The Guard Aid™ Story
Necessity is the Mother of Invention
After accidentally sticking himself with a needle one too many times our father, Dr. Robert Slaughter, had an idea that would make practicing dentistry safer not only for himself, but for dentists and their staff across the United States. Necessity, being the mother of invention, inspired the idea that came to him during a slow day at the office. “There must be some way I can mitigate the risk of disease transmission from accidental needle sticks” he thought, and after some tinkering with prototypes, Guard Aid™ was born.
Jenny, Robert and Crissy Slaughter
We’re a Family Business
Guard Aid™ has always been a family business and we are proud to say that it still is. From its origin, in the mid-1980’s, our father ran the business until he passed away in 2017. Following the passing of our father, we (Crissy and Jenny Slaughter), assumed control of the company and work to continue our father’s legacy of protecting dental practitioners from accidental needle sticks.
The initial Guard Aid™ marketing campaign was via hand packaged samples sent to dental offices around the United States. In those early days our Dad put us (and any of our friends who happen to be over at the house) to work mailing postcards and samples of the product to dentists all over the country. Hundreds of hours of licking stamps, addressing envelopes, and tending to paper cuts accompanied the start of the Guard Aid™ business.
Keeping Track
Dad proudly placed pins on a map of the United States to mark the location of his Guard Aid™ sales. It wasn’t long before dental offices in all 50 states had ordered his needle guards.
Conducting Sales, the Old-Fashioned Way
Dad was and always remained “old school” and operated the business with a toll-free number (1-800-225-4002), an answering machine for when he was not personally able to answer the phone, and the U.S. Postal Service.
As one customer later asked, “Is this the place where you leave a message on the machine with your order and address and the Guard Aids magically appear in the mail?” Yes, this is the place. However, as we have transitioned the business to a new generation of ownership, we have also made some upgrades to modernize the business. Hence, the new Guard Aid™ website.
Guard Aid™ Has Been a Part of Our Lives for Over 30 Years.
In fact, the income from Guard Aid™ helped put us both through college! As we modernize the business and institute new ordering options, we hope that our customers find the changes helpful and we appreciate any feedback on the product, and order/delivery process. We remain grateful for the customers (continuing and new) who have purchased our product, and incorporate Guard Aid™ needle guards into their practice.
We are excited for the future of Guard Aid™ and hope that our new website will provide a more streamlined ordering process for our customers. The answering machine will remain in place, so feel free to leave us a message!
Warmly,
Crissy and Jenny Slaughter