Three Dentists Walk Into a Bar

Robert Martino

LET’S START AT THE BEGINNING: THE BIRTH OF A COMPANY

Three dentists walk into a bar… Have you heard that one before? This is not a punchline for a joke; it’s the story of how a revolutionary rinse started. Dr. Rick Downs, DDS, Dr. Berdj Kiladjian, and I were at a national study club meeting, and, like most dentists, we were talking shop. One of us brought up the subject of chlorhexidine, how much they hated it, and how there were no alternatives. Dr. Downs finally said, “Let’s invent one” and the rest, as they say, is history.

Dr. Downs (aka “the Scientist”) had already done many hours of research on the subject and knew what could work. He asked, “What would we need for this to work?” Dr. Kiladjian (the Clinician) was adamant that we must have studies that prove the rinse works. I (the Businessman) stated that we could have the best rinse in the world but that wouldn’t matter unless we had a strong business plan.

Two years later, we launched a dental company with this mouth rinse called OraCare. Although today OraCare is a successful company with thousands of offices switching from Chlorhexidine and millions of patients using our rinse, there were many challenges starting a business. This is the story of our entrepreneurial journey and the lessons that can be learned.

LESSON 1: IS THERE A NEED? CHLORHEXIDINE IS A VERY FLAWED PRODUCT

This is the first question every entrepreneur should ask when thinking about developing a product or service. For us, the answer was an easy one, YES. No one loves chlorhexidine and there were no alternatives.

We knew chlorhexidine was a good bacterial killer and was designed to treat gingivitis, but it had many side effects and contraindications. Most people do not like chlorhexidine because of the staining, some don’t like it because you can only use it for 2 weeks, and others don’t like low patient compliance because of the taste. That, along with calculus buildup and temporary to permanent taste changes, has many dentists and hygienists wishing for an alternative.

Additionally, major problems exist when people use it off-label for things like post-extractions, post-implant placement, or periodontal treatment. Studies show it inhibits fibroblast and delays healing. We felt chlorhexidine was a flawed product whose time had passed.

LESSON 2: KNOWING THE BUYING CRITERIA. THE PERFECT RINSE CRITERIA

Every product or service has a reason for customers to buy it. This is called the “Buying Criteria”. You must know your customers’ wants and needs for the product or service you are developing. By knowing the Buying Criteria, you can have a step up on your competition.

We each had our own ideas of what would make the perfect rinse. Sure, we all agreed that the rinse should kill bacteria, fungi, and viruses and do this with no side effects. But, we each brought our own perspective on what we wanted the rinse to do. I championed the idea that it needed to be strong enough to kill the microbes but gentle enough to be used every day. I felt that to overcome or to maintain diseases in the mouth you have to fight them daily. Dr. Kiladjian wanted to make sure it broke up biofilm because he felt anything can kill bacteria but you must first break up the chain that is holding the bacteria, which is biofilm. Dr. Downs insisted that the rinse neutralize volatile sulfur compounds. He felt they were the key to preventing healing in the mouth. Together, we settled on this list:

• Taste good enough that the patient uses it

• Can be used every day

• Kill Bacteria

• Kill Viruses

• Kill Fungi

• Neutralize volatile sulfur compounds

• Break up biofilm

• Little or no side effects

• Does no harm to the host

We also made some “business” decisions. This would be a professional rinse with the main objective to replace chlorhexidine. It would only be sold to dental professionals, so they could properly instruct patients on the benefits of OraCare.

LESSON 3: GET IT RIGHT BEFORE YOU SHOW THE WORLD. DEVELOPING AND TESTING THE PRODUCT

Once you have what you want your product or service to do, it’s time to develop it. Once you develop, then you must test and refine. When we developed our rinse, we had over 20 itera- tions until we settled on the formula we were happy with. After you have decided on the final product, you then must test the product or service.

Does it work like you planned? Are there any surprises, good or bad? Do you need to make any changes? Now is the time to adjust before you release the product to the masses. And once you have released it, you still must test and adjust. To this day, we test every batch and, every now and then, we make adjustments. Your product or services should never be done.

LESSON 4: KNOW WHO YOUR CUSTOMERS ARE. WHO REALLY CARES?

Knowing who buys your product/service can be different than who cares about your product/service. This is especially true in dentistry. Our product is one that definitely helps patients and yes, they care about it. But if they use it daily, they will have less biofilm, less bleeding, and less calculus. This makes prophies much easier. This is one of the reasons hygienists were our early adopters. OraCare makes their job easier on many different levels. In addition to breaking down biofilm, killing bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and getting rid of VSCs, our rinse has no negative side effects, unlike its rival chlorhexidine. This really matters to hygienists. For years, their only option was to use chlorhexidine which adds more staining and increases calculus formation. Now they have a product that is great for their patients and makes their job easier. Find out who really cares about your product/service. This can determine your marketing strategy and even your final product. Not knowing who really cares about your product/service is one of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make.

LESSON 5: YOU CAN HAVE THE BEST PRODUCT IN THE WORLD BUT…

...If nobody knows about it, then it will be a failure. You must market your product/service. Before you spend a dime on marketing you must answer these questions:

• Who are you marketing to?

• Why would they care?

• What is your unique selling position (USP)?

Who are we marketing to? Because we chose only to sell to dental professionals, this made us a Business-to-Business product (B to B). This is a very different strategy than selling to consumers (B to C). As we said previously, hygienists are our primary cus- tomers so we know what they want and how our product affects them.

Why would they care? OraCare will make their jobs easier and their patients healthier.

What is our USP? It kills bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and breaks up and prevents biofilm. It eliminates VSCs which cause bad breath and delays healing. It reduces calculus buildup and bleeding which ensures easier prophies. Our rinse does all of this without the side effects of chlorhexidine.

If you can answer those 3 questions, it is time to start your marketing campaign.

LESSON 6: NOW PROVE IT - CLINICAL, SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIAL PROOF

Once you have tested your product/service, you now must prove that it works. The best way to do that is with scientific studies. This will get people to try it. Once people try it, then you will get clinical proof. When we started out, we did many studies in vitro to make sure our product killed the same bacteria as chlorhexidine. We got great results. In fact, it killed bacteria much faster and with only 40 parts per million compared to 1,200 parts per million of chlorhexidine, making our rinse much safer.

We then turned to studies on patients. We have gotten great results (Study on VCSs, OraCare vs Brushing Alone) and that has attracted more dental professionals to try and believe in our brand.

Now that many dental professionals are using it, we started to build a library of clinical proof. This came in the form of testimonials from both patients and dental professionals and amazing before and after pictures.

As more and more offices started using OraCare, the news of this great product spread via word of mouth. This may be the best proof. Everyone wants science and clinical proof, but if all my friends are using a product or service, then I better check it out.

LESSON 7: DO I HAVE EVERYONE I NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL? WHO’S ON THE BUS?

When you first start a company you have to have multiple roles to make the company successful. At first, you may have to do all of those roles. As your company grows, it is wise to hire experts to help your company thrive. We have a great board that guides us on the big decisions and a great team that comes up with the ideas and makes sure they are implemented. All of us are smarter than one of us!

An important hire for us was not an employee but a consultant and his company. We were doing great but hit a plateau so we needed someone to help us grow. We hired one of the best firms for helping dental companies get to the next level, Dr. Lou Shuman’s Cellerant Consulting. Not only has Lou helped us with our marketing and growth, but he is a crucial member of our team. Just remember, as you’re starting a company, you don’t have to know everything. Sometimes you can lean on experts to get you to the next level.

LESSON 8: IF YOU BECOME SUCCESSFUL, YOU ARE OBLIGATED TO GIVE BACK. ORACARE CARES

OraCare is now used in thousands of offices and it continues to grow every month. Because we laid out a plan and followed it, there were few surprises; however, we did have a major surprise and it has turned into a wonderful thing.

We are constantly getting testimonials, but we started getting ones that had nothing to do with what we intended our product to be used for. People were telling us that OraCare helped them get through cancer treatment. It helped with dry mouth and eliminated fungal infections. It alleviated sores and burning sensations. This was an amazing outcome. We were so proud that our product, in some small way, could help patients who were going through one of the toughest times in their lives. We decided we wanted more patients to benefit, so we started OraCare Cares which works with dental offices to provide free OraCare to their patients that are suffering from radiation or chemotherapy. We give away thousands of boxes every year. Real entrepreneurs give back and that should be part of your culture.

THE FINAL LESSON: IT’S NOT BRAIN SURGERY…

Success leaves clues. You may have to invent your product or service, but you do not have to invent how to succeed. It’s not brain surgery, but even if it is, there is probably someone who has been there before you. Seek them out or at least copy them. As entrepreneurs, we have opportunities all around us. Some of those can even be found in a bar. Cheers!