The story of our company stretches all the way back to 1980, when Bob and Tansy Goodman first licensed the now-famous 800 number through their company, Applied Anagramics, Inc. It was a moment of great foresight for the Goodmans, who understood a fundamental truth: People will always use the telephone when they're in need of a service provider.
In 1985, Applied Anagramics began allowing select dentists to use the 1-800-DENTIST number to promote their practices locally. However, it wasn't until the following year that things really took off. In early 1986, Fred Joyal and Gary Saint Denis - founders of our parent company, Futuredontics - contracted with Applied Anagramics to use the number for a new service devoted to matching qualified, pre-screened dentists with patients in need of dental care in Southern California.
It was an instant success. Just a few years later, our company licensed the use of the 1‑800-DENTIST phone number for the entire country, taking our regional service nationwide and establishing our brand in the minds of prospective dental patients across the United States. In 2002, we formally acquired the phone number from Applied Anagramics and immediately launched a new website to complement our telephone service, and further assist patients in finding the right dentist.
Today, we proudly serve all 50 states and are the largest dentist-patient matching service in the country. We have been consistently ranked as one of the nation's top 1,300 brands by BRANDWEEK, and now assist over 4 million patients each year. We've also expanded the services we offer dental patients and dental professionals, adding new programs and resources to our roster, including Dentistry.com, Patient Activator and GoAskFred.com. We have also expanded our charitable work, donating money, time and effort to organizations like The Children's Dental Center, Oral Health America and The National Children's Oral Health Foundation. Through it all, we have remained committed to our goal of encouraging great dental health by making it easy for patients to find a qualified dentist who meets their needs. After more than 20 years of working on smiles, it's safe to say that our future looks bright.
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