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Corporate Profile: Diatech Benjamin Lund, Editor, Orthotown Magazine

More by this author (119)

Customer loyalty, prompt service, price
matching and product guarantees make
up the many facets of Diatech’s success.



by Benjamin Lund
Editor, Orthotown Magazine



From left: Distribution Manager Patti Brunner, Tele-
marketing Coordinator Missy Hayes, Marketing Director
Suzie Bell and President Alicia Leithauser.

In 1985, Swiss-owned Diatech (which is short for “diamond technology”) opened its U.S. headquarters in Hilton Head, South Carolina, primarily for selling gold diamond instruments directly to dentists. In 1996, Diatech moved to Charleston, South Carolina, and began branching out into the dental hygiene and orthodontics arenas. In 2006, after the company resettled in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, it initiated a stronger focus into the orthodontics arena and developed a new line of ortho products called Ortho Solutions. Alicia Leithauser is a Diatech veteran, as she has been with the company for more than 16 years. She began as a customer service representative and worked her way up through management until 2002 when she was appointed president of the company. She remained in the role when in 2005, the company came under new ownership. Orthotown Magazine interviewed Leithauser to find out more about Diatech, its ortho product line, Ortho Solutions, and what orthodontists can expect when working with them.

Alicia, what key innovations has Diatech brought to the orthodontics market?
Leithauser: Our greatest achievements have been our simplest solutions. Diatech was the first to package a combo brush, duo dent, floss, floss threaders, an interdental brush, a four-tuft brush, a travel brush, dental wax, and an angled mirror in a single, compact “Ortho Kit.” Our Ortho Kits are available in four translucent colors – red, blue, green and purple – and make great gifts for doctors to give to their new patients. Sales from our kits continue to increase each year.

Another simple innovation is our Ortho Combo Brush, which is included in each kit. This particular brush features V-shaped bristles on the head to make brushing with braces easier and includes an interdental brush at the tail end for detailed cleaning. Our disposable prophy angles with non-latex cups and tapered brushes have built a reputation for reliability. The mechanics of our angles combine high-strength plastic components with a unique gear system that delivers maximum torque and continuous, vibration-free operation.

What’s your current business philosophy?
Leithauser: Our current philosophy is simple. We’ve modeled our company after our customers’ needs. While other companies create products and then try to hard sell customers on why they need them, we first determine what our customers’ needs are and then develop products to satisfy those needs.

How does Diatech set itself apart from the competition?
Leithauser: Frequent advertising in national trade publications, elaborate trade show displays and flashy packaging costs a lot of money. We’re proud to be smaller than some of those more recognized brands. Because we are able to work with much lower overhead, we are able to pass our savings on to our select customers. We might be less recognized than some of our competitors, but that makes us more exclusive, allowing us to focus our time on fulfilling the needs of our client base. We never want to grow so large that we lose the personal relationships we have with our customers.

Are all of your products manufactured in Switzerland or in the United States?
Leithauser: Our precision gold-diamond burs are manufactured in Switzerland and distributed in the United States. All other hygiene, dental and ortho products are produced in the United States.

Describe your process for developing new products. What steps do you take to make sure they meet customer needs?
Leithauser: Extensive market research is performed to first determine a specific need. We are in the process of implementing new processes that will facilitate increased communication between our team and our customers.

What level of reliability does one of your products need to have before it reaches the market? How do you know when something is ready to be sold?
Leithauser: Each of our products is thoroughly machine tested for reliability, durability and safety before it is passed into the hands of our human testers. Some of the questions we ask before developing a new product include, “Does the product solve a common problem?” and “What is the expected life-span of the product?”

How do you gather customer feedback on a product once an item’s on the market and where should our readers go to get answers to questions or provide feedback on products they are using?
Leithauser: We welcome feedback on any of our products or services. Customer input is at the center of all of our manufacturing decisions. Feedback can be sent via e-mail to feedback@diatechusa.com, or customers are welcome to call our headquarters toll free at 800-222-1851.

Especially in these trying economic times, customer service is a really important aspect in how everyone does business. Can you tell me, when an orthodontist buys a product from you, what kind of customer service can they expect?
Leithauser: Diatech is considered a great value at any price because what you get from your relationship with our team goes far beyond cost. Our friendly, knowledgeable staff guarantees that you always be satisfied with your order. In fact, we’ve put that in writing by offering both a 100 percent satisfaction guarantee and a price match guarantee, which states that should a customer of another brand supply us with their current price point, we’ll happily match the offer.

How can you guarantee 100 percent satisfaction?
Leithauser: Our reputation means everything to us, and, in order to maintain a great reputation, you must have continuously satisfied customers. Any customer who is unhappy with a product may request a replacement or a refund. We’ll do whatever is necessary to make them happy.

How is your price match guarantee accomplished and how does that affect your bottom line?
Leithauser: We urge users of other brands to take advantage of the program. If a customer is in any way dissatisfied with the products or service of the company they are currently buying from, but they are fearful that switching companies will cost valuable time, money and frustration, we’d like the chance to prove otherwise. Diatech can provide the great products, great pricing and an overall great experience that customers want and deserve. We’ll not only match prices, but, most times, we’ll beat them.

For the orthodontists who are currently using your products, what changes and/or upgrades can they expect in the near future?
Leithauser: We like to think that we’ve earned our customer base by providing superior products and listening to our product’s users. One such example is our line of compact head toothbrushes. Some of our customers requested brushes with smaller heads, and those will now be available with the release of our new toothbrush catalog.

If you met an orthodontist on the street who had no idea what Diatech was, how would you explain it?
Leithauser: Diatech is a direct distributor of ortho, dental and hygiene products. But we’re actually in the smile business. Whether we’re offering our customers great prices and superior service – which makes them smile – or we’re providing them with exceptional products used to make patients smile. Any way you look at it, it’s all about the smiles.

How would one of your customers describe your company?
Leithauser: That’s a difficult question to answer. I would hope that our customers feel validated, supported and respected first and foremost. Their opinions do matter. Our company is small enough that the details still matter, but large enough to fulfill even the most complex order with care and accuracy. Our products are competitively priced, reliable and safe.

In what ways are you attracting new clients/customers?
Leithauser: I can’t say too much without giving away our new marketing strategies. I can say this... marketing for the dental profession is about to change. Watch Diatech in the coming months. Join us on Facebook at DiatechUSA.com/facebook to follow our progress.

That’s a bold statement! I’m looking forward to see what you’ve got cooking. So tell me, Alicia, what’s your favorite product that Diatech produces?
Leithauser: Our Ortho Kit is our top selling ortho product. It’s compact, making it extremely convenient to carry with you. And, with everything from dental wax and floss to an angled mirror and travel brush in it, the kit makes it easy for patients to take proper care of their teeth and braces.

In a nutshell, why should an orthodontist buy their products from you?
Leithauser: Because we genuinely care about our products and the people we provide them to.

How do you see orthodontics changing in the future? Where do you see Diatech positioned in the orthodontic market in the next 10 years?
Leithauser: Just like with the pharmaceutical industry, patients will become more self aware. With boundless information available on the Internet, patients will begin to learn more about the procedures and instruments available to them. This knowledge will make them want some degree of control over their own treatment. Those choices might be as small as selecting the color of their elastics or as extreme as finding a dentist or orthodontist that uses a particular brand of instrument. With the introduction of more things digital, internal processes are sure to change as well. With the push to “go paperless” in most every industry, the paperless practice will decrease the time that doctors and staff must spend doing administrative tasks like paperwork, appointment setting and chart filing, which will provide for more time with the patients.

As new materials become available, the quality of our products will continue to increase while the cost for the materials will decrease. And, eventually, as more people discover our company, we hope to become one of the top direct distributors of dental, hygiene and ortho products in the United States.

What kind of new products and innovations are on the horizon for Diatech?
Leithauser: Our team of product engineers is always at work producing new products or enhancing current ones. Also, look for Diatech to enhance our online presence and reach out to dental and ortho professionals through social networks and other means with hope of developing mutually beneficial relationships that will change the industry in new and exciting ways.

For more information on Diatech, please call 800-222-1851 or visit DiatechUSA.com.
Orthotown Magazine
September 2025
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