About us

We are radically improving the dental experience for patients and clinicians.

The Zyris difference

Zyris was founded in 2001 by Thomas R. Hirsch, DDS, his brother James Hirsch, an industrial designer, and Sandra Hirsch, CPA. The genesis of the company was a passionate pursuit of revolutionizing the industry through functional, efficient innovation, in a quest to create positive dental experiences for both patients and clinicians.

We are proud to offer three highly-effective, technologically-advanced, award-winning solutions for minimally invasive, easy-to-use dental isolation—as well as control of the oral environment worldwide.

Our products include:

  • The Isolite® Pro illuminated dental isolation system, with six levels of intra-oral LED illumination, including non-curing amber light.
  • The Isolite® Core non-illuminated dental isolation system for practitioners who choose to work with external light only.
  • The Isolite® Core+, which builds on the Isolite® Core with additional heads and adapters to accommodate higher patient volume. 

All products, including our full line of isolation mouthpieces, are completely compatible and complementary to one another. The mouthpieces (the heart of our technology) comfortably retract the patient's tongue and cheek, protect the patient's airway, and keep the mouth gently propped open with continuous two-channel 360° adjustable suctioning.

Benefits beyond the patient’s chair. By using our Isolite Dental Isolation Systems, clinicians have stated that dental procedures are completed up to 30% faster than using traditional methods of isolation. Faster procedures = more patients = improved productivity and increased revenue for your practice.

Zyris has been awarded a General Services Administration contract (V797P-3233N) that allows qualified federal, state, and local government agencies to purchase Zyris products at special government pricing with pre-determined contract terms and conditions. The Isolite System is a U.S. registered medical device manufacturer specializing in dentistry.

Our mission

Zyris is radically improving the experience of dentistry with category-defining products, educational resources, and community collaboration.

We envision a world with better oral health for everyone.

Our Leadership

Thomas R. Hirsch, DDS
Founder, Board Member

Dr. Hirsch is the original inspiration, co-founder and developer of the Isolite family of dental isolation devices from Zyris. His passion for dentistry built a successful multi-decade cosmetic practice in Malibu, CA and extended to ten years as an instructor of clinical dentistry at his alma mater, the University of Southern California. His exuberant smile and infectious enthusiasm can often be found in the Zyris booth, in his trademark Converse sneakers.

Jim Hirsch

James A. Hirsch
Founder and Board Member

James is Tom's younger brother, co-founder and chief designer of the patented Isolite mouthpiece and family of dental isolation devices. He is a graduate of California State Univerity-Northridge and an IDEA Gold Award winning industrial designer; finding joy in fusing new technology with years of experience in electro-mechanical design and plastic injection molding. He thrives on innovating game-changing solutions to clinical issues, and often finds inspiration in the fresh ocean breezes of long distance sailing adventures.

Sandi Hirsch

Sandra Hirsch
President and CEO

Sandra is the third founding member of Zyris, pairing decades of experience as a financial manager and CPA with a zeal for entrepreneurship sparked by her B. S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California. Under her leadership as President and CEO, the company has grown from a struggling start-up to the world leader in dental isolation, distributing Isolite products throughout North America and in over 20 countries overseas. Sandra is defined by her family, the Zyris team, and unwavering resolve to forever change the experience of dentistry for patients and clinicians.

John Horton
Chief Operating Officer

A member of the Zyris team since 2015, Chief Operating Officer John Horton brings decades of experience in building and scaling amazing companies to breakthrough success. His lifetime pursuit of both personal and professional excellence has benefited many companies with household names: Microsoft, Skype, GoToMeeting, Estee Lauder, Allergan, Costco and Baccardi. John holds a B. S. in Finance from Sonoma State University, and reveals his deep passion for the Star Wars universe with a large scale model of an X-Wing fighter on his desk.

Adam Ontiveros
Vice President, Operations

Shaun Valentine

Shaun Valentine
Vice President, Product

Rolando Mia
Vice President, Community and Education

Currently serving as VP of Community and Education, Rolando Mia combines over 20 years of experience with an infectious laugh and probing intellect to engage, connect, and educate the dental community. His abundant natural curiosity has led to success with companies such as DenMat LLC, Allergan and Inamed Corp.; in a spectrum of industries from computer hardware and financial services to pharmaceuticals and dental. A graduate of Wake Forest with both a B.S. in Biology and MBA, he is often apt to break into song to express himself, revealing a missed opportunity for a career onstage.

Kelly Fuller
Vice President, Customer Success

Passionate about ensuring customer success, Kelly leverages over 20 years in services leadership with rapid company growth at Yardi Systems and Procore. Kelly and her team prioritize quickly onboarding our customers so they can experience incredible product benefits. With a focus on driving value and outcomes tied to customers’ business objectives, Kelly loves to see positive impact for our customers’ practices and patients! Kelly enjoys building teams and investing in people. She values kindness, integrity and hard work. Kelly earned her BS from Santa Clara University and is happiest in the mountains or on the ocean adventuring with her family.

Industry Recognition

  • DentalTown "Townie Choice Award" (2005-18)
  • Prix de l'innovation, Association Dentaire Française (2014)
  • Dental Product Shopper "Best Product" (2008, 2014)
  • DentalCompare "Top 10 New Products" (2014)
  • Dentistry Today "Top 100 Products" (2003, 2005, 2008-11, 2014)
  • Dentistry Today "Top 50 Technology Products Readers' Choice Award" (2010, 2014)
  • Pride Institute "Best of Class Technology" (2013)
  • Scandefa Scandinavian Dental Fair Award (2014)
  • Dental Products Report "Top 5 New Product Innovations & Updates" (2013)
  • Dentistry Today "Top 50 Technology Products Readers' Choice Award" (2013)
  • Rated "Excellent" for use in US Air Force dental facilities by the USAF Dental Evaluation and Consultation Service (2013)
  • DentalTown "The Fifty Greatest Game Changers in Dentistry" (2011)
  • DrBicuspid.com "Dental Excellence Awards, Best New Instrument" (2009, 2011)
  • REALITY Publishing 4-star Award (2010)
  • The Dental Advisor "Preferred Product" (2010)
  • Dentistry Products Report "Top 100 Products of Distinction" (2008)
  • World Congress of Minimally Invasive Dentistry Inventor Award (2004)
  • Business Week "Gold" Award Industrial Design Excellence (2003)
  • The Dental Advisor ++++ Rating (2003)
  • Dental Products Report "Top 10 Chairside Products" (2002)
  • Proud member of CRET (Center for Research & Education in Technology)

Zyris Charitable Giving Program

Zyris provides charitable support for one-time, or annually scheduled events, where Zyris products are able to be used to provide dental care to the under-served in the United States.

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