Louis Malcmacher DDS MAGD Printer Friendly Version

Are You A Dental Inventor?

Common Sense Dentistry

I was recently privileged to present a few courses at one of the best meetings of the year: The Greater New York Dental Meeting. I was part of a panel discussion on controversies in dentistry with Drs. Gordon Christensen, Marty Zase and Gerard Kugel. It was really a unique and interesting format—each of us presented for a short period of time, after which the crowd of a couple of hundred of dentists were able to ask questions of the panel that we would discuss, agree on, and (many times) disagree on.

In every crowd, there are one or two dentists that come up and want to talk about an idea or an invention they have to make the practice of dentistry faster, easier and better. The big question that most of these dentist inventors have is, “What do I do now?” Once you have an idea to share with other practicing dentists around the world, how do you take this idea (which is on paper or maybe even has a patent) and get it to the dental market? Anyone who has ever attempted to go to market with a product knows that is can be costly, with many pitfalls along the way.

Let me introduce you to Dentcubator. This new dental business incubator company was rolled out at the Greater New York Dental Meeting and has made an instant impact. There are approximately 5,000 business incubator companies globally. This is the first known dental business incubator company. Let me explain to you what a business incubator company does. After a due diligence and get-to-know-you process, a business incubator company can develop your product, apply for a patent if you haven’t already done so, help get the product manufactured and marketed, and get it to the marketplace. Did you know that 87% of inventions and products that have gone through a business incubator process succeed in the marketplace? That is a very high success rate considering the fact that many businesses fail within the first year.

Dentcubator is made up of some of the best and brightest minds in all aspects of dentistry, including Steve Buchanan, John McSpadden, Ron Jackson, Sally McKenzie, Lorne Lavine, Sonia Leziy, Ken Malament, Joerg Strub and Mauro Fradeani. What has always been interesting to me is a dental product that is successful in North America may not be successful in the Eastern European, Middle Eastern or Asian markets. Products need to be tweaked for the global dental market to address the needs of different dentists internationally. Dentcubator has dentists and business people from all around the world who know their markets well and have been successful in turning inventions into tremendous business opportunities in the vastly different dental cultures and markets globally.

Dentcubator is focused on identifying and acquiring proprietary interest in promising dental products, providing fledgling dental products with management guidance, technical assistance and obtaining financing necessary for product development and company growth. Dentcubator’s capability is a dream come true for dental visionaries and entrepreneurs who previously had no outlet for their creativity and product development and have wanted to impact the global dental market.

People bring me dental inventions all the time. I look at them only from my singular perspective. If it addresses a need that helps my daily challenges in dental practice, then I think it’s a good idea—but I could be wrong. If the invention doesn’t speak to me at all, but addresses a challenge of many other dentists in the way they practice, I may not even recognize it. That’s why the network in a dental incubator company is so important and worthwhile. A committee of seasoned dental entrepreneurs who have proven market experience can turn a good idea into a successful dental product company.

Do you have a new idea or product that you wrote down on the back of a napkin, already have a patent for, or always wanted to explore? Feel free to contact me at drmalmacher@thedentistsnetwork.net if you are a tinkerer, inventor, or have the next big thing that will change the way we practice dentistry and make our patients lives better. 

Dr. Louis Malcmacher is a practicing general dentist in Bay Village, Ohio, an internationally known lecturer, dental consultant and author, and consultant to the Council on Dental Practice of the ADA. Interested in knowing more about how to truly enjoy dentistry? Click here.

Interested in having Dr. Malcmacher speak to your dental society or study club? Click here.

To reach Dr. Malcmacher, email him at DrMalcmacher@thedentistsnetwork.net or call 1.800.952.0521.

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