Like the rest of the world, dental care is transforming into a more advanced and modern version of itself. With electronic toothbrushes, invisible braces, and outstanding new formulas to enhance oral care ingredients, dental care has taken a turn for the better. Julian Artopé, with his knowledge and expertise in tech, built Zenyum to make dental treatments more accessible and affordable to everyone.

As the CEO of Zenyum, Julian Artopé founded the company with the mission to empower people towards a positive change, beginning with our biggest accessory: our smiles. The company has collaborated with some of the top dentists in Southeast Asia to build and test products. They bring us the safest and smartest solutions to bring out the smile many of us have learned to hide.

Beauty Insider was delighted to have the opportunity to interview their brilliant CEO, Julian Artopé. Eager to know the behind-the-scenes of Zenyum’s success? How they’ve been doing during the pandemic, and their future plans? Keep reading to find out!

Get To Know Julian Artopé

Who is Julian Artopé and what was the inspiration behind Zenyum?

To begin, I’d like to point out that while I’m not a dentist, one of my co-founders is. We merged my 15 years of experience establishing software startups with his years in orthodontology to reimagine how we care for our smiles. Because smiling emits such wonderful energy, we can contribute to a happier and healthier society by giving people more reasons to show it off!

I’ve worked in everything from social networks to digital payments to content, classifieds, and pricing comparison during the previous 15 years. I was aiming to create a consumer-focused dental cosmetic company when I established Zenyum. Because invisible braces may be equally successful as regular braces, 3D printed aligners are by far one of the largest disruptions in orthodontics. Plus, they’re free from the metal mess and fuss! Treatment with invisible braces is also considerably milder since it is spread over many sets, with sets switching every 10-14 days on average. But don’t worry; you’ll get your entire set of aligners during your clinic appointment. So, you won’t have to keep coming back, and your progress will be tracked via the application.

Dentistry isn’t the most glamorous profession, yet it has a significant influence on people’s lives. As a result, I see it as a challenge to develop a brand that delivers innovative, effective, and accessible dentistry and oral care goods in Asia for Asia, supported by outstanding technology and customer service.

Managing A Successful Business

In under three years, we have seen the exponential growth of Zenyum. The brand currently operates rapidly across Southeast Asia countries (from Singapore to Vietnam). How do you feel about managing a successful business?

We’ve been blown away by Zenyum’s success. It demonstrates that we’ve produced a product (Zenyum Invisible Braces) and an oral care line (ZenyumSonicTM and ZenyumFreshTM) that meets customers’ requirements. The demand proves that we’ve helped people live better with our products.

Our intentional endeavour to create a cosmetic dental brand that puts our clients first has fuelled the demand for our invisible braces treatment. This is why we’ve collaborated with leading dentists and invest in our own application; to deliver access to professional invisible braces treatments that are both inexpensive and hassle-free, while also knowing that their whole treatment is in the hands of our incredible dentists. Additionally, self-care is nothing new, and having invisible braces is no exception. It is a means of assisting ourselves in becoming better, feeling better, and looking better.

By 2025, the market for cosmetic dentistry is anticipated to rise from $21.9 billion in 2020 to $30.1 billion. As a brand for Asians, we are committed to integrating the finest in-clinic techniques of top Malaysian dentists. With the convenience of our application our clients’ smiles can undergo transformation with more comfort and confidence.

Battling The Hurdles of The Global Pandemic

Last year, the world faced a global pandemic. We see a lot of entrepreneurs had to close down their businesses due to the impact of COVID-19. What are some of the challenges that Zenyum faced during and after the lockdown? What did you do to overcome the challenges faced?

Without a question, the pandemic has had an impact on numerous brands. It’s a difficult period for most firms, especially in Malaysia; where we’ve gone through two MCOs that lasted more than six months. Nonetheless, the pandemic brought attention to one of our non-negotiables: ensuring the safety of our consumers at all times. For example, ensuring that our dentists always start their therapy with an x-ray. Your safety is ensured when you deal with reputable dentists, allowing you to concentrate on your beautiful smile.

Another non-negotiable is hygiene, which is why our partner clinics may be one of Malaysia’s safest locations. Our clinics are sanitised on a regular basis, and our dentists and nurses are vaccinated. Appointments are spread apart to avoid crowding. After all, invisible braces are a dental therapy. Therefore, the least we can do is make it as safe as possible for our patients to see our dentists.

You may not know of this, but during the fitting appointment, which is generally on the second visit to our dentist, all of our customers will also receive their entire set of invisible braces. They won’t have to return every couple weeks to get their aligners replaced. They may use our application to keep track of their progress as well as for our dentists to check in on them after they’ve begun the treatment. As a result, our application provides a safe workaround for our consumers without jeopardising their safety or treatment success.

Zenyum’s Competitive Advantage

Can you tell us about the differences between using Zenyum services compared to other competitors? What are the advantages that you had to offer?

Aside from our own application and how we collaborate with dentists, our personal touch is what truly distinguishes us. While sending a text is quicker, we realise that nothing beats hearing our service representative’s voice or obtaining a professional advice from our dentists.

We think that no amount of artificial intelligence can replace a dentist’s sight when it comes to doing oral exams, x-ray diagnosis, and taking impressions of your teeth. No one-size-fits-all solution exists because our smiles and teeth are all unique. Our dentist’s hands-on involvement is required to ensure that the treatment is tailored to your specific needs. No matter how big we get, this human-touch design will always be at the core of everything we do.

One of our most valuable assets is our continual desire to innovate and better the lives of our customers. We don’t just want to change people’s smiles with invisible braces; we also want to get them enthused about taking care of their dental health, which is the foundation of a beautiful smile! This is why we created ZenyumSonic, an electric toothbrush that turns a mundane task into a pleasurable ritual. Get this: our Sonic brush vibrates at 33K per minute and has soft dupont bristles that are gentle on your gums. It also comes in three colours that are pleasing to the eye. In addition to that, it has a built-in timer for the most efficient brushing time.

ZenyumFresh, a collection of two whitening toothpastes, one for day and one for night, a mouthwash, and eco-floss, will be available very soon to assist in improving your dental hygiene practises. This is fantastic news for our Sonic and Invisible Braces customers since it allows them to maintain an even better level of dental cleanliness. If you haven’t tried any of our Zenyum products yet, ZenyumFresh is a great place to start!

The Hurdles Faced by Zenyum

So far, what are the limitations of Zenyum? What concerns can it help and what are some that it can’t?

Because we all have various needs that change on a daily basis, no product will ever offer the ideal solution for everything. One of our constraints is that we do not offer a one-size-fits-all solution. So, rather than providing a conventional treatment plan, we provide a personalised treatment plan. This is to assist our customers in achieving their ideal smiles; while following the instructions and permission of our certified dentists.

For our invisible braces, we have a best-in-clinic procedure that we strictly adhere to. For instance, ensuring that x-rays, oral examinations, and 3D scans are performed. This captures the essential information about their tooth condition and oral health for our dentists to create their treatments. This is why it is critical for our consumers to see their dentist before beginning their treatment.

This is a method that can help clients avoid the hazards that come with DIY brands that bypass the x-rays. Seeing the dentist in person also provides our clients peace of mind that our dentist can be reached if they have any questions or concerns. They return for the fitting session after their initial appointment to get all of their aligner sets as well as some tips from our dentists on how to wear and care for their aligners. Then, following therapy, a last evaluation before they finish their journey.

Everything else in between may be freely controlled on our proprietary application. The application is free to use and allows our dentists and customer service staff to track a customer’s progress. Zenyum becomes even more gratifying as a result of this.

Invisible Braces: Changing The Game

How do you think invisible braces have changed the braces game? Do you think more people will steer towards it?

Invisible braces function similarly to metal braces in that both medical devices apply continuous pressure to your teeth over time to shift them to the desired position. Invisible braces, of course, are a more appealing alternative because they don’t cover your teeth, can be removed at any moment, and are more pleasant, in terms of comfort, than metal braces.

Consumers would naturally flock to invisible braces for their beauty and convenience once they grasp the clear benefits (pun intended) of them. People would scarcely notice you wearing the invisible braces because they are nearly invisible. They don’t become discoloured by food, and brushing your teeth is simple because you can quickly remove them.

Traditional techniques have been available for a long time, so we understand if customers are unfamiliar with invisible braces; it’s a more sophisticated relative. As a result, we provide our customers with the opportunity to chat or phone our customer success representatives to learn more about how our aligners function and what new lifestyle changes they may expect throughout their treatment – such as improved dental hygiene.

Another advantage of invisible braces over metal braces is that 3D imaging of your therapy. This allows you to view the predicted final results when treatment is completed. This is something that metal braces do not provide, so you won’t know what the ultimate result will be until you’ve completed the entire treatment. Our consumers will have greater liberty in constructing their ideal smile now that we have 3D imaging, which is our aim! So, before paying for the therapy, our customers can make modifications to the 3D treatment plan to satisfy their preferences.

And I can’t say enough good things about our application. It’s the true convenience element that empowers our consumers to control their own experience. Our software aids in the reduction of reviews and dental appointments! Typically, our customers see the dentist three times: the first for a dental consultation, the second for aligner fitting, and the third for a final evaluation. Everything else that happens in between treatments can be recorded, monitored, and responded using our app, saving our clients time.

Now that you’ve read all that, you may feel like shopping! Head on to our Insider Mall to shop Zenyum’s revolutionary products. Enjoy free shipping and amazing Insider Rewards to complete your shopping experience.

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