Heartland Dental Grows to Support over 900 Dental Offices in 2018

EFFINGHAM, Ill., Feb. 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Heartland Dental, the nation’s largest dental support organization (DSO), strengthened its standing as a leader in dentistry through a number of record-setting milestones in 2018. From reaching more than 900 supported offices and achieving the largest deployment of digital intra oral scanners in the country, to closing on a majority position investment from KKR, the Company continues to add value for its growing network of approximately 1,400 supported dentists and 11,000 team members.

“Every year I’m amazed by all that we accomplish together, and 2018 was no exception,” said Patrick Bauer, Heartland Dental President & CEO. “We were honored to see so many outstanding dentists chose to become supported by Heartland Dental in 2018 and were pleased to offer them industry leading non-clinical services. Last year we joined forces with KKR as our majority investor. With its backing, we continue to reshape the field of dentistry. Tens of thousands of oral health patients in hundreds of communities are positively affected everyday by the work of our supported dentists and their teams. It’s our mission to position them for success, and I can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store.”

Record Number of Supported Practices
In December 2018, Heartland Dental crossed the threshold of 900 supported offices—its largest number of supported offices to date. This includes the addition of more than 100 new supported offices between the onboarding of affiliations and openings of newly constructed offices. Heartland Dental supported practices extended their reach into 37 states in 2018—the largest number of represented states to date, which includes the additions of supported dental offices in Oregon, North Carolina, and Washington.

The Company was also pleased to open a non-clinical support hub in Indianapolis in 2018. This was its first location for administrative services outside of its Effingham headquarters.

Digital Intra Oral Scanning, Invisalign^® and More
Heartland Dental supported practices led the industry in 2018 in the deployment of digital scanners, primarily the iTero^® intra oral scanner, and in Invisalign^® cases—further enabling supported dentists to focus on enhanced patient experiences.

Digital Intra Oral Scanning — Heartland Dental’s commitment to positioning its supported offices to create lifelong, oral health relationships in the communities they serve culminated in 2018 with the record-setting deployment of more than 900 digital intra oral scanners in 91 percent of its supported dental offices. The initiative represents the single-largest installation of iTero scanners across a health network to date.

“Digital scanners enhance convenience for patients through greater precision in oral health procedures”, said Bob Mongrain, DDS, Heartland Dental Director of Clinical Advocacy and lead practitioner Berkshire Dental Group, a Heartland Dental supported office in Broken Arrow, OK. “The scanner’s ability to simulate orthodontic outcomes, arguably, is one of its most engaging features. Patients can visualize the status of their oral health and ways to improve it. When you add in the fact that impressions can be made digitally and more accurately, scanners are vastly improving patients’ dental office experiences.”

Invisalign — Heartland Dental supported doctors are improving the smiles of patients of all ages and case complexity. More than 90 percent of Heartland Dental’s more than 1,400 supported dentists offer Invisalign clear aligners, representing the largest network of Invisalign providers in the U.S.

Education, Events and Training – Adding to its lineup of educational courses and events, in 2018 Heartland Dental introduced Launch in 2018, a forum for third-and-fourth year dental students. The selection-based event offers qualifying applicants a weekend of learning from prominent dental and business leaders. Additionally, the Company further developed its Winter Conference with turnout exceeding 1,500—its largest attendance to date for the annual meeting that welcomes all Heartland Dental supported dentists, dentistry service providers, and more.

Charitable Giving — Heartland Dental and its supported offices contributed to many charitable causes through events such as Free Dentistry Days and other charitable activities that give back to local communities across the country. In total, over $2 million was given in charitable donations and free dental care. In addition, the company continued development of the Heartland Dental Foundation, rolling out the Employee Care Program. The program aims to help supported team members in need, for example, those who have experienced hardship from weather related disasters, unexpected illness, etc.

KKR Investment
In the spring of 2018, KKR became Heartland Dental’s new lead investor, recognizing the company as the country’s premier DSO. KKR’s resources and investment widened the pathway for Heartland Dental’s support to dentists, which helps them provide high-quality care to communities nationwide. Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, which previously held a majority interest through a period that saw Heartland more than double the number of supported dental offices, today retains a sizable minority position and Board seat.

About Heartland Dental
Heartland Dental was founded in 1997 by Rick Workman, DMD, who opened his first two dental offices in Effingham, IL. Today, Heartland Dental is the nation’s largest dental support organization providing non-clinical administrative support services to 1,400 supported dentists in more than 900 dental offices across 37 states. Heartland Dental partners with its supported dentists to deliver high quality care across the full spectrum of dental services, and is majority owned by KKR, a leading global investment firm. For additional information, please visit us online at heartland.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

About Align Technology, Inc.
Align Technology designs and manufactures the Invisalign® system, the most advanced clear aligner system in the world, and iTero® intraoral scanners and services. Align’s products help dental professionals achieve the clinical results they expect and deliver effective, cutting-edge dental options to their patients. Visit www.aligntech.com for more information. For additional information about the Invisalign system or to find an Invisalign doctor in your area, please visit www.invisalign.com. For additional information about iTero digital scanning system, please visit www.itero.com.

About KKR
KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy, infrastructure, real estate, and credit, with strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns for its fund investors by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests its own capital alongside the capital it manages for fund investors and provides financing solutions and investment opportunities through its capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional information about KKR & Co. Inc., please visit KKR’s website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.

About Ontario Teachers’
With $193.9 billion in net assets as of June 30, 2018, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is the largest single-profession pension plan in Canada. It holds a diverse global portfolio of assets, approximately 80 percent of which is managed in-house, and has earned an annualized gross rate of return of 10.1 percent since the Plan’s founding in 1990. Ontario Teachers’ is an independent organization headquartered in Toronto. Its Asia-Pacific region office is located in Hong Kong and its Europe, Middle East & Africa region office is in London. The defined-benefit plan, which is fully funded, invests and administers the pensions of the province of Ontario’s 318,000 active and retired teachers. For more information, visit www.otpp.com and follow us on Twitter @OtppInfo.

Media Contact:
Adam Lueken, Corporate Communications
(217) 540-5664 or alueken@heartland.com

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SOURCE Heartland Dental