Two Companies Team Up to Promote Oral Health, One Dental Home at a Time

Boise, ID, September 24, 2014 --(PR.com)-- According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 1/3 of adults in the US have not seen a dentist in over a year. The reasons for the neglect to oral health vary. In today’s busy society many have good intentions of visiting the dentist, but are unsure where to turn, often choosing at random from a stack of coupon offers received, hoping to find a dental office that succeeds at establishing enough trust to call their dental home. Others simply aren’t aware of the implications of disintegrating oral health, and may not realize the impact it can have on their lives until it is too late.

Two companies have teamed up to promote oral health, one dental home at a time. The Tooth Fairy Company was founded by Edie Higby of Deer Park, Washington. She has been in marketing and community relations for large dental corporations for the past eight years and has worked in some of the most diverse populations nationwide. Higby knew she wanted to make a difference and realized educating the community was key to the success of getting people to the dental office. She started her company with the mission to “Promote Smiles & Prevent Tooth Decay.” Higby has developed a “dental passport” that she hopes to put in the hands of every new parent at time of birth. The passport is similar to an immunization record, only it’s purpose is to document dental health. In an effort to bring awareness to tooth decay prevention, Higby hopes the passport can be placed in the hands of every parent by being readily available through such facilities and programs as hospital maternity wards, WIC offices, Head Start programs and Regional Health Districts. Higby has also written a children’s book series about the Tooth Fairy and all of her adventures, which she is in the process of getting published.

Higby has joined forces as the Director of Marketing and Communications for The Dental Press, Inc based out of Boise, Idaho. The Dental Press specializes in custom dental newsletters that help connect health conscious patients to dentists that truly care and offer exceptional service. The company was founded by Katie Ripplinger, a former dental office manager, who spent ten years preparing newsletters and postcards for her own office. She was shocked to find out from a study prepared by the American Dental Association that one of the top five reasons that people avoid going to the dentist is because they don’t know which one to choose! “I think a lot a lot of people are hesitant to get needed dental work done because they can’t see the quality of the work and have no good way to verify it. I can’t imagine picking at random a contractor to build my house and trusting that they did everything exactly right, but that is what we’ve been asking people do with dentistry.” She knew there had to be a better way.

Ripplinger started the company, The Dental Press, also with hopes that she could make a difference. Finding a dental home is just as critical to a family as finding a family physician and is the foundation of a lifetime of healthy habits. The Dental Press specializes in creating customized newsletters for dental offices, which may be distributed to patients and the dental office’s neighborhood. A newsletter helps patients gain a genuine feel for an office before they even make their appointment by sharing the latest news from the office such as new team members, recent training, new services or technology offered, testimonials and case studies. A newsletter also helps to educate the community about the importance of oral health and establishes the confidence needed to make that call they have been putting off. Let’s face it, only the Tooth Fairy likes to go to the dentist! But it is one of the most important things that we can do for our overall health.

“It can be difficult in today’s busy, saturated world of Internet, TV and radio to determine what is true and genuine in advertisement…and what is not. We are numb even to a good website nowadays; it just all seems so impersonal. There is something so comforting about holding an excellent piece of literature, reading a true story and connecting to the real scoop!” says Ripplinger. “Our mission is to provide a quality product that both dentists and patients can benefit from.”

The Dental Press has a team of quality personnel, as well as professional writers and graphic designers to produce beautiful and effective mailing pieces. “Each member of our staff has extensive experience in the dental field, giving them an extra edge to produce up-to-date, relevant content for quality newsletters on today’s hottest topics in dentistry. I was drawn to Higby’s passion for promoting dental health and knew she would be a perfect fit for our company as our Director of Marketing & Communications,” says Ripplinger. “Together we are going to do great things.”