to build on the prior success of the company and put an aggressive growth strategy in place.
What are the long-term goals for the new management company?
The primary goal of the new management is to put plans in place to assure that Den-Mat is in the best position to lead a progressive movement in dentistry to provide a safer, healthier and aesthetically attractive smile. This will entail major emphasis and change in how this business operates. We plan to continue the tradition of the company leading the way in innovative new technology, improving our current products and developing new products. We will also continue our focus on aesthetic dentistry, providing ever-improving tools dentists need to create healthy, beautiful smiles and programs that will not only help position them as leaders in cosmetic dentistry but optimize the value proposition in their practices and to their patients. A major focus on education and the delivery of such education will be a major initiative of the company. A much stronger emphasis on customer service and on the key customers that have made Den-Mat successful will be an aspect of the company that will be palpable and very noticeable to the dental community and particularly to our customers.

What benefits will be immediately apparent to existing Den-Mat customers?
Again, we believe this change in management will be felt very positively by our customers. It is our intention to relaunch the company with new media, new educational programs and improved delivery of service in a way that it will enhance our customers practices. In addition, closer personal attention to our customer base will be a primary objective. We are beginning to increase our staff and sales representatives and adding high quality training to those who work in the field to provide even more individualized attention to our customers. We are streamlining our customer service systems, allowing for more fluid communication between customers and representatives. We are also introducing new branding material and presenting a fresh face to consumers, which will increase interest in our products and the traffic dentists receive with patients requesting our products.

Will the change in management provide new reasons for dentists to become clients of Den-Mat?
We very much believe so. We want our customers to do business with us because we are committed to help them practice dentistry with greater ease, build better practices and, most importantly, provide them with tools they need to create optimal patient outcomes. Den-Mat has a history of being the leader in technological innovation, direct-to-consumer advertising and development of proven and reliable products. Improvements in all aspects of this business should be apparent to our clientele over the next few months as we relaunch the company. Improved customer service, cutting-edge technology, state-of-the-art educational programs and a new media and promotional campaign should speak for themselves to the market, and help dentists grow, identify and connect with their patients for their practice.
  
What is Dr. Robert Ibsen's new role at Den-Mat?
With the change in management, there is room for Dr. Ibsen to focus on his true passions in the company - education and research and development. He will maintain his professional license and continue to place Lumineers on patients, providing the smiles that are the core of this company. He is staying involved in planning and hosting events for dentists, specifically teaching Lumineers techniques in continuing education courses for dentists and remains chairman of the board of Den-Mat Holdings, LLC.

Nick, what experiences have you had in the dental profession prior to taking the position of CEO at Den-Mat?
I have spent my entire 30-year career in the healthcare industry where I have held a variety of positions mostly focused on marketing, clinical development, education and general management. I spent 25 years in the DuPont Pharmaceuticals business from 1976-2000. I started as a sales representative and after many assignments over those 25 years, ended up as president and CEO of the pharmaceuticals division until 2001 when DuPont sold the business to Bristol-Myers Squibb. My experience at DuPont was invaluable to me as I held many positions both technical and geographic that provided me significant depth of experience with many different specialties and situations. After working at DuPont I became chairman and CEO of Inamed Corporation in 2001, a leading medical device company. We transformed that company from a device company to one where the focus was on aesthetics, obesity interventions and education. Inamed was quite innovative in raising the awareness and potential of the aesthetics marketplace. The success of that program over five years ended with Inamed being sold to Allergan in 2006 for more than $3 billion. The position I held before I came to Den-Mat was running Isolagen, Inc., a biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing emergent, novel skin and tissue rejuvenation technologies. While I have had broad experiences across the health care industry, I have never held a position in the dental industry until Den-Mat.

Please describe the Lumineers Smile Discovery Program (LSDP).
LSDP is a unique turnkey program designed to help dentists optimize the operation of their practices, particularly in the application of Lumineers. The major goals of this program are to help dentists gain quality referrals for Lumineers, assist them in promoting and merchandising their practices more efficiently and profitably, and provide tools to their staff to help better manage their offices. The tools provided not only assist in generating interest in Lumineers and closing cases, but also extend to all areas of their practice. Over the next several months the company will make major investments in new programs that further amplify everything mentioned above. We will step up, in a significant way, our commitment and dedication to helping this elite aspect of our customer base be successful. Novel and innovative programs are being designed to make every aspect of this program more valuable to the LSDP dentist. LSDP is for our dental customers who place Lumineers or want to place them, as well as utilize our other aesthetic products, like our Sapphire line, with the intent of optimizing the potential of their cosmetic practice. The LSDP program helps position them as leading cosmetic dentistry providers in their areas, and creates top-of-mind awareness of their practices within their communities.

What is LUMIsmile?
LUMIsmile is a digital imaging system that allows patients to see what their smile will look like with Lumineers. Patients and dentists can preview what they would look like with a set of Lumineers.

What do patients receive with a LUMIsmile digital image? What is the advantage of having something like LUMIsmile?
LUMIsmile offers two levels of imaging. Patients can get a smile from our extensive library of smile images superimposed over their image, so they can see what the general change will be. Or patients can get a customized image in which their photo is altered to give a personalized visualization for their new smile. The program is a tool dentists can use to gain the confidence of patients so they can make a comfortable decision about moving forward with their case. The LUMIsmile guides patients and doctors toward what we call the Lumineers Moment - the point in time in which the doctor's expectations and the patient's expectations are on the same plane, and the patient is excited to move forward and achieve the change they see in their image. We are also developing a program in which dentists will be able to receive a LUMIsmile image within 30 minutes, helping to maintain a patient's immediate interest and increase the closure rate for their Lumineers cases. A test pilot of this program is projected for later this summer.

How accurate is a LUMIsmile image compared to the finished result using Lumineers?
A person's smile is one of the most noticeable things about them, and changing it creates a dramatic change in their overall appearance. While a photo can offer a strong representation of what their new smile will look like, it is still a photo and a projected idea, and will differ from the real thing - the actual shading, the feel of the veneers in their mouth, and the final overall look will not be precise in the photo. Yet, a LUMIsmile assists greatly in visualizing the change and being prepared for the reality of what can be accomplished with veneers.
What types of CE does Den-Mat offer?
Currently, Den-Mat offers three types of continuing education programs that train dentists in every aspect of Lumineers, including case identification, treatment planning, placement, finishing, and marketing Lumineers within their practices. We offer destination education courses, which are three-day workshops with cosmetic dentistry leaders where dentists can learn these techniques at resort locations across the country. These workshops include live-patient placements viewed via LUMIcast; Cerinate Smile Design Workshops, which are two-day hands-on workshops held all over the country; and Live Patient Placement Courses held in Santa Maria, California, where dentists can learn hands-on, watch over-the-shoulder live patient placement, and can bring their own cases in for evaluation and input. In addition to the current slate of programs, our team is committed to enhancing our education offerings through the creation of the Lumineers Academy. These offerings will focus on more chairside training through a variety of mechanisms, interactive courses focused on technique of placing Lumineers. In addition, we will be utilizing the Internet in a much more provocative way to assist dentists in their areas of interest.

There are many more places today for GPs to receive CE on a variety of topics, what does Den-Mat offer that's unique?
We are the only company that offers such in-depth, hands-on, and extensive education on everything about Lumineers. No other course offers the same level of learning.

Your company has expressed interest in the overlap of dental aesthetics and other specialties like dermatology and plastic surgery. How can Den-Mat help dentists bridge that gap?
The entire aesthetics industry is seeing an evolution toward less or non-invasive procedures. I see a significant overlap in the dental and dermatology and plastic surgery areas on the horizon. The tremendous utilization of wrinkle-correcting agents like Botox, Restylane, Juvederm, Radiesse and laser therapy have created a new and robust market in the United States and around the world. The one and most important element missing from this movement, at least in the press, is a beautiful smile. Without great teeth and a great smile, all of the applications of the above mentioned products will only take you so far. My feeling and one of my personal objectives is to make sure that the consumer who utilizes these products fully understands that there is a noninvasive procedure and product on the market that can complete the beauty of the face - that being Lumineers. Places like the dental spa and the med spa, where patients can receive a new smile and other facial and spa treatments at the same time, is a burgeoning movement in aesthetic industry. Den-Mat is paying close attention to this aspect of the industry, and is developing programs for assisting dentists and patients who want to pursue this type of service.

What is your strategy to compete with other whitening systems on the market?
Den-Mat was the pioneer in professional whitening, starting with the first ADA-approved product on the market - Rembrandt Whitening. We will continue to provide innovative, healthy, fast, effective, and comfortable products for patients and dentists.
Many dentists, including Dr. Gordon Christensen, have stated that the light has little or no impact on the effectiveness of bleaching treatment. How do you respond?
We have multiple clinical studies that show the effectiveness of a light with bleaching, illustrating as much as an 86 percent increased efficacy by using the light. Additionally, leaders in the dental industry have noted the effect a light has on patient perception of the quality of their treatment. When a patient expects the “full treatment” when they pursue bleaching, and with the increased speed of the Sapphire Whitening, it only makes sense to utilize the Sapphire Supreme PAC Light as part of the treatment. Beyond the whitening power of the Sapphire Supreme Light, it also cures restorations more solidly than other lights in only three to five seconds. And Dr. Gordon Christiensen has shown that dentists can save as much as $40,000 a year in chairtime by using the Sapphire Supreme. This makes the light both highly efficient and versatile, and therefore an important tool in any dental office. The Sapphire Supreme Light is also undergoing research and development to increase its versatility - we are creating a component on the light that will allow it screen for oral cancer, and be used in multiple other areas. Our multiple awards and more than 12,000 satisfied customers confirm that the Sapphire Supreme is indeed effective.
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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