Welcome, Dr. Jessop. Let us start with a short introduction; our readers would love to get to know you better.
I have been a practicing clinician for 22 years, and am also a proud mother of two beautiful daughters, both now in their twenties – time truly does fly. My marriage spans 31 years, and interestingly, I met my husband here at Ultradent. He is over our Research and Development department.

My entire life has been immersed in the realm of dentistry in various capacities. From the inception of our family business, I've been consistently involved, though not always in view. I find my comfort zone behind the scenes rather than in front of the camera, a trait I inherited from my mother’s side. Despite this, stepping into the public eye is something I am still adapting to.

Interestingly, my passion for dentistry has been a constant throughout my life. I began assisting my father in his practice at the age of 12, and being around it for so long has allowed me to truly enjoy and cherish the honour of taking care of people.

As Chief Clinical Officer at Ultradent, can you share your vision for leveraging your 22 years of clinical practice to contribute to the global improvement of oral health?
Being the Chief Clinical Officer is just a title, but it provides me the voice to influence our education and research initiatives in a direction I find valuable. I firmly believe that the cornerstone of progress lies in education, whether formal or informal. Currently, our focus is on extending our influence within the dental community, advocating for our vision of preserving tooth structure, and prioritizing the well-being of patients. In a world where people are living longer, which is truly fantastic, our goal is to conserve more of what nature has given them, rather than solely what the dentist can provide.

You've highlighted the importance of minimal invasive dentistry as a key aspect of your practice. Alongside aesthetics, how have you integrated these principles into Ultradent's strategy for developing cutting-edge products?
I would say it is because it aligns with my practice philosophy. When we are involved in product development, our focus is consistently more additive than subtractive, in terms of the patient’s anatomy. Whenever our engineers or chemists propose a new product, one of our initial considerations is whether it will maintain or subtract from the conservative approach. Striking a balance is crucial. While I do not want to convey that I have never performed lab processed procedures like crowns or veneers, I tend to defer such interventions to a later stage in the patient’s life whenever possible. I love exploring alternative options to see if patients can achieve their desired outcomes without more invasive measures, and often I find that we can, and they are thrilled to know its an option.

Many individuals express dissatisfaction with their teeth, but often, simple interventions like teeth whitening and minimal corrections can not only save them money, but also contribute to their overall health. This mindset is integral to everything we do in development here at Ultradent. It would be tempting to pursue shortcuts if we didn't prioritize this perspective, but we understand that no materials we create can surpass the innate qualities we are born with.

Amidst trends advocating enamel removal and bonding alternative materials, we excel in our bonding materials, but we emphasize that this should be the secondary path, not the primary one. The primary path, where possible, should always be preventive procedures such as cleanings, fluoride treatments etc.

Your talent for recognizing outstanding clinicians has contributed to building Ultradent's Clinical Affairs team. Can you share some insights into how this team dynamic enhances Ultradent's commitment to innovation and excellence?
Trying to build this team was a simple idea. The challenging part, as usual, was choosing the right people. We aimed to have team members who are confident, and who have a voice. Doctors who share our vision, but aren’t always exactly like mine, so as to avoid sticking to just one path. However, we do try to strike the balance to bringing in varying perspectives that are still in harmony with our overall vision. It's important that they don't have too much ego, which can be tricky. When we earn a doctorate degree, sometimes ego tags along. We must be ready to face failures whenever we try new things or make changes. Failures are part of the process, and we need to learn and move on.

Culture plays into our team building decisions too. All the doctors we've hired globally to help us innovate and expand our vision are not only skilled professionals, but also kind individuals. They've become our friends. It's wonderful to know they're representing us worldwide, perhaps even better than we could. Working with each of them has been an honour.

Could you shed light on the initiatives and specific products you plan to champion in your role to meet the varied oral health needs in different regions around the world?
While I can't share everything we're working on, I can say that we’ve been working on many of our projects for years. Sometimes it might seem like we're holding back, but it's because we want to make sure our products meet our high standards before we release them. For example, we developed an all-in-one adhesive to make oral healthcare simpler and more affordable. But we won't release it until it meets our values and competes well with our other products. I'm proud that our company isn't just about making money; it's about making a positive impact. We focus on research and creating innovative, quality products, while maintaining our integrity and ethics to improve oral health.

How do you intend to remain at the forefront of the dental materials and equipment field, given the dynamic and highly competitive nature of the market? Could you shed light on your approach to ongoing innovation and delivering solutions to clinicians worldwide?
Innovation is always happening. Think about medicine, not just dentistry – everyone is looking for new ideas. It's like a long time ago when people thought they'd run out of things to invent. But you never know where the next great idea will come from.

We've worked on innovations for 10 or even 20 years, behind the scenes. Sometimes, we wait for technology to catch up before releasing a product, like our Valo™ X curing light.  It took time for LEDs to be what we needed. Innovation is always happening, and I'm not worried that we won't be innovative enough. Just know we don't follow every trend; some just aren't us.

In our constant conversations about making things better, our goal is to do good dentistry and focus on preventing issues rather than fixing them. Every doctor finds gaps in their practice - things they need.

If we talk about a specific product, for me it’s our J-Temp™, a temporary dental resin that's not expensive and that covers various needs without wasting money on multiple products. Nothing can be more frustrating for a doctor than throwing something away because it has expired. Often having to stock multiple products can cause this issue. Developing products that can cover more procedures helps with this issue.

J-Temp helps in emergencies when you don't have time for proper dentistry. It's about buying time, not being rushed so you can perform a quality treatment. It's the same with other products, like our sectional matrix system Halo™. The Halo system produces anatomically shaped contours that helps dentists spend less time shaping and finishing restorations, allowing them to see more patients. Or like Transcend™, our new universal composite that allows for a beautiful shade match with just one universal body shade. It saves time, allowing dentists to see more patients. Our goal is to make life better for dentists and patients. No patient wants to spend more time in the chair and no doctor wants to extend chair time longer than absolutely necessary. This is some of what we're working on improving.

While we acknowledge the need for discretion regarding upcoming launches, are you able to offer any insights, hints, or share potential products or ideas that we can anticipate in the upcoming year?
At the IDS 2025 next year, we're planning to make improvements to things we already have. We also have some behind-the-scenes projects that align with our focus on preservation. We recognize that dental issues, especially with gums (perio problems), are becoming more common as people live longer. So, that's where a lot of our attention is right now.

As a global company, how important is the Middle East region to Ultradent?
It would be wrong to say we're working on improving global oral health care and forget about the Middle East. So, whether it's Africa, the Middle East, or Asia, we're trying to reach these places. As a small company in Utah, it's challenging to cover the whole world, but we're growing and striving. Education is key, and we're also working on reducing our costs so we can ship our products more affordably worldwide. We understand that incomes vary depending on the country, and our goal is to find ways to make our products accessible to clinicians in different places around the globe. This is an ongoing discussion for us – how to make sure our products can reach those who need them.

The most recent buzzword “Artificial Intelligence” has become popular across all industries. What are your thoughts on AI in dentistry? From an Ultradent perspective but also personal?
I think AI is amazing, especially how it can work alongside dentists. However, I wouldn't want it to make all the decisions. There's a personal touch and emotion in dentistry that AI can't fully grasp. It's a great tool for things like treatment planning and reading X-rays, which can make us better clinicians. The final decision however still rests with the dentist. It's a valuable tool, but shouldn’t be the one making the diagnosis – that's still the clinician's job.

I also think about chatbots and other new technologies. A different world is coming, but we need to be careful about the information we trust. Not all sources are reliable. For example, if you don't limit your sources and check their credibility, the quality of your work suffers. I want to ensure we always keep this in mind. I'm cautious about jumping on new trends without doing the research and thinking them through. Sometimes, shiny new toys can be exciting, but we need to be careful and thoughtful. That being said, I'm cautiously optimistic about the future.

Thank you for your invaluable insights. Any closing remarks for our readers?
I feel honoured to be part of the community of dentists worldwide. Dentists are unique individuals caring for people, working closely, dealing with anxieties, and addressing serious needs. It requires a lot of patience and care. I genuinely believe dentists are incredibly innovative. Every case and every patient is different, pushing them to constantly come up with new ideas.

So, my message to them is to keep innovating. If there's any way we at Ultradent can assist you, let us know. Dentistry should be a team effort. It's not just us here at Ultradent, but dentists worldwide contributing to the vision of improving global health. Reach out if there's anything we can do to make that vision a reality in your area too.