Press Release: Richmond Dental and Medical Announces New Soft BiteBlock™ Sizes in Joint Commission-Compliant Packaging

August 20, 2018 (CHARLOTTE, NC) Richmond Dental and Medical, a manufacturer of elite dental and medical supplies since 1895, announces the expansion of its Soft BiteBlock™ line to reduce tongue biting, teeth breaking, and compressing the airway device during surgical procedures involving general anesthesia. In addition, the expanded product lineup will now have packaging compliant with Joint Commission mandates for individually-wrapped supplies used in clinics and hospitals across the United States.

In 2016, the company launched the first Soft BiteBlock™ to great feedback from anesthesiology professionals nationwide. Co-developed with a team of women entrepreneurs headed by CRNA Diana Roloff, the original Soft BiteBlock™ entered the market in large sizing at three-quarters of an inch in diameter by four-inches in length. The Soft BiteBlock™, a dense cylindrical shape wrapped in silky yarn, is placed between a patient’s molars to prevent them from biting their tongue, breaking their teeth, or compressing the endotracheal tube or laryngeal mask airway during emergence.

New in 2018, Richmond is launching a pair of new sizes aimed at expanding the market. The medium is three-quarters-of-an-inch in diameter by two and three-quarters-of-an-inch in length, as well as nine-sixteenths of an inch in diameter by two-and-a-half inches in length for the small.

According to Roloff, the innovation team dreamed of having an array of products that would meet various clinical needs. “From the beginning, we felt we needed three sizes to properly cover all of the risk for patients,” said Roloff. “Anesthesiology practitioners from both the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and the American Society of Anesthesiology have told us that these products are much-needed. We just needed the large size to get us proof of concept. The traction we’ve gained in the last couple of years is proof positive that the Soft BiteBlock™ is working wonders in the marketplace.”

With the expansion of the Soft BiteBlock™ line, Richmond Dental and Medical, with Roloff’s assistance, is now first-to-market with a collection of bite block products that eliminate the need for DIY rolled gauze and even tampons used to mitigate risks to the airway device, teeth, and tongue associated with emergence from general anesthesia (unwrapped rolled gauze, notably, is not Joint Commission-compliant for packaging requirements).

In conjunction with the expansion of the Soft BiteBlock™ size offering, Richmond Dental and Medical is announcing the launch of Joint Commission-compliant packaging. The Joint Commission, a non-profit organization, accredits and certifies over 21,000 health care organizations and programs in the United States. The Joint Commission will soon mandate that supplies used for intubation must be individually-wrapped for hospitals to be in compliance with the Commission’s safety standards.

“We are thrilled to announce the launch of our Soft BiteBlock™ family,” said George Hargrove, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Richmond Dental and Medical. “It’s been a pleasure to work with Diana Roloff and her team to get these products developed to the exact specifications of anesthesia professionals. I’d also like to commend the work of our product development team, led by Chuck Allen, in bringing this project to fruition for the benefit of patients and health care professionals across the US and around the world.”

To learn more about the Soft BiteBlock™ product line or request a sample, visit www.richmonddental.net/products/soft-biteblock.