Creating ‘Paradise:’ Missoula-based dental tool business is the second largest in North America

Linda Miller grew up hating the dentist. At every visit, the cold gleam of metal tools and the rough scrape of instruments made her cringe. She never could have imagined decades later that she’d be the founder and CEO of Paradise Dental Technologies (PDT) — now the second-largest dental instrument company in North America.

In 2018, Miller piloted a summer project where employees worked 32 hours a week but were paid for 40. Productivity stayed high. Sick days dropped. Hiring became easier. So the change stuck.

“If it is paradise to have my own business,” Miller said, “it should be paradise for our employees, and it should be paradise for our customers.”

Eliza Carey