“To you who are tired from grinding your teeth, have a good night’s sleep with the Quiet Mouthpiece”
[2021 Busan Institute of Design Promotion Sports Startup Support Center] Lee Dong-hoon, CEO of DMEDI Korea
[Hankyung Job & Joy = Reporter Kang Hong-min] Bruxism is considered one of the sleep disorders, but the exact cause has not yet been identified. Experts point to two causes of bruxism: psychological and pathophysiological. Psychological factors include emotional stress, anxiety, depression, and sensitive personality, and pathophysiological factors include sleep disorders, head trauma, continuous drinking and smoking. For this reason, those who grind their teeth during sleep cannot sleep deeply, and in severe cases, it can lead to headaches, ear pain, and chronic fatigue. Lee Dong-hoon (32), CEO of D-Medi Korea, also suffered from bruxism while sleeping since his school days. CEO Lee, who had to sleep in pain every night, looked for various ways to treat bruxism, but in vain.
bruxism decided to start a business while looking for a product... ‘Clean, safe’ is the core of the product
“Me and my brother had teeth grinding. I bought and used all the bruxism mouthpieces sold in Korea, but they didn't fit well and were uncomfortable. Dental splints were too expensive, so I couldn't afford it. So I developed this product with the thought that it would be nice to make a cheap and comfortable mouthpiece.”
Manufacturing, which was my first challenge, was not as easy as I thought. I accumulated relevant knowledge by reading domestic and foreign papers, and I identified the strengths and weaknesses of domestic and foreign products by purchasing and using them myself. As safety and cleanliness are important due to the nature of products put in the mouth, finding a factory that can manufacture in a clean environment was also a task. It focused on improving product quality by selling products nationwide and asking about factories.
“For product development, we invested about 10 million won in purchasing other companies’ products. It was a very big investment for us. Looking at other products, I researched again and again to see if I could make up for my shortcomings and be more comfortable. The biggest advantage and competitiveness of our products made in this way is safety and cleanliness. Due to the nature of products that are placed in the mouth, safety and cleanliness are of the utmost importance. So, even though the unit price is high, it was manufactured in a manufacturing plant specializing in medical devices equipped with a domestic clean room system. Although the production cost is high, we have price competitiveness by reducing margins, and we pay special attention to safety through heavy metal inspections as well as phthalate (environmental hormone) inspections.”
Another competitive edge of the Koyo mouthpiece is comfort. When using a mouthpiece, there is a unique feeling of pressure that clenches the teeth, and through market research, CEO Lee figured out that this pressure is not just uncomfortable, but exerts enough force to displace the teeth. Oral at sleep
Considering the characteristics of the product that needs to be put in for more than 8 hours, the discomfort is minimized with soft and soft materials while reducing the pressure on the teeth. Currently, Koyo Mouthpiece is sold in department stores and pharmacies, as well as in Korea's leading online market. In addition, D-Medi Korea, which is developing Goyo mouthpiece for children and a sports mouthpiece made in a hexagonal structure, is dreaming of entering the US Amazon and Japan next year.
“The Goyo mouthpiece is a product made with my brothers’ discomfort in mind, so I am confident in its quality as well as its safety. And a portion of the sales of our products are donated to children. Above all, our goal is to become the No. 1 company in the world as well as in Korea by making good products for people suffering from bruxism in all countries around the world. (Laughs)”
Top selling in online shopping malls such as Castle and Coupang
khm@hankyung.com