TriAgenics

TriAgenics wants to put an end to painful, costly wisdom-teeth removal surgery.

Every year, five million Americans must endure wisdom teeth removal or treatment. In fact, more than eighty percent of all wisdom teeth eventually need to be removed.

The problem is, the removal process can be dangerous. Side effects include dry socket (this is when a blood clot that should form after tooth removal is dislodged before the wound heals, exposing underlying bone and nerves and leading to extreme pain), bacterial infections, or damage to teeth, nerves, and jawbone.

The removal process is also costly. U.S. expenditures associated with extracting wisdom teeth and treating wisdom teeth problems are more than three billion dollars a year. Furthermore, patients often underestimate recovery time. On average, they miss two-and-a-half days of work or school.

TriAgenics has created an alternative removal option.

Its system is called Zero3 TBA. This minimally-invasive procedure is designed for children ages six to twelve and aims to prevent wisdom teeth from ever forming. Here’s how it works:

First, a dentist takes two TBA guides and sits them on the patient’s teeth (these guides look similar to night guards or dental retainers). Then, a special disposable microprobe is placed on the wisdom tooth bud and used to apply pressure. A thermal dose gently warms the tooth bud, making extraction easier without damaging nearby teeth or nerves.

The treatment process takes sixty to ninety seconds per tooth bud. And the overall procedure is estimated at thirty minutes start to finish. There are no stitches, no significant recovery times, and no complications expected (based on animal studies).

TriAgenics has completed a pre-production prototype of its system and received thirteen U.S. patents. R&D is completed with 100% success in preventing tooth formation in animal studies. Now the company is preparing to apply for FDA 510(k) clearance, followed by human clinical trials.

TriAgenics aims to begin generating revenue this year. Licensed dentists will send TriAgenics their patients’ x-rays and a prescription for the Zero3 TBA treatment. The company will then fabricate custom 3TBA guides and sell them to dentists for around $350 per tooth bud treated.

Team Background

Leigh Colby - President & CEO

Prior to starting TriAgenics, Leigh was Founder & CEO of Oregon Dental Care, a dental practice that was eventually acquired by InterDent, where he then served as its Managing Clinical Director.

Before that, Leigh was involved with three high-tech startups that all remain in business today. In 1980, he was the Founder of Laserdyne Corporation, makers of the Beam Director laser-machining system, the top-selling general-purpose laser-machining system in the world. From there, he worked with Cyberoptics Corporation, makers of a non-contact laser gauging product.

In 1986, he was Vice President of Marketing with Surmodics, a medical-device company, where he helped revenues reach close to $100 million annually. Surmodics is currently publicly-traded (Nasdaq: SRDX).

Leigh earned a Bachelor’s degree in Dentistry and a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Minnesota, as well as an MBA from Bushnell University.

David Watson - Director & Chief of Operations

David has twenty-five years of leadership experience.

He spent fifteen years with IBM, working in engineering, manufacturing, and product-development roles. Additionally, he was Director of Technology at Planar Systems, an electronics-manufacturing business.

More recently, he was Director of Manufacturing at Biotronik, a medical-device company making pacemakers. He was then Manufacturing Director at Nanosphere, a biotech company producing molecular diagnostics equipment.

David holds a Bachelor’s degree from California Polytechnic State University and a Master’s degree in Mechanical Systems from the University of Texas at Austin.

John Chopack - Board Member

John has been recognized as a “40 Under 40 Medtech Innovator” by Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry Magazine.

In addition to his role with TriAgenics, he is Vice President of Corporate Development with Neoss, a dental-solutions company headquartered in Europe. Before that, he was a founding partner at Inspiros Ventures, a venture-capital firm focused on companies in the medical-technology sector.

John has twenty years of experience in private equity and investing in medtech companies. As a general partner with Healthpoint Capital, he played an integral role in the $800 million firm’s most profitable investments.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Lafayette College and an MBA from Fordham University School of Business.

Co-Investors