POH just returned from the Chicago Dental Society’s Mid-Winter Meeting.
Robert G. Jones, DDS, the founder of POH, attended the 100th Chicago Dental Society meeting fifty two years ago. The Chicago Dental Society always held a special spot in my Dad’s heart. At his lectures, he would always tell his audience to “Go to the Mid-Winter. The Dentist’s that attend that meeting are serious. They want to learn something to help their patients. No other way to explain all those Dentist’s from all over the World going to Chicago in the middle of Winter.”
So, accompanied by his friend Fuller Warden, DDS, Dad was off to Chicago. On a prop plane, in the middle of Winter. Remember those times. Cold war. Nuclear testing. Segregation. Rampant caries. Edentulous thirty year old folks. Hard, stiff bristle toothbrushes. Dental floss was rarely found in America’s medicine cabinet. Charles Bass, MD’s first paper on the prevention of dental disease was almost twenty years old.
Dr. Jones was determined to ask the esteemed, almost all male, group of Chicago Dental Society Dentist’s to consider Dr. Bass’ findings. And to try his new POH toothbrush and dental floss. Doc Jones knew a soft, polished bristle toothbrush would be a hard sell. The ultra fine, multi-filament, zero additive unwaxed dental floss might as well be from Mars. That CDS meeting was indeed a long shot for this young Dentist from Tulsa, Oklahoma. But the ideas have taken root. The message spread from Chicago. People started to follow their family Dentist’s orders and clean their teeth.
Disclosing tablets by POH were also introduced in the middle of Winter. The days of fuchsin red powders that had to be mixed, then inevitably and indelibly stained everything it touched were a thing of the past. Kids could be taught to brush away the red to clean their teeth. Grownups could look in a mirror and see the places they missed after they cleaned their teeth. Dentist’s could check to see if any correction was needed in a patients personal oral hygiene method. Education sessions were short and sweet, because now patients knew that a secret little world lived in their mouth. Now the public could be effectively educated on the facts of personal oral hygiene. More importantly, they could understand why they must clean their teeth. Especially when they learned that in almost all bacterial ailments of the heart, the source is the pathologic and infected environment of the teeth. These ideas too have taken root. The message spread. From Chicago.
POH introduced Percept® black dental floss during the middle of Winter in Chicago. Now, being able to show a patient plaque removed by flossing was possible. Having patients quit flossing because they saw blood from debridement on the floss was a thing of the past. POH wondered how the men and women of the Chicago Dental Society would react. Today, the idea has taken root. By the way, Percept® comes in handy single use sachets, and is being happily used in Dental offices to check Class III restorations for perfection.
POH recently offered refills for our cute little floss dispensers. Slip off the cap, swap the floss, done. Some Dentist’s have taken to telling patients to bring in their POH container. Seeing how much floss is left tells a tale to Dentist’s. Sometimes. Today the environment is better off than yesterday because of refills. POH works really hard on that environment part. That is why our toothbrush handle stock is made from a cellulosic polymer, not petroleum based. The refill idea caught on among POH flossers. Refills were also introduced in the middle of Winter.
In 2017, POH proudly announces that fact that the tiny brads that hold our Dupont nylon bristles in the handle stock are made from a roughly 67% copper alloy. Copper, being well known for having anti-microbial properties, is simply the best material to use. It won’t, of course, eliminate infection in your patients mouth. It will degrade the ability of nasty germs to set up their secret little world on your patients toothbrush. Announced, once again, in the middle of Winter. As word spreads from Chicago, Let’s watch what happens this time!
As a Dentist, you will know if our products disrupt and disorganize plaque better or not. Being a small, still family owned business, POH leaves to the other guys the business practice of using your money to pay for a massive marketing campaign to advertise “Oral Care/Health & Beauty” products right back to you. Besides, talking with a small but influential group of dedicated professionals has always worked better for POH.
When you call POH, don’t be surprised by a human answering the phone who is ready to help, or find someone who can. 800.331.4645.
For their supplies, your patients can call, too. Or they can use the online store only for them:
www . BuyPOH . com.
Remember, all POH’s products, for domestic or export, not some fraction, are made in Tulsa, by POH. POH knows you cannot hire out quality.
POH would love to hear your story about your practice. Write me personally. Bob @ BuyPOH . com. We have a POH story history from Dentist’s going back fifty five years.
Robert G. Jones II
President
Oral Health Products, Inc.