Great Grins Children's Dentistry

What Great Grins Children's Dentistry does

Great Grins Children's Dentistry is a single-location pediatric dental practice based in Tucson, Arizona, founded in its current form in November 2005 when husband-and-wife team Drs. Kedar S. Lele and Angela M. Wolfman purchased the practice. Both principals are Diplomates of the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry with over 35 years of combined specialty experience, additional training in child psychology, pharmacology, and anesthesia, and certifications in laser dentistry and oral conscious sedation. The practice serves infants through adolescents, including children with special healthcare needs, offering preventive care (exams, cleanings, fluoride, sealants, mouthguards), restorative services (fillings, crowns, laser dentistry, extractions, frenectomy), and a full sedation dentistry menu including hospital-based treatment under privileges at Tucson Medical Center.

The clinical technology stack is conventional for a modern specialty practice rather than proprietary: panoramic and portable digital X-ray systems, Biolase Waterlase laser for shot-free procedures, and YAPI practice automation software for appointment reminders and digital intake forms. Operational integrations include Best Card Team for online payments, Modento for online patient forms, CareCredit for patient financing, and in-network billing with five major dental PPOs (Delta Dental, United Healthcare, MetLife, Cigna, Aetna). The sports-themed office environment, dedicated teen area, and the Spirit Girl school-and-community educational outreach program function as patient experience and grassroots acquisition assets rather than technology platforms.

The business model is direct-to-consumer fee-for-service pediatric dentistry with insurance reimbursement as the primary revenue channel and CareCredit financing for out-of-pocket costs. Patient acquisition relies on physician referrals, online reviews, the Spirit Girl community program, social media presence, and local search visibility, with no DSO, PE, or external capital involvement. The practice operates Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 4:30pm, with a small team of approximately two dentists and six support staff across front office, clinical, and office management functions.

Name

Great Grins Children's Dentistry

Legal name

Great Grins Children's Dentistry

Website

https://greatgrinsdds.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Great Grins Children's Dentistry is a single-location, owner-operated pediatric dental practice in Tucson, AZ, co-founded in 2005 by Drs. Lele and Wolfman, providing preventive, restorative, and sedation dentistry to infants through adolescents, including children with special healthcare needs, on a fee-for-service insurance-based model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pediatric Dentistry Services

NAICS

Offices of Dentists (62121)

akta.pro primary industry

Pediatric Dentistry Group Practices (HLABAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Preventive & Wellness Pediatric Dentistry (Cleanings/Fluoride/Sealants) (HLABAGAA), Pediatric Restorative Dentistry (Fillings/Crowns/Pulp Therapy) (HLABAGAB), Pediatric Sedation & Anesthesia Dentistry (HLABAGAC), Special Needs Pediatric Dentistry (HLABAGAD), Emergency Pediatric Dental Clinics (HLABALAG)

Keywords

• Pediatric dentistry services
• Preventive dental care
• Restorative dentistry
• Sedation dentistry
• Special needs dental care

Headquarters

HQ city

Tucson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Pediatric Dental Services: Fee-for-service pediatric dental care including preventive services (cleanings, sealants, fluoride), restorative procedures (fillings, crowns, extractions), and sedation dentistry. Revenue generated through direct patient payments, insurance reimbursements (in-network with major PPOs), and financing options (CareCredit).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Great Grins Children's Dentistry is a single-location pediatric dental practice in Tucson, Arizona that provides specialized dental care for infants, children, and adolescents. Core services include preventive dentistry (exams, cleanings, sealants, fluoride), restorative dentistry (fillings, crowns, extractions, laser dentistry), and sedation dentistry (nitrous oxide, oral sedation, general anesthesia).

Product overview

Great Grins Children's Dentistry operates as a single-location pediatric dental practice offering four core service categories: Pediatric Dentistry (specialized dental care for infants through adolescents), Preventive Dentistry (routine exams, cleanings, X-rays, fluoride, sealants, mouthguards), Restorative Dentistry (fillings, crowns, laser dentistry, extractions, orthodontics, frenectomy), and Sedation Dentistry (nitrous oxide, oral sedation, general anesthesia). The practice complements clinical services with patient experience enhancements including a sports-themed office environment, the Spirit Girl educational mascot program, 24-hour emergency care access, and various payment integrations including multiple insurance plans, CareCredit financing, and online payment/form platforms. The practice was founded in November 2005 and is co-owned by husband-and-wife team Dr. Kedar S. Lele and Dr. Angela M. Wolfman.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pediatric Dentistry Specialized dental care for infants, children, and adolescents including infant oral health exams, habit counseling, early orthodontic assessments, and treatment of dental conditions such as tongue and lip ties. Delivered by board-certified pediatric dentists with additional training in child psychology, pharmacology, and anesthesia.
• Preventive Dentistry Routine dental care for children including oral exams, teeth cleaning (prophylaxis), digital X-rays, fluoride varnish treatments, toothbrush and flossing instruction, dental sealants, and custom mouthguards to prevent cavities and maintain oral health.
• Restorative Dentistry Repair and restoration services including laser dentistry, composite (tooth-colored) fillings, silver diamine fluoride, porcelain and zirconia crowns, baby root canals (pulpotomy), extractions, space maintenance, orthodontics, and laser frenectomy.
• Sedation Dentistry Anxiety management options for pediatric patients including nitrous oxide (laughing gas), oral sedation, in-office general anesthesia with anesthesiologist, and hospital-based dentistry for children with complex medical needs.
• Emergency Dental Care 24-hour emergency dental care for patients of record, including after-hours contact and urgent treatment for dental injuries such as knocked-out teeth.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sealants can reduce cavity risk by approximately 80%
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Institute for Better EducationminorOthersPractice donates to schools in the region through this non-profit organization, supporting educational initiatives for children in the Tucson community
• Tucson Community of Pediatric SpecialistscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Wolfman and Dr. Lele are part of this non-profit organization of pediatric specialists offering quality pediatric healthcare services in Southern Arizona, with the goal of connecting patients to specialists and specialists to patients
• Tucson Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPractice holds hospital staff privileges at Tucson Medical Center, enabling hospital-based dental care for children requiring more complex treatment
• Grayline Dental Services (TUSD)minorOthersProvides dental services through TUSD (Tucson Unified School District) Grayline program, offering dental care access to students in local schools

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Benevis: Large dental support organization that explicitly focuses on pediatric and family dental practices serving Medicaid and underserved communities. Compares to Great Grins because both serve pediatric patient bases through multi-chair dental offices with insurance-driven revenue models, although Benevis operates at vastly greater scale.
• Heartland Dental: One of the largest DSOs in the U.S., supporting general and some specialty dental practices. Compares as a broad incumbent that competes for the same pediatric patient pool in suburban markets through in-network PPO strategies.
• Pacific Dental Services: Major DSO supporting dental practices with comprehensive PPO participation and digital workflow tools (similar to Great Grins' YAPI integration). Compares as a technology-enabled, insurance-network-driven peer.
• Smile Brands: Multi-brand DSO supporting dental offices across multiple states. Comparable in business model (insurance-participating, multi-chair group practice) and operating leverage.
• Western Dental & Orthodontics: Large multi-state DSO with both general/pediatric dentistry and orthodontics, significant PPO/Medicaid participation, and a presence in Arizona. Direct overlap in pediatric patient acquisition and insurance-driven revenue.
• Affordable Dentures & Implants: Large dental group with focus areas distinct from pediatric care but operates with similar fee-for-service, insurance-driven economics and corporate support structure. Broadly comparable operating model.
• Aspen Dental: Large multi-location dental group with broad service offerings including pediatric care. Compares as a scaled incumbent competing on access, insurance network breadth, and multi-site marketing footprint.

Direct peers

• Catalina Pediatric Dentistry: Regional pediatric dental practice serving Tucson/Southern Arizona families. Direct geo-peer competing for the same pediatric patient base and insurance networks.
• Tucson Smiles Pediatric Dentistry: Pediatric dental practice also operating in the Tucson market. Direct local peer competing for the same families, same insurance plans, and same referral sources in Southern Arizona.
• Children's Dental Group: Multi-location pediatric dental practice chain specializing in pediatric-only care. Closest direct peer to Great Grins in patient focus, age range, and ancillary services such as sedation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/greatgrinsdds
• Instagraminstagram.com/greatgrinsdds
• Pinterestpinterest.com/greatgrins
• Xx.com/GreatGrinsDDS

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Great Grins Children's Dentistry