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KaVo Innovation By: Angelika Goeppel, Marketing Manager, KaVo America

Seizing tomorrow’s opportunities calls for leadership. It means taking off the blinders of ‘what is’ in order to see ‘what could be.’ Leadership is looking beyond prevailing products, current services and the dental market’s dynamics. At KaVo, leadership means creating unique innovations that deliver dental excellence.

“The best way to predict the future is to invent it.”
- Alan Kay, Apple Computer

Sometimes you need more than incremental improvement—much more. Sometimes you need to innovate, leapfrog the competition, revolutionize the industry and create the future.

KaVo innovations come from a deep level of dental understanding accumulated over nearly 100 years of business in dentistry. KaVo goes beyond what current customers say they need because these customers may not know what is possible. Their innovations solve problems that customers either may not realize they have or may not know could be solved. These innovations create needs and expectations and once customers start using them, they get turned on to the possibilities.

The Proof
 A sign of KaVo America’s success is that it is one of the fastest growing dental companies in the U.S. Over the past 25 years, KaVo


KaVo America recently opened its new showroom and training facility in Lake Zurich, Illinois. It is used for dealer training, along with product demonstrations to schools, dentists and laboratory owners.
has attracted scores of U.S. dentists to its products and has become America’s #1 choice for handpieces. In many ways, the KaVo brand has become the mark of innovation and performance, as their products are the choice of the contemporary clinician.

KaVo’s remarkable success, as measured by its product adoption and popularity, has been marked by:

  • A commitment to dental understanding
  • Innovative engineering and design
  • Exceptional manufacturing quality
  • Service excellence

    “Besides extraordinary people, KaVo’s core competency has been innovation. With over 2,100 patents and countless industry ‘firsts,’ innovation has been our hallmark,” says John Franz, CEO/President, KaVo America.

    Some companies replicate today’s technology, but only a few innovate by designing for tomorrow. KaVo delivers radical innovation. Advancements that have the power to change dental professionals expectations, alter industry economics and redefine the basis for competitive advantage.

    John DeMark, Director of Sales - Laboratory Products, states, “There is nothing more important than innovation. We are constantly identifying opportunities so that we can be continuously moving forward to create value for the dental professional.”

    At KaVo, innovation is seldom the product of a single individual’s intellectual brilliance. With over 130 full-time engineers at the German headquarters, backed by more than 3,300 committed people in 21 subsidiaries worldwide, the KaVo team relies on an extraordinary degree of collective dental understanding and non-dental engineering pragmatism to deliver breakthrough innovations. Very few dental companies can boast of an environment that spawns true innovation. For KaVo, it is a way of life.

    A true measure of its legacy of innovation is that many of KaVo’s new products have become so embedded in dentistry that they have generated new ideas and standards. For instance, the “optic high speed handpiece” (1982) was a dental first as was “glass rod” technology (1989) and the “MULTIflex coupler” (1977). In fact, the current industry standard E-type connection was developed by KaVo (INTRAmatic A, 1976). And, lest we forget “laser caries detection” (DIAGNOdent, 1998) which has experienced tremendous popularity and become a standard of care with many Townies and progressive dentists nationwide.

    KaVo has become a benchmark within the industry. Invariably, when another manufacturer introduces a new product in a KaVo product category, they use KaVo, and its terminology, as a comparison for immediate credibility.

    DIAGNOdent is seen as the #1 investment by many Townies, like Dr. Kurthy...

    “The DIAGNOdent is a no-brainer!! Dollar for dollar, it is THE most profitable item in my practice. I use it VERY effectively in my marketing, and my patients are impressed beyond belief! I explain how it works – I explain that I've NEVER found it to be wrong, so when the sound goes off, their eyes get large and they say, "Is that a cavity?" I was worried how my patients would react – it's a non-issue. They LOVE the idea of catching decay early. It's a win-win (I LOVE win-win's!). Every day without a DIAGNOdent costs you! Like I said – it's a no-brainer.”

    Rodger “Rod” Kurthy, DMD
    Author of 'The No-Coupon 'Marketable' Dentist',
    Mission Viejo, CA



    KaVo Brings It All Together
     At first glance, many dentists equate KaVo with top-of-the-line handpieces like the incredibly popular new high speed handpiece GENTLEforce LUX 6000B or the award winning 649B, 647B and 635B. But, KaVo offers so many more logical extensions.

    Today’s contemporary clinician looks to KaVo for a complete, integrated system of choices and solutions. In turn, when they buy a system, they buy into a company that is absolutely dedicated to dental excellence by making procedures faster, easier and better.

    Just a few examples of KaVo’s approach to operational integration are:

    • The environmentTM - A total approach to operatory design and ergonomics that includes innovations in dental chairs, lighting, delivery units, stools, cabinetry, and a state-of-the-art, fully integrated multimedia system with medical grade flat-screen monitor and intra-oral camera.

    • The MULTIflex Coupler - A core component for total procedural flexibility to include high and low speed handpieces, SONICflex sonic system, PROPHYflex hygiene, RONDOflex microdentistry-air abrasion, CORONAflex crown and bridge removal, and more.

    • ARCUSdigma and PROTAR articulator - A computerized system to analyze jaw movements and precisely replicate articulation for superior prosthesis development.

    • In-Office Lab - An exceptional, integrated selection of in-office laboratory workspaces (MASTERspace), lighting, seating (SENsit), handpieces (K4/K9) and dust extraction (SMARTair).

    • ELECTROtorque plus – Brushless electric motor technology provides a maintenance-free electric motor with two programmable speed settings.


    The ELECTROtorque plus brushless
    electric motor system is one of KaVo’s
    top sellers since the October 2002
    introduction.

    “Dollar-for-dollar, KaVo products like the environment operatory system are one of the best equipment values in dentistry. With a high performance-to-cost ratio and impressive returns-on-investment, KaVo products are better by design,” notes Bill Kochelek, Director of Sales – Equipment Line.

    Popularity From An Enthusiastic Community
     While innovative products are its tangible hallmark, KaVo’s momentum is directly related to its customers and their enthusiasm for using the best solutions for their needs. Dentists’ preferences are reflected by the products they purchase. Companies that have the right stuff experience continuous growth. Obviously, KaVo is doing a lot of things right as noted by the company’s double-digit growth during the 1990s and on into the 21st century.

    An indicator of this popularity is that many product users recommend KaVo to their colleagues. Like DentalTown, KaVo’s advocacy group is enormous. In fact, peer-to-peer recommendations by Townies have been an instrumental part for KaVo’s growth. For example, the meteoric rise of the DIAGNOdent, an innovative laser caries detection system, has been due in large part to the dialogue and genuine feedback exchanged by Townies regarding this paradigm shift.

    Today, KaVo products are highly recommended by lecturing clinicians and recognized by independent evaluators like CRA, REALITY and The Dental Advisor. Routinely used in dental schools, institutes for advanced dental education and in thousands of U.S. dental practices, KaVo products and services appeal to dentists looking for the best combination of utility, comfort and durability.

    The Most Important Player
     On the front lines of KaVo innovation is the technical sales force. Nationwide, KaVo has 41 highly regarded representatives, 4 regional technical equipment experts and 4 laboratory specialists supporting more than 400 local distributors. The average tenure of these individuals greatly exceeds dental industry norms and this experience translates into consistently high service marks.


    KaVo’s certified technicians use only the most advanced equipment and genuine KaVo parts to ensure that your instruments remain technically superior.

    Oftentimes, innovation comes from this direct, hands-on approach combined with a complete understanding of all aspects of the dental industry and profession. This familiarity cannot be developed from a distance. Studies, reports, surveys, graphs and measurements do not do it. People do.

    Rick Maynard, Vice President - Sales, states, “It is not just a product but a favorable experience that brings customers back and attracts new users. Our organization’s esprit d’corps is evident in our sales force, our customer service group and our highly supportive dealer network. We have one of the best trained, most responsive group of people servicing our customers and that makes an enormous difference in our professional relationships.”

    Clearly, KaVo’s people are one of the most important ingredients of the company’s success.

    We Are Just Getting Started
     KaVo’s commitment to constant innovation is reflected in its ongoing investment in research and development. As a result, a significant portion of KaVo’s sales are from products introduced within the past five years. That represents a lot of on-target innovation that leads to more sales and in turn, more resources for research and development.

    “We have the right products for the right customers. As a result, our quality innovations generate word-of-mouth that travels amazingly fast. Most dentists recognize that a quality product delivers quality results and that is what we deliver,” comments Jennifer Pottala, New Products Manager, KaVo America.

    In your pursuit of dental excellence, KaVo has the momentum to make a difference in your practice today and for many years to come.

    Editor’s Note: For general information
    on KaVo’s innovative products and services,
    contact KaVo: (800) 323-8029
    www.kavousa.com
    info@kavousa.com

    For specific questions, email the author,
    Angelika Goeppel, Marketing Manager,
    at goeppel@kavousa.com.

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    September 2025
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