Southern Implants, Keystone announce merger agreement

Keystone Dental, Inc. ("Keystone" or "the company"), a leading oral healthcare company dedicated to the delivery of breakthrough implant technology, and Southern Implants, Inc. ("Southern Implants"), a producer of unique and innovative dental implant technologies aimed to simplify clinical challenges for implant surgeons and restorative dentists, today announced the companies have merged. 

Both Keystone and Southern Implants are well-known, leading providers of dental implant technologies and services, and deeply rooted within the oral healthcare community.  With over 25 years of combined experience, the merged company becomes one of the largest and most specialized oral healthcare providers in the U.S. and is well-positioned to take advantage of the expanding dental implant market, particularly in North America.  The combined entity will retain the name "Keystone Dental." 

Michael Kehoe is the President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the newly merged company and the former CEO of Southern Implants.  Mr. Kehoe has a keen understanding of the oral healthcare sector from his years of experience at Southern Implants and previously as Founder and CEO of Innova Lifesciences Corporation (now a part of the Danaher Corporation).  The new management team will be comprised of individuals from both Keystone and Southern Implants.

"The merger of Keystone Dental and Southern Implants represents an excellent strategic fit for the two companies," said Michael Kehoe, new President and CEO of Keystone Dental.  "The combination of Keystone's portfolio of industry-proven biomaterials and dental implants with Southern's unique dental implant systems for both the esthetic zone and molar regions provides the merged company with a greatly expanded product range for the dental implant community."

"This merger will strongly reinforce each company's existing presence in the U.S. and in other international markets. Beyond the great technology combination, it will provide a unique addition of talent in management, product development, sales and customer support, added to a long combined dental experience," said Pascal Girin, former CEO of Keystone Dental and now a board member of the merged company.  

The company will maintain headquarters in Burlington, MA and will continue to operate its other manufacturing facility in Irvine, CA.