At a time when the cost of just about everything is going up, two Dentist/Inventors have decided to buck the trend, and hopefully, as a result, put smiles on lots of faces across the country. Dr. Maris J. Lans and Dr. Daniel E. Purvis, both former classmates and graduates of Howard University College of Dentistry in Washington, D.C., have invented and successfully patented a new approach to replacing missing teeth, The Monodont Bridge. A decade into their mission to make one of the most expensive procedures in dentistry more affordable, the Profession, and the general public are finally taking notice. “We’re definitely on the Dental radar screen now” commented Dr. Lans, who recently retired from private practice to devote all of his time to traveling around the country giving seminars on Monodont Technology to Dentists, Dental Laboratory Technicians, and the general public. Conservatively estimating that he has driven well over a million miles, Dr. Lans quips “You don’t want to buy a used car from me because I assure you…it’s very used!” Dr. Lans has always been optimistic that this new technology would eventually become available in every dental practice throughout the United States. “I really couldn’t afford to retire from private practice at the time that I did, but I also couldn’t afford not to dedicate every minute of my day and ounce of my energy into seeing this dream become a reality. I’m glad I stuck with it.”
So apparently are thousands of their colleagues and their Monodont patients nationwide. Recognized Dental evaluators have praised this new approach, and it consistently receives high marks from both patients and practitioners alike. “At the start of the new millennium, The Surgeon General of the United States published the first ever report on the state of oral health in this country”…says Lans. “In that report, what was brought to light was the sad reality that just about one half of the general population no longer visits the dentist on a routine basis. Many disparities in the oral health of our citizens exist along lines of race, demographics and economic resources”. A brief excerpt from that report: “While our Nation has experienced significant improvements in oral health over the past 50 years, the benefits have not reached all Americans equitably. The Surgeon General calls for a national partnership to increase the nation’s capacity to improve oral health and eliminate oral health disparities.” ”We set out to make at least one very sought after dental procedure more available for more people. The Surgeon General at the time challenged the Dental Profession, and the Technical and Manufacturing industry that support it, (which our fledgling company is now involved in on all three levels), to come up with solutions to these issues. We took this challenge quite seriously, and we feel that we are taking a significant step in the right direction” commented Lans.
“The innovation is actually quite simple, and it is just that simplicity that allows the replacement of a missing tooth to be accomplished for a fraction of the cost of currently available treatment options” says Dr. Daniel Purvis, the other half of the Monodont brain-trust. The procedure requires two appointments, the first one is merely to take an impression, and the second is to install the bridge; and that appointment usually takes less than thirty minutes. Dr. Purvis, who is a Veteran Army Dentist, and now runs private practices in Indianapolis, maintains one of those practices in the inner-city.” My patients simply cannot afford thousands of dollars for an implant and a crown…but that doesn’t mean that they have to wear an uncomfortable plastic removable denture (commonly referred to as a “flipper”) or be esthetically crippled without a tooth” says Purvis…who looks a lot like Skitch Henderson.” In my neighborhood, if you need a bridge, you’re probably going to be getting a Monodont”. On a busy day, Dr. Purvis places between six and ten Monodont Bridges in addition to all of the other work that goes on in his very busy practice. “There are days when I’d love to have “Mars” (Dr. Lans) in here helping me, but he’s on the road spreading the word…which is what he’s good at…he’s in his element whether in front of a crowd of Dentists at a Convention or a crowd of Farmers at a County Fair”.
“It’s those face to face meetings that are the most effective means by which to share this new technology.” Adds Lans. “We’d like to have the resources to run ads in every widely read publication in the country, but we don’t…and until we do, we’re going to keep on wearing out automobiles and shoe leather…there’s simply no substitute for the good old tried and true methods of grass roots marketing”. Dr. Lans currently tools around the country in the affectionately labeled “Monodont Mobile”. The message is clearly spelled out with eye-catching graphics on all sides of what used to be a plain vanilla Dodge Cargo Van. “Missing a Tooth?” “MONODONT BRIDGE” “Ask Your Dentist!” The phone number on the Monodont Mobile rings inside the van. Dr. Lans says that callers are surprised to have a real Dentist, let alone the Co-inventor answer the phone. “Hands free”, says Lans “Imagine that, a dentist doing his job “Hands free”…kind of funny, when you think of it.” He freely gives advice, adamantly encourages people to visit their Dentist and the Monodont website at www.monodont.net to see if they would be candidates for a Monodont Bridge. “The amount of action that this vehicle generates at gas stations, rest areas, parking lots or on the highways underscores the need for this procedure. I consider each person that learns of the approach to be a huge success, especially when it results in a person who hasn’t been to the Dentist in ten or fifteen years to get motivated to do so again”.
Monodont Technology is starting to be available in Veteran’s Administration Dental Clinics around the country, as well as Public Health Facilities, and Military installations. Dr. Lans has given lectures to all of the branches of the Military over the years. “The Military is one of the biggest HMO’s (Health Maintenance Organizations) in the country” says Dr. Purvis; “it’s only natural that they would be interested in a procedure that saves them money as well. Base Dental Clinics throughout the world have been given a mandate to do more with ever-decreasing budgets; the Monodont is custom-tailored to suit those needs”. Both Dr. Lans and Dr. Purvis are still waiting for that “one big lucky break” as far as public exposure. “Our ultimate ambition is to be on The Oprah Winfrey Show with a patient at the top of the hour missing a front tooth. We look forward to having a dental chair in the studio with a Chicago Area Dentist placing the finished Monodont on the half hour, at which point we hope that the nation’s phone lines are jammed with people needing a Monodont Bridge calling the Dentist for an appointment”. Ms. Winfrey, are you listening?