Dentists Lead The Way
Supporting Doctors at Every Stage of Growth
We are committed to supporting our dental teams by doing things the right way with a tight focus on high-quality core values that define what you and your team represent. We are committed to taking care of our people, ensuring they have the right resources and opportunities to thrive throughout their careers. We care about our patients and our teams, and we protect clinical autonomy at all costs.
For dentists just starting their career, those building a growing dental practice operations, or for those thinking about retirement or planning a business transition, Lightwave is here to lead the way. We partner with top dentists to help you reach your growth goals with less financial risk, fewer administration burdens, and better business support.
Our hands-on approach is unlike dental DSOs in that we preserve your unique identity and the legacy of your private practice. We also provide your team with best-practice business services, staffing solutions, state-of-the-art dental technology & tools, and leadership training that fuels success. Together we form a powerful partnership to lead happy teams that improve the lives of patients and our communities.
Our Leadership Values
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Hard Work
We work hard, and we find joy in our work. We measure everything we do, and we are accountable to each other. We take pride in a job well done and recognize the contributions and success of our teammates.
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Caring
We are an open-minded team that genuinely cares for our patients, our people and our partners. We bring a cheerful and helpful attitude to improve the lives of those around us.
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Honesty
We are honest, always, no exceptions. We do the right thing at the right time in the right place. Our reputation is priceless.
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Growth-minded
We are always looking for ways to grow. We thrive on the thrill of accomplishment. We set goals, reward achievement and celebrate victories.
Our Success Begins With Team Satisfaction
Lightwave’s success is measured by metrics that center around our commitment to our doctors and their teams. The three most important ways we measure success revolve around people: satisfied patients, satisfied and motivated employees, and satisfied doctors who feel supported in everything they do. All other outcomes, such as financial success and growth, come naturally from getting our “people” metrics right. This is how we’ve become so much more than a dental service organization – we’re helping practices develop and cultivate a culture that leaves positive marks on all those involved.
Our yearly Net Promoter Score (NPS) highlights employee engagement and job satisfaction for every single member of the organization. We believe that happy teams are empowered to deliver outstanding service and maintain cherished patient relationships. Lightwave as an organization features a Net Promoter Score of 63. By comparison, a score above 50 is considered excellent, according to creator Bain & Company. Simply put: we’re delivering dental management services that go well beyond expectations.
Hear From Our Team
“Every practice has a Lightwave accountant dedicated to their specific needs. We can relieve staff of burdens like vendor payments, annual audits, and other tasks not related to the clinical side of their business.”
“I get the most satisfaction from working with truly dynamic team members from diverse backgrounds and skill sets. My favorite aspect of my job is relationship-building and helping people arrive to their own light bulb moment. ”
“I derive so much satisfaction helping others grow their businesses and their careers. My favorite role is encouraging my team to take risks and push themselves to new levels of success.”
Lightwave Leadership
Our leadership team is passionate about making a difference in people’s lives, with decades of experience across dentistry, retail, and finance. Our team takes pride in doing what we say we’re going to do. We’ve been in your shoes as dental practice owners and have held industry leadership roles while also serving as training faculty for Invisalign. We’ve done our research, scoped the competitive landscape, differentiated from DSOs, and collaborated with thought leaders. All these combined experiences and capabilities condense into a transformative service we deliver to our partners, which is what makes us a leading Dentist Leadership Organization (DLO). We’re here to serve you and want nothing more than to help you reach your goals and inspire your teams to succeed.
Dr. Clifton Cameron joined the Lightwave Dental family in 2019, with more than a decade of experience in clinical operations and growing successful dental practices. Clifton began his career in 2008 by joining a large dental service organization where he stayed for five years. An entrepreneur at heart, he experienced the difficulties of becoming an owner and lack of leadership dentists have in traditional corporate dentistry.
In 2014, he founded CarolinasDentist to create an improved group dentistry model focused on patient experience and dentist leadership development. Within five years, CarolinasDentist grew to seven locations and 30 doctors. Intrigued by the prospects of group dentistry, Clifton saw the opportunity for even further growth by joining forces with Lightwave. This partnership has resulted in the fastest-growing dental group in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Clifton is also a key leader with Align Technology and a member of the North American Align GP Faculty as well as the DSO Special Markets Team. He is an adjunct faculty member teaching orthodontics and occlusion at the East Carolina School of Dental Medicine. Clifton is a graduate of Duke University with his DDS from Virginia Commonwealth University and fellowship from the Academy of General Dentistry. He lives in Pinehurst, N.C., with his wife Shannon and three children, Keens, Lily Pearl, and Holden.
Dr. Jason Gladwell is an entrepreneur who founded a successful, fast-growing regional orthodontics practice. He is one of the top 10 Invisalign providers nationwide. Passionate about educating others and giving back to the profession, Jason is a nationally recognized Invisalign speaker, the top Invisalign teen provider on the east coast, and the top Invisalign provider in North Carolina.
He received his bachelor’s degree in business management from N.C. State University and his doctorate of dental surgery from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Dentistry. His orthodontic training was completed at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he received a master of science degree in dentistry. He is also a member of the Omicron Kappa Upsilon Dental Honor Society. Jason enjoys spending time with his wife, Anna, and their children, Olivia and Jason. You can also find him out on the golf course, fishing or rooting on the Wolfpack.
Justin Jory has a strong private equity and investing background. He founded Lightwave by identifying an opportunity to provide the top benefits of a dental group without the drawbacks of traditional corporate dentistry.
Prior to launching Lightwave, Justin spent the better part of a decade investing in successful high-growth businesses. He was a principal at Mercato Partners, a private equity firm investing in high-growth companies across the Western U.S. Justin also served as director of mergers and acquisition at Leucadia National Corporation, sourcing and closing a $1.5 billion acquisition of National Beef Packing.
Prior to his private equity experience, Justin was an investment banker with Bank of America Merrill Lynch in the Financial Sponsors group, where he advised private equity firms on acquisitions and divestitures.
Justin is an alumnus of Brigham Young University, earning his bachelor’s degree as well as his JD/MBA with an emphasis in Private Equity and Business Law. He played tight end for the football team and was selected to the Mountain West Conference All-Academic Team. Justin is a native of Seattle and enjoys outdoor activities with his wife and five children.
Emily directs marketing strategy and brand development for Lightwave. She leads an enthusiastic marketing team providing dynamic support to dental leaders by amplifying their voices with patients, communities, and vendor partners. With over 15 years of professional marketing experience, Emily believes marketing communications play a part in informing, inspiring, and improving people’s lives. She holds her B.S. and M.B.A. in business administration from Wayland Baptist University in San Antonio. She is a California native who has lived in seven U.S. states, Europe, and Asia. Along that journey, she settled in North Carolina, where her family resided for over a decade. In her free time, Emily enjoys teaching at her local community college, spending time with her husband and three children, reading, traveling to new places, and practicing yoga. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
The Group Solution Dentistry Needs
Take a moment to watch our video and learn more about what makes Lightwave unique and truly different from Dental Service Organizations (DSOs)and what makes us a Dental Leadership Organization. By partnering with top dentists, we remove management burdens and handle all non-clinical functions of the practice: scheduling, billing, recruiting, human resources, marketing, analytics, legal and accounting to name just a few. Doctors always remain in control of the clinical operations of their practice, ensuring the clinic and professionals their community has grown to love will continue to have the heart & soul as it grows.
Through affiliations and de novos, we will become the premier dental leadership group with the highest quality, fastest-growing, and most profitable dental offices in the country. Using our large number of practices within a single geographic region, we negotiate with insurers for better reimbursement rates and implement best practices for revenue cycle management. We also handle recruiting, training, and retaining quality young dentists who have a long-term path to partnership.
Team Moments
Lightwave Dental is the future of digital dentistry! With Align Technology, Dental leaders can provide their patients with an interactive and personalized treatment plan. Patients receive a front-row seat to the design of their perfect smile. Check out the article!
The final delivery of our LAUNCH service project is complete! We delivered 100 bags with stuffed animals, children’s books, activities, and oral care products. We hope these gift bags bring smiles to the patients of Levine Children’s. A special thank you to our Charlotte teams for putting these bags together to lift patients’ spirits.
We wanted to give a BIG thank you to Rosie from Cascades Center for Dental Health for taking some leftover goodies from our service project and dropping them off at Action in Community Through Service last week. Way to continue to #GIVE!
Triangle Family Dentistry Cary Park team bringing awareness to breast cancer to support their patients.
Dental teams and friends in Lightwave’s Richmond region gather for fun and community.
Blue Ridge Dental Group giving back and caring for children at Roanoke Memorial Hospital Pediatric Department.
Garrisonville Dental teammates share a treat together and soak up the sun.
CarolinasDentist in Garner is officially open! Making it the 50th practice on the Lightwave team.
CRCID at Greenbrier enjoyed their team spirit on the 4th of July.
Smiling under the masks because every day is a beautiful day to save a smile at Blue Ridge Dental Group. 🙂
Total Care Dentistry has reached its 1-year anniversary. Way to go team!
Celebrating 4 years at Stafford Oral Surgery. 🙂
Partner doctors and the Lightwave leadership team gather.
The Lightwave management team loving the sun and sea at our quarterly team building and planning event in OBX.
Apple Valley Dental Group hosting its inaugural Olympics games.
Dr. Muhammad celebrates 4 years at Cascades Center for Dental Health.
Happy retirement day Dr. Vernon at Dentistry By Design!
Midlothian Family Dentistry participating in a food drive to support the Chesterfield Food Bank.
A special ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating a new office for Triangle Family Dentistry.
Tara celebrated 26 years of supporting and caring for patients at
Pleasant Plains Dental team as they take off on their annual event in the Bahamas.
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