Toothsure to open Perry County manufacturing facility, add 60 jobs

A Hazard native is bringing a manufacturing operation home to Perry County, and the price tag and pay scale are both substantial. Toothsure, the oral healthcare company founded by Dr. Greg Baker, announced a $7.3 million facility that is expected to create 60 full-time jobs with an average wage of $55.25 an hour including benefits.

Gov. Andy Beshear announced the project April 30, calling it “a welcome project for Perry County and the surrounding region.” The new site will be Toothsure’s first facility in Kentucky, a point that gives the project added weight in a county that has been working to widen its employment base beyond older industries and build out more career paths close to home.

The company said construction is expected to begin in January 2027 and be completed later that year. Once operating, the Perry County plant is designed to consolidate and relocate supply-chain work into one facility, reducing Toothsure’s dependence on out-of-state suppliers while expanding production capacity with state-of-the-art equipment and more manufacturing space for its OralVac and OralVac+ products.

That local connection matters in a way many outside investment announcements do not. Public business listings place Toothsure, LLC at 18 Hemalata Lane in Hazard, and Baker’s own company materials say he started Toothsure in Eastern Kentucky after seeing families struggle to find pediatric dentists and care for patients with special needs. The company says he later returned home after advanced training at the University of Florida to build specialized hospital programs for Medicaid patients and underserved families.

Toothsure’s niche is also unusually specific for a manufacturing announcement. The company makes disposable and reusable toothbrushes and related oral care products for healthcare settings and patients with special needs, with a focus on reducing hospital-acquired infections and improving bedside oral care. Co-founders Greg Baker, DMD, and Brandon Wilde, MD, MBA, said in a shared statement that they want to expand that mission nationwide.

For Perry County, the clearest near-term measure will be whether the project moves from announcement to construction on schedule. If it does, residents will see a local founder’s company turn a Hazard-rooted idea into a new plant, new production lines and 60 jobs with wages that stand out in the region.