Everyone knows you can’t put toothpaste back in the tube. But a Dallas dentist and entrepreneur aims to show you can put healthier toothpaste into a tube—delivering “science-backed” oral care for children and adults alike.

Sulman Ahmed

Sulman Ahmed, the founder and CEO of Dallas-based DECA Dental Group, has announced the launch of ToothScience, a clinician-founded oral wellness company committed to setting a new standard in oral care.

Ahmed brings some serious credentials to the launch. The Zimbabwe-born CEO moved to the U.S. at age 18, getting a bachelor’s degree at UT Dallas and a doctorate in dentistry at Tufts University.

After opening his first practice in Garland in 2008, he spurred DECA Dental to consistent growth, and was named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year in the Southwest region in 2017. His dental group now has around 200 locations across nine states, He was named one of Dallas Business Journal’s Most Admired CEOs in 2023, and won a Silver Stevie Award for People-Focused CEO of the Year in 2023. A member of the Forbes Business Council, he published a book in 2024 called “Make Them Smile: Why Customer Satisfaction Is the Key to Rapid and Sustainable Growth.” 

Inspired by a moment in his dental chair

Ahmed says he was inspired to launch ToothScience while treating a child in his dental chair. The child’s mother held up a children’s toothpaste sample and asked, “Is this really the best for my child?”

Ahmed wasn’t sure, and his doubts grew when he saw his daughter using “colorful, sparkly, overly sweet toothpaste.”

“As both a dentist and a dad, I realized I couldn’t justify many of the ingredients I was seeing.” Ahmed said in a statement. “We’d never accept this in our food, skincare, or other wellness products. So why were we settling in oral care?”

The founder would go on to partner with scientists, formulators, and clinicians over three years to develop ToothScience—a line of “science-backed, thoughtfully formulated oral care products with the clinically proven ingredients the mouth needs, and fewer of the ones it doesn’t.”

Naturally flavored and dye-free

So what’s different about ToothScience toothpaste? The key differences are what’s in it, and the science behind it: Each product is naturally flavored, dye-free, alcohol-free, gluten-free, paraben-free, cruelty-free, and non-GMO, the company says. 

The brand is launching with three toothpastes—Daily Care, Kids Care, and Sensitivity. But Ahmed says he has “a broader vision to build a comprehensive system for whole mouth health.” Additional products are “already in development,” his company says.

“My vision for ToothScience is to equip people with an oral wellness system that’s safe, effective, and intuitive,” Ahmed added. “But my ambition extends further—I want to change the way people think about their mouths and help them recognize that oral health is a vital cornerstone of overall health.”

So it’s about more than squeezing the tube and brushing away?

“Real behavior change will come when people understand what, why, and how of whole mouth health,” Ahmed said. “As clinicians, we pledge to put our patients first. ToothScience extends that commitment to everyday care.”

“The first shot across the bow of a dentist-led revolution in whole mouth health’

ToothScience toothpaste is launching at an e-commerce site that offers additional information about the brand’s mission, background, and the toothpaste’s availability in select dentist’s offices. 

“This is the first shot across the bow of a dentist-led revolution in whole mouth health—a functional approach that includes tooth wellness, gum wellness, tongue wellness, saliva wellness, and microbial balance,” the company says on the site.

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