Founder: Dr. Mark Burhenne
My entire career, I’ve been frustrated with the toothpaste options on the market. I was given the nickname "Mr. Consumer Reports" in dental school for my obsession with researching everything from toothpaste to stereos to car seat safety.
Even hydroxyapatite toothpaste had ingredients I did not stand behind—like emulsifiers, surfactants, and essential oils. I emailed manufacturers and urged them to make a new kind of toothpaste—something remineralizing but also oral microbiome-nourishing—but no one wanted to do it. They said it was impossible.
Founder: Dr. Staci Whitman
After losing both of my parents to preventable disease at early ages, I began questioning a lot with our current medical system, how our environment and daily exposures play a role in our health, and how patients were not getting the appropriate support and answers they need to thrive.
Over time, I began practicing dentistry with a different perspective, creating a new practice model and looking for a more root-cause and upstream approach. I decided to pursue pediatrics for this reason: to help children thrive before they had chronic health issues or dental disease.
Founder: Catharine Burhenne
After my daughter was hospitalized with a kidney infection and had to undergo months of IV antibiotic treatment, I threw myself into the research for microbiome health. No surprise, but the oral microbiome was at the front and center of that research, and reestablishing and nourishing a healthy oral microbiome for my daughter was critical after she recovered from surgery.
We all chose the name Fygg because we dreamt of starting a movement. “Feed Your Good Guys” is a call to action for all of us to think differently about our mouths and oral health. The oral microbiome has always been an afterthought—until now!
