SUMMARY OF BUSINESS ACTIVITIES
For
JOHN P. FRUSH, D.D.S.
1935-Graduated School of Dentistry, University of Southern California.
1939-Purchased building at 348 North Olive Avenue, Burbank, California from HOLC
with $450 down and converted it to a Medical Building. Added garage and second floor
apartment in 1940.
1944-While in service aboard USS Eastwind sold Burbank property for $ 25,000
1944-Purchased farm in Iowa while on leave for $ 25,000.
1946-Sold farm in Iowa for $ 40,000
1947-Built Medical Building in San Marino, California. Practiced dentistry.
1951-Visited Switzerland for post graduate course in complete prosthodontics. Learned
about new procedures and products to give the toothless patients teeth which restored
their natural appearance.
1952-Business trip to Switzerland. Landed contract for exclusive distribution of Swiss
dental products in North America. Formed Swissedent Corporation for marketing the
Swiss products, the Swissedent Foundation for training dentists and dental technicians in
the special techniques, and Dentogenic Seminars for promotion of the new concept to
Dental Associations and Schools.
1956-Produced a series of six articles for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry on the
Swissedent technology between 1956 and 1958. There articles became required reading
for the dental student in most schools.
1957-Appointed to the Post Grauate staff School of Dentistry, University of Southern
California.
1960-1963-Gave over 300 courses on clinical procedures and the use of Swissedent
products to graduate dentists and technicians. This included post graduate training at all
but two University Schools of Dentistry in the United States.
1960-Developed a more accurate method for esthetic selection of Swissedent artificial
teeth using a new device, the Alameter. Produced a simplified device and method of
setting Swiss teeth for natural appearance with the Papilla-meter.
1961-Spent time in Switzerland designing a major improvement in the color of Swiss
teeth which he had patented. This was produced as a new physiologic color combination
in a new line of teeth. License granted to Swiss Corporation to manufacture.
1962-Research and developed a method to provided a new chewing system for the
toothless patient to be compatible with the aesthetic superiority of the Swiss front teeth.
This was patented and production began in 1967, named Centrimatic and marketing bean
in 1968.
1964-On invitation Dr. Frush toured Europe giving courses at the University of Dublin,
University of Paris and University of Zurich and was a principal essayist for the
American Dental Association of Europe in Amsterdam.
1967-Purchased real property in Glendale, California, built a 10,000 sq. ft. facility for
Swissedent and the Swissedent Foundation together with clinical research operations.
1968-Began research on an impression system for the edentulous (no teeth) patient which
would improve the current time consuming and expensive clinical procedures.
1968-Started production on the Accu-Dent System of Impression for Edentulous patients.
This system reduced the time of the impression procedure clinically from 2+ hours and
two visits to 15 minutes and one visit by the patient. It consistently reduced the cost of
this procedure to the dental office by at least 90%. This innovative system presented an
entirely new concept of structuring the impression procedure in the dental office. Thus ,
a video cassette was also produced by Dr. Frush on the concept and its implementation.
Its advantage to the patient in preventing pain and long, arduous operative sessions
proved to be a primary advantage over any competitive products.
1970-Accu-Dent Research & Development Company was formed and slid under the
operational umbrella of Swissedent Corporation. It continued its operations there using
the order desk, shipping department and bookkeeping facilities of Swissedent until 1987.
Only manufacturing and management was needed from Dr. Frush. Accu-Dent’s position
within Swissedent’s operational structure made it very profitable for Dr. Frush ($110,00 $140,000 / year) with very little effort. The Accu-dent System played a major roll in
improving the whole Swissedent Prosthodontic procedure and thus its presence in the
Swissedent structure was justified. Part of the manufacturing was done in the Swissedent
facilities while blending of compounds and packaging was contracted to local companies.
1978-1980-Dr. Frush built a home on the Alisal Ranch in Solvang, California in which he
and Mrs. Frush still reside. Management of Swissedent Corporation and Accu-Dent was
relinquished to his son, John Tim Frush. This continued until 1983 when Dr. Frush
again took over.
1987-Began negotiations with Productivity Training Corporation (PTC) in San Jose,
California for the purchase of Swissedent Corporation. The sale of Swissedent to PTC
was concluded on March 6, 1987.
The sale of Swissedent by Dr. Frush to PTC was for the modest sum of $ 960,000 in a
long-term payment. 20% of this went to family stock holders. The conditions of the sale
included retained ownership by Dr. Frush of Accu-Dent Research & Development
Company with its operations Being continued by PTC in the same manner as before the
sale. The high profitability of Accu-Dent products essentially without any fixed
overhead worked very well for Dr. Frush until PTC’s neglect of Accu-Dent orders,
servicing and product physical mis-management caused a precipitous drop in revenue by
1989.
1989-Dr. Frush pulled the company out of PTC to start its independent operation in
Buellton, California together with Lucinda and Chris Baker as President and General
Manger. The usual new operations risk was recognized but in view of the products vast
popularity – even in the absence of proper promotion – and a pool of some $ 250,000 for
initial operations, inventory and promotion, it seemed a viable business decision. The
rest is history.
1990-The Accudent Impression Systems as originally developed was for impressions of
the edentulous (toothless) mouth. There remained to be produced a similar system for the
dentate (with some teeth) mouth. However, this required an additional device to
accommodate the remaining natural teeth in the impression. Dr. Frush designed and
patented (pending) such a device in early 1990 and it was possible to market a totally new
impression system for this market by December, 1990. This system for the dentate
patient was designated Imm/Part. When advertised in the leading US dental publication,
Dental Products Report, in early 1991 it received the 3rd largest response ever generated
in Dental Products Report in its 25 years of existence.
1992-Work has begun on a new product which is needed to further enhance the Imm/Part
System. This product has been continuously requested by dentists during the last two
years that the Imm/Part System has been on the market. The prototype for these products
have been clinically tested and the design accepted.
Funding for the production of the molds has delayed their production.
1994-Funding for the molds was accomplished and the finished product will be
introduced at the Annual Meeting of the American Dental Association in New Orleans,
October, 1994.