It was 20 years ago that Brian Wilk, D.M.D., a self-proclaimed “doer” and hard worker on a mission to change the face of dentistry, founded Highpoint Dental Medicine in Chalfont. Creating and artfully cultivating his family and cosmetic dentistry practice has been a labor of love, as well as one of necessity.
Following his graduation from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Wilk began his career as a core part of various dentistry practices. It didn’t take long, however, to realize that he didn’t necessarily like what he was seeing.
“I was in a few different offices, and I felt that there were a lot of things done not as well as they could be in terms of informing and educating the patients in an organized manner,” he says. “There were a lot of things that fell through the cracks.”
So, to seal the cracks, Dr. Wilk founded Highpoint Dental Medicine in 1992. Instead of buying into or taking over a pre-existing practice, he started his own from scratch to create an environment where patients are assured of the highest standard of care without what Dr. Wilk calls “any preconceived notions of what a dental office should be like.”
With the knowledge and skills of two practicing partners, Jill Zurek, D.D.S, who heads the pediatric dentistry practice, and Richard Titlebaum, D.M.D, a gifted endodontist, Highpoint Dental Medicine provides complete and comprehensive dental care for individuals of all ages and needs.
“This approach truly provides a dental home for our patients,” Dr. Zurek explains. “They start here at a very young age and get comfortable with the office and, as they grow, they can stay within the same practice. It also helps us see different things as it relates to their oral health as they are growing and changing.”
The team’s 3,500-square-foot facility—already twice expanded—boasts eight treatment rooms, two of which are equipped for pediatric dentistry, with cheerful hand-painted murals adorning the walls. The office is also completely paperless, with patients’ records and information all stored on iPads. This allows the practice to function as efficiently as possible for the benefit of patients and staff members alike.
“Our work is based on prevention and education,” says Dr. Wilk. “We follow the way it’s supposed to be done and we don’t take any shortcuts.” In doing so, the team strives to help patients maintain the healthiest natural teeth possible by providing the highest-quality dental work. “[Going to the dentist regularly] is the cheapest way to take care of your mouth,” he adds. “A small filling you need today could be the $1,400 crown next year. In the long run, [waiting] is not the way to go.”
The team offers an array of services: oral-cancer screenings, crowns, dental implants, bridges, inlays, onlays, scaling and restorations, among others. In addition to the obvious health benefits that come from these preventative techniques used by Dr. Wilk and his team, their cosmetic work enhances patients’ smiles. From teeth whitening, straightening, repairing, bleaching, bonding, veneers and Invisalign, the practice does it all.
Whitening has been one of Dr. Wilk’s specialties for decades. In fact, he has his own whitening system called Enlighten that will debut in early 2013.
“It has been a career-long process for me,” he explains. “I started whitening teeth in dental school in the late ’80s and started working on my own whitening product in the late ’90s before [Crest] Whitestrips actually existed.”
When Crest introduced Whitestrips to the marketplace, Dr. Wilk put his whitening product on hold, unsure of how to compete with the worldwide brand. Ten years ago, however, Dr. Wilk received a call from a Crest rival with an offer to buy the trademark of the product he had developed, ultimately presenting him an offer that he could not turn down. “I wasn’t allowed to compete with them for a number of years [after selling the trademark],” he says, “not that I was going to compete with corporate America anyway.”
Armed with the freedom to develop, market and sell his very own whitening product, Dr. Wilk will see his work with Enlighten, which is a cross a retail and professional whitening system, come full circle.
“Right now you can purchase Whitestrips or you can go to the dental office and get in-office whitening or custom-made whitening trays with gels,” he explains. “My product is going to be a hybrid between the consumer world and the professional world. It is going to be sold in the consumer environment, but every location will have a local dentist supporting the product. [The dentists] will get to be part of the process and products, which they can also sell in their office.
“One of the biggest things about this product is how this will improve dentists’ relationship with patients,” he continues. “It brings in a patient that cares about the way their smile is and that’s what dentists want. They don’t just want a patient that only comes in when they’re in pain, but they want patients that come in because they care about the way they look and the way they feel.”
Between his comprehensive and preventive methods of analysis and treatment, Dr. Wilk emphasizes the constant need to keep up with the very best technology in order to have the greatest success.
“The future of dentistry is to have a large group practice,” he explains. “Because the technology is so expensive, it’s hard to afford for just one dentist. But by having multiple dentists and specialists we can afford certain technology that’s very difficult to otherwise afford.”
The goal—and, more importantly, the end result—of this approach: the most successful outcomes for the procedures and treatments his team performs. And that’s something Dr. Wilk’s patients can smile about.
Highpoint Dental Medicine
200 Highpoint Drive, Suite 220
Chalfont, PA 18914
Phone: 215-822-1866
Web: www.hightpointdental.com | www.enlightendental.com
