A confident smile has the power to change lives. It can open doors, create new opportunities, and improve mental well-being.

When Ultradent and Opalescence™ whitening’s founder Dr. Dan Fischer introduced our first whitening gel to the dental market 35 years ago, he hoped the brand would inspire increased confidence and joy in patients and users as they more freely shared their smiles with the world.

Opalescence whitening’s trademark sticky, viscous gel formula, which was released in 1990, stayed on the teeth unlike many whitening competitors at the time, producing more effective whitening results.

Whether it's through professional whitening or cosmetic dentistry, restoring confidence in a smile helps people feel more like themselves. They show up more empowered, more joyful, and ready to face the world. Today, we continue to believe brighter, more confident smiles can change the world.

Opalescence whitening family of award-winning products.

At Ultradent, we have witnessed firsthand the transformative effects of Opalescence whitening, minimally invasive esthetic dentistry, and the importance of listening to the needs of those we serve.

The Story That Started It All

Dr. Dan Fischer didn’t initially set out to create a revolutionary whitening system for the masses. Instead, his motivation came from a much more personal place, his own daughter Jaleena. At 14 years old, she frequently asked her father, "Dad, what can we do to make my teeth whiter?"

Of these vulnerable, often challenging adolescent years, Dr. Fischer often says, “Going through the teenage years can be tough on humans, and it's important that we as clinicians be sensitive to their needs."

Understanding the importance of self-confidence, Dr. Fischer and his team developed the very first Opalescence whitening gel. Unlike any other products on the market at the time, the gel’s trademark sticky, viscous formula stayed in place on the teeth.

To test the gel’s effectiveness, Jaleena applied the gel to one side of her upper arch so they could compare the whiteness of both sides in the morning. The results were astounding. "It was one of those 'Wow!' moments," Dr. Fischer recalls. "On the side with Opalescence teeth whitening gel, her teeth had gone from an A3 shade to an A1 overnight." He continues, “From that moment on, my daughter was excited to smile, and I knew this was going to change many other lives like hers for years into the future."

Sure enough, Opalescence whitening continues to live up to Dr. Fischer’s initial hunch 35 years later. In fact, it is now the global leader in professional teeth whitening,¹ with over 100 million smiles brightened.²

Jaleena grew up to become Dr. Jaleena Fischer-Jessop, a passionate, skilled, and caring practicing dentist, as well as Ultradent’s chief clinical officer. She now proudly carries forward Dr. Fischer’s and Ultradent’s legacy of helping transform lives through the power of innovative, patient-centered products.

Dr. Jaleena Fischer-Jessop and her father, Dr. Dan Fischer, celebrating her graduation from dental school at Loma Linda University, Dr. Fischer’s alma mater.

A Smile Fit for an Olympic Champion

Confidence in one’s smile extends beyond everyday interactions; it can define a career. Dr. Fischer experienced this firsthand when he met two world-renowned Olympic athletes who changed his life and vice-versa.

Oleg Protopopov and Ludmila Belousova, often referred to as The Protopopovs, skating in the 1968 Winter Olympics.

He recalls, “I had the opportunity in the late 1980s to meet a fabulous couple from Russia, Ludmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov, who are two-time Olympic champions and four-time world champions in couple’s ice skating. Looking back at photos of them, I noticed that Oleg rarely smiled with his lips open. He always hid his teeth."

Ludmila and Oleg, with Oleg displaying his classic closed mouth smile to avoid showing his teeth

After developing a close relationship with Oleg and Ludmila, Oleg asked Dr. Fischer to perform a full-mouth reconstruction for him.

Oleg Protopopov, prior to his full-mouth reconstruction by Ultradent’s founder, Dr. Dan Fischer.

When it came time to choose a tooth shade for Oleg, Dr. Fischer initially suggested a more natural- looking A3 shade. “However, upon looking at the shade guide, Oleg went immediately to the lightest shade and excitedly declared, ‘I want A1!’” Fischer says. “I tried to talk him out of it, saying, ‘Oh Oleg, trust me. It wouldn’t look natural. They taught me in dental school that I shouldn’t make them too light. Trust me, I know what I’m talking about.’”

 Dr. Fischer adds, “I finally got him to compromise on an A2 shade, upon which I went ahead and made a full set of crowns. It was only after the A2 crowns were made that I had an important epiphany. I had screwed up. Oleg Protopopov grew up behind the Iron Curtain where athletes were their homeland’s celebrities, and he and Ludmila, his wife and skating partner, were the biggest that the Soviet Union had ever seen! I realized right then and there that Oleg, as a performer and a star, had always wanted A1s. I immediately destroyed the finished A2 crowns and made a whole new set of A1s, with which Oleg was thrilled.”

 After that, it seems Oleg never stopped smiling.

Oleg proudly displaying his confident, white smile beside his wife, Ludmila.

Oleg’s insistence served as a lightbulb moment for Dr. Fischer. “This was a huge lesson for me in a few different ways,” he says. “I often say that care is the majority of the meaning of love. If you subtract care from love, love ceases to be love. You have to care in major ways to love in major ways.”

“Another part of that equation is the importance of listening to the needs of those we serve. Initially, I hadn’t truly listened to Oleg, and the importance of that difficult lesson has stayed with me and bettered me as a dentist and as a person ever since,” Fischer says. “Seeing his confidence after getting the A1 shade smile he wanted all along really drove that home for me in a profound and meaningful way that I’ll never forget.

“We've found over the years that it can be life-changing when someone whitens their teeth or has their confidence restored through restorative dentistry. It’s amazing to see.”

The Power of a Smile in Mental Health

Dr. Fischer often says, "There is one human health that will always, always be more important than dental health, and that's mental health." Many individuals struggle with self-esteem due to dental imperfections, especially the color of their teeth. Studies have shown that a bright, healthy smile can improve confidence, social interactions, and overall mental well-being.³

The difference a smile can make for not only the person sharing it, but also for the receiver, encompasses a universal form of communication that all humans understand. Dr. Fischer says, “A thousand words can be communicated in an instant with a smile. It’s a fabulous communicator! It radiates the inner feeling and soul of the other person, and it enables them to communicate beyond words, and it can accentuate a person’s words in an instant. It is so powerful.”

Ultradent, Opalescence whitening, and Dr. Fischer have long emphasized the profound effect a confident smile can have on ones’ mental health.

Ultradent and Opalescence whitening continue to take Dr. Fischer’s credo to heart when developing products for the people we serve. “They light up our lives, these humans we call patients.” Dr. Fischer often says, his sincerity evident. It’s this care, passion, and conviction that spurs us on to create better, more convenient, more responsible, and more effective products, year after year. It’s not about the money. It’s about the people we serve.

A Commitment to Care

The mission of Ultradent’s restorative products and Opalescence whitening goes beyond cosmetics. Whether it's a teenager looking to increase their confidence or an athlete wanting to shine on the world stage, our innovative, minimally invasive products empower individuals to smile without hesitation.

With Opalescence whitening in its fourth decade and as Ultradent celebrates 47 years in business, we continue to believe in the life-altering power of a confident, healthy, white smile. We look forward to many more years of spreading the joy of a smile and improving the lives of patients across the world through the power of a confident, purposeful smile

References:

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3. Afroz S, Rathi S, Rajput G, Rahman SA. Dental esthetics and its impact on psycho-social well-being and dental self confidence: a campus based survey of north Indian university students. J Indian Prosthodont Soc. 2013;13(4):455-460. doi:10.1007/s13191-012-0247-1