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Profile in Oral Health By Trisha E. O’Hehir, RDH, BS, Editorial Director, Hygienetown Magazine

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Paradise Dental Technologies owners Linda and Fred Van de Perre with their children Laura and Melody.
Paradise Dental Technologies (PDT) is a company born of ethics and integrity – and most of all, love and passion for dental hygiene. Fred and Linda Van de Perre, two dental veterans who have the same drive and ambition started the company in February 2000. Since then, PDT has prided itself in making quality, 100 percent American-made dental hygiene/perio instruments. Its commitment to providing the best hygiene instruments for hygienists, patients and even the people who help make these instruments at PDT’s headquarters in Missoula, Montana, is the company’s foremost priority. Trisha O’Hehir recently spent some time with Fred and Linda to discuss the company’s history and its goals for the future.

Lisa Darrow, RDH, CDA, BA

You can consider calling Lisa Darrow the “Option Queen,” as she is always looking for new options when dealing with patients, her own ergonomics, her hygiene career and life in general. She has spent many hours in the dental aisles of the local drug and discount stores familiarizing herself with the vast array of over-the-counter prevention products available to her patients. She tested and compared the products, even drawing up a full chart of all mouth rinses and their attributes – helping her present options to her patients. Darrow also compared dental hygiene products to determine her best options for providing optimal care for her patients, while maintaining good ergonomics for herself. She compared all available instruments, finding that PDT’s instruments held their edge longer than other brands. PDT’s color-coded handles also made her job easier.

After 23 years of full-time clinical practice, Darrow’s body started sending her messages to cut back the clinical days and to seek other career options. Because of her passion for dental hygiene, she didn’t want to change careers, so she tapped into her network of friends and colleagues and found ways to use her clinical experience and expertise as a professional educator for dental product companies. She cut back on clinical practice and began providing lunch-and-learn sessions, visiting offices with information and products, and working at dental convention exhibit booths.


Darrow is also an advocate and member of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association. In addition she is active on her state and local level. According to Darrow, it is critical for hygienists to actively secure, promote and advance the profession of dental hygiene.

Darrow met Fred and Linda Van de Perre many times while working at dental meetings, and connected with them. When she sang the praises of their instruments, it was clear to the Van de Perres that she would make a great sales representative. She is now a territory manager for PDT instruments, covering Michigan and Ohio. Darrow formed her own company, Darrow Dental, and now represents five dental manufacturers in addition to PDT.

In the rare moments when she is not working, she enjoys all kinds of sports, travel and gardening – on a big scale – including a backhoe! Darrow conveys her passion for dental hygiene and the fun she finds in her career and life with her favorite phrase, “keep smiling.”
Hygienetown (HT): Fred, it’s great to see you get involved in the discussions with hygienists on www.hygienetown.com. When you introduced the Montana Jack scaler to our audience, the Townies appreciated your willingness to describe it and send out samples to those who posted in the discussion. The Townies appreciate manufacturers who take the time to connect directly with them through the message boards. Is it accurate to say you’re the personality of PDT and Linda, you’re the brains of the company (laughs)?

Fred Van de Perre: I would say that! Linda is the brains and talent and the class of the two of us. I’m simply the pretty face (laughs). But really, Linda is as creative as I when it comes to sales and marketing. She inputs as much as I do on this level.

Linda Van de Perre: (laughs) We both bring a lot to the table as far as marketing and development. Fred is more visible and an exceptional speaker and communicator. What people don’t see are all the great ideas he brings to us. I would also like to note that he built a lot of our original equipment to start our company.

HT: Fred, how did you and Linda meet?

Fred Van de Perre: We were both in Montreal in 1998 for a dental meeting. It was 8:30 on a cold Canadian morning when we met waiting outside the hotel for our ride to the dental meeting. The ride was late, so we talked and found we had a lot in common. We were excited to find out that we both had the same goals, ethics and drive. Our ride finally showed up and we went to the exhibit hall to set up our booths and by 10:30 that morning I asked Linda to marry me.

HT: Linda, is that true?

Linda Van de Perre: Yes, it is. I told him he was nuts, but I knew in my heart that I loved him immediately. In less than two years, we were married. We’re now a family of four: Fred, me, our daughter Laura who is 11 years old and our baby Melody is now three years old. Fred Van de Perre: It’s true, she totally fell for me (laughs)!

HT: Obviously you were both working in the dental field when you met. What were you doing before you started PDT?

Linda Van de Perre: The dental instrument industry isn’t new to me, I’ve worked in this business for 27 years. From 1980 to 1991, I was the quality manager for the old American Dental Company, and in 1992, I was one of the founders of American Eagle Instruments, Inc. There I was also the quality manager and the national sales manager. I worked with all of the instruments, but enjoyed working with the hygiene instruments the most. I presented the idea and was instrumental in designing the first large-diameter Ultra-light instruments for dental hygienists. The larger, lighter handle designs made a huge difference. This ergonomic design was born from some of my clinical experiences with the Willamette Dental Group and Kaiser Permanente.

Fred Van de Perre: I was one of the founders of Oasis Dental Group in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. I invented a distillation alternative called the EzeeKlean 2.5, that creates one gallon of quality water for the sterilizer in about four minutes. At that time I was very involved with in-line water filters and was quite involved in the research of dental unit water lines.

HT: How did you decide to start your own company?

Fred Van de Perre: The idea came to us after we had been married a while. One evening while making dinner and venting to each other about our respective jobs, Linda said: “If we had our own business based on our ethics and integrity, it would be paradise compared to where we are now!”

Linda Van de Perre: With our focus on ethics, integrity, and a commitment to the people involved – customers, patients, and employees – Paradise Dental Technologies was founded. You will see the paradise theme in the Hawaiian shirts we often wear, and ads with pictures of Hawaii and our “Cruise Line” of instruments. It is paradise having our own company based on our personal values and goals.

HT: I think our readers can relate to the idea of wanting to create a more ideal work environment. Your vision seems to go beyond just your positions and work environment. Tell me what you mean by a “commitment to all the people involved.”

Fred Van de Perre: We, as a company, have an obligation way beyond the financial bottom line. Our obligation extends to our customers who buy and use the instruments; the patients who will have a new and better experience when our instruments are used on them; our employees in Missoula, Montana, who work hard to make these instruments the best they can be; and to our community in Montana where we live and work. PDT wants to build better and smarter in the USA and employ more Montanans.

Linda Van de Perre: The foundation of our commitment to all these people is to produce high-quality, 100 percent American-made instruments that will change the patient’s experience, the hygienist’s experience and the employee’s experience. We are always looking for new technology and design that can benefit all involved.

HT: You’ve added several new instruments to the field of dental hygiene, most notably the Montana Jack, which has become very popular.

Fred Van de Perre: The Montana Jack is named after Jack Clark, who doesn’t live in Montana. Jack is a sales rep and instrument guy in North Carolina who listened to the hygienists he sold instruments to and came to us with an idea for a new thin-bladed scaler for use on both anterior and posterior surfaces. I told him we could only make it if he could guarantee sales of at least 1,500 instruments in a year. Jack told me he wouldn’t have any trouble selling 15,000. He kept his promise and the rest is history!

Also, our redesigned O’Hehir New Millennium instruments are hugely successful with the people that have used them. Some are even saying they are replacing their Graceys.

HT: I understand your business is expanding, seeing as PDT has become a familiar name to many hygienists. What’s happening with the factory?

Fred Van de Perre: In 2000, we started the business in a two-car garage with just three people. We made instruments at night and sold them during the day.

By 2003 we had expanded to six employees and moved out of the garage into a 6,000-square-foot building. This year we have 45 employees and 27 outside sales reps and are planning an extension on the building that will double the size of our factory.

By January 1, 2008 we expect to grow to 60 employees. Despite this rapid growth, we are still a family business and customers can still call up and talk to the CEO. The founders and employees of PDT want to be available and have an open mind for not only professionals with ideas and ideals, but to all who truly care and desire to serve the dental hygiene profession, whether on the professional or the industrial side.
br> Linda Van de Perre: It’s not unusual for customers vacationing in the area to visit us and tour the factory. We welcome visitors. PDT looks forward to expanding from not only being a respected leader in the manufacture and design of dental hygiene instruments, but also to increasing our role as educators and sponsors in the dental hygiene profession. In June 2008, we are planning a continuing education conference in Montana with a balance of clinical courses and outdoor team-building activities. The Big Sky Conference is scheduled for June. Participants will be invited to tour the factory and see just how PDT instruments are made – from start to finish.

HT: What sets you apart from other instrument manufacturers?

Fred Van de Perre: What really sets us apart is that we don’t just stop at ergonomics for the professional, but also for the patient. It is the subtle differences that really define us in our designs. It’s not just the fact that the blade will be radiused, but also the sweep of the radius. Regarding the thinness of the blade, you would be amazed at what 1mm in blade length or .004” in blade width can make in an instrument. Anyone can come up with a sexy handle, but without the rest, you have just another instrument. Our products are designed to adapt better, allowing them to be more patient friendly as well. It is the subtle differences that really make the most impact long-term.

Linda Van de Perre: Our employees are people who really believe and care about what we are doing. They are truly an amazing team. Our technology also sets us apart from other instrument manufacturers. We are not afraid to try new things and push the envelope. Take our heat treating for instance – in 2000, I was told by the creator of our steel that I could not make it as hard as I envisioned. They were wrong. We came up with a heat treat/cryogenic recipe that still sets the standard of quality instrument performance, and we are constantly advancing to uphold our claims that our instruments are the finest you will ever use.

HT: What do hygienists like best about your instruments?

Fred Van de Perre: First, they like the handle, then they realize how long the blade holds an edge. And finally, they realize after trying other brands of the same style (i.e., Gracey) how well the PDT instruments truly do adapt.

HT: Fred, I know you present sharpening courses all over the world. Are you developing any other programs?

Fred Van de Perre: Besides the courses for professionals, Linda and I want to give back to the community, so we are developing a program in Missoula in which PDT employees will visit elementary schools to discuss oral hygiene and secrets about brushing and flossing.

HT: Thank you Fred and Linda for your time and your profound contribution to dental hygiene.
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