Pulpdent celebrates 70 years of dental innovation
BOSTON-- PULPDENT Corporation, a family-owned dental research and manufacturing company, celebrates its 70th anniversary this year. Pulpdent is the leader in bioactive dental materials that look, act and feel like natural teeth and provide direct benefits to patients.
Pulpdent's mission to save teeth and promote good health began with Pulpdent founder, Dr. Harold Berk. By the time he was eleven years old, Harold Berk had found his calling: dentistry. Years later he told his family that as a young boy he "wanted to fix children's teeth."
Born in 1917 to a family of Eastern European immigrants, Dr. Berk's studies brought him to the Forsyth Dental Infirmary in Boston where he conducted research on dental materials. In 1947 Dr. Berk started to manufacture and market his recently developed Pulpdent Paste, a premixed calcium hydroxide paste still used by dentists today. The company was eventually called PULPDENT Corporation in honor of Dr. Berk's original product.
From the beginning, Pulpdent was guided by Dr. Berk's "mission to save teeth and … help my patients live in comfort and smile with confidence." In the 1970s, Dr. Berk's three sons, Ken, Fred and Don, took over management of the company. Dr. Berk continued to serve as a consultant while maintaining a busy dental practice and teaching at Tufts Dental School.
Dr. Berk saw it as his responsibility "to create an environment that is favorable for the natural healing process." His sons spent years exploring new ways to develop dental products that imitate nature and support oral health. In 2013 Pulpdent launched ACTIVA BioACTIVE™, a dental filling material that behaves much like natural teeth. The material is "bioactive," meaning it stimulates the formation of apatite (the building blocks of teeth), chemically bonds to teeth and helps protect them against decay. ACTIVA™ BioACTIVE has received many awards, including top ratings from The Dental Advisor in 2016.
Pulpdent's offices and manufacturing facilities are located near Boston, MA, just a few miles from where Dr. Berk practiced and taught dentistry. Two of Dr. Berk's grandchildren, Lewis and Leah, recently joined the company, ensuring it will remain family run for another generation.
Pulpdent celebrates its 70th anniversary this year with renewed commitment to product innovation, clinical education, and patient-centered care. Pulpdent products are proudly made in the USA.