About Revive
Revive is a dentist-founded oral care brand created to support a clean, fresh mouth through intentional daily routines. Rooted in the belief that oral health is closely connected to overall wellness, Revive blends nature-inspired ingredients with science-backed principles.
Our goal is simple: make oral care feel supportive, comfortable, and easy to maintain.
Our mission
Revive exists to help people feel confident in their daily oral care—
without harsh formulas, complicated routines, or unnecessary intensity.
We believe consistency matters more than extremes, and that
effective oral care should work with your body, not against it.
Black Pioneers in Dentistry: Legacy, Dignity, and Access
In 1869, Dr. Robert Tanner Freeman became the first Black dentist in the United States to earn a dental degree, graduating from Harvard Dental School. This was not a small thing. At a time when Black Americans were being systematically excluded from medical education — when entire institutions were built to keep them out — Freeman earned the credential from one of the most prestigious schools in the country. He returned to Washington, D.C., where he practiced dentistry and mentored others, reflecting an early and clear understanding that this work was not just a profession. It was a responsibility. A form of service that belonged to the community.
Two decades later, in 1890, Dr. Ida Gray Nelson Rollins expanded that opening further as the first Black woman dentist in the United States, graduating from the University of Michigan. Her presence in that space challenged every assumption about who could be recognized as a healer and who deserved access to clinical expertise. She served her patients with precision and care while navigating barriers that required a kind of resilience that goes far beyond technical skill. You don't just need to know how to do the work. You need the will to keep showing up in spaces that weren't designed to hold you.
Together, Freeman and Ida Gray represent something that goes beyond firsts. They represent a philosophy — that oral care is inseparable from dignity, and that access is not a bonus. It is the point.
That legacy did not end with them.
In 2000, a graduate of Howard University College of Dentistry enters this continuing tradition of Black excellence in oral healthcare. Howard has long been a cornerstone for training Black clinicians — not just technically, but philosophically. Howard-trained providers understand that dentistry is never just about teeth. It is about confidence, about how it feels to open your mouth in a room full of people, about the way chronic pain and delayed care compound over a lifetime when access has been uneven. Howard shaped providers who walk into practice knowing that context.
This lineage matters for Revive. It is the soil this brand grows from. Oral care influences comfort, speech, how you show up in interviews and relationships and photographs. It influences trust. Revive grows from this legacy — centering dignity without judgment and wellness without pressure. From Freeman to Ida Gray to Howard-trained leadership in the present, the message remains unchanged: oral health belongs to everyone. Full stop.
Freeman and Ida Gray proved that oral health is dignity and legacy. Revive honors this by centering care that is inclusive, human, and rooted in community. Ritual is also repair.
A dentist-led approach to everyday oral wellness
Revive was created by a dentist who saw the same issue again and again—patients doing “everything right,” yet still struggling with sensitivity, bad breath, or irritation from harsh products.
Revive was born from a simple belief: oral care should work with your mouth, not against it. By blending nature-inspired ingredients with science-backed principles, Revive supports a cleaner, fresher mouth as part of your daily routine.
Dentist-founded
Created by a practicing dentist, grounded in real clinical experience and patient care.
Fluoride-free
Thoughtfully formulated to offer a fluoride-free option—without compromising effectiveness.
Nature + science
Blending evidence-based dentistry with carefully selected ingredients inspired by wellness.
Whole-body oral wellness
Designed with the understanding that oral health is connected to overall well-being.
Founder's Story
Dr. Malaika Simone Thomas is a dentist, entrepreneur, author, and oral health innovator whose journey began in a small town in Florida and evolved into a career defined by resilience, creativity, and purpose. Raised by a single mother in housing projects, Dr. Thomas’s life changed at the age of eight after a traumatic playground injury severely damaged her front teeth. The months spent in dental chairs sparked a lifelong fascination with dentistry—and a deep empathy for patients navigating fear, pain, and vulnerability. That early experience would later shape her passion for emergency dental care and smile restoration.
Despite being told her injury might limit her future, Dr. Thomas excelled academically and creatively. A gifted clarinetist, award-winning student, and community leader, she earned an academic scholarship to Florida A&M University before completing her undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of North Florida. She went on to graduate from Howard University College of Dentistry, launching a career rooted in service and excellence.
Dr. Thomas worked as a general dentist providing care through the U.S. Army DENTAC for eleven years, followed by extensive experience in pediatric dentistry, emergency care, and locum tenens dentistry—working in over 150 dental offices across 12 years. Her breadth of experience has given her rare insight into patient needs, practice operations, and gaps in oral healthcare delivery.
Parallel to her clinical career, Dr. Thomas cultivated a powerful entrepreneurial path. She has owned a full-service catering business, worked in sales and multi-level marketing for over 10 years across telecom, health and wellness, and travel, and expressed her creativity through modeling, writing, and design. She is the author of a children’s book inspired by her early life, as well as a vegan cookbook.
In 2012, Dr. Thomas launched Revive, an at-home teeth whitening system born from her own dental school experience—when specialists debated how to address the teeth discoloration that resulted from her childhood injury. Choosing innovation over conformity, she developed a professional-grade, semi-custom whitening system that allowed clients to safely whiten at home. With Revive, Dr. Thomas made history as the first African American dentist to own, brand, and market a teeth-whitening company. That same year, she was honored with Startup Business of the Year by a Forbes-recognized organization, Stiletto Women in Business.
Six years later, she expanded Revive into a part-time teeth whitening spa. During the COVID-19 pandemic, after being laid off from employed clinical work, she pivoted once again—opening an emergency dental clinic adjacent to the spa. What began as a solution during crisis evolved into a larger dental practice, where she remains in active practice today, specializing in emergency dentistry and smile makeovers.
Today, Dr. Thomas is preparing to launch a fluoride-free oral care wellness brand, driven by her belief that patients deserve informed choice in their oral health products. Her mission is to bridge the gap between traditional dentistry and holistic oral wellness—without sacrificing clinical integrity.
At the intersection of science, creativity, and entrepreneurship, Dr. Malaika Simone Thomas continues to redefine what it means to be a modern dentist.
Fresh breath
Supports a clean, fresh feel as part of a consistent daily routine.
Balanced mouth
Designed to support a healthy oral environment over time.
Healthy-looking smile
Gentle daily care that helps maintain a clean, polished appearance.