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 and taking care of our people. 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, or for those thinking about retirement, Lightwave is here to lead the way. We partner with top dentists to help you reach your growth goals with less financial risk and better business support.
Our approach preserves your unique identity and the legacy of your private practice while providing your team with best-practice business services, state-of-the-art technology 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
-
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.
-
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.
-
Honesty
We are honest, always, no exceptions. We do the right thing at the right time in the right place. Our reputation is priceless.
-
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 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.
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, above 50 is considered excellent, according to creator Bain & Company.
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’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.

John Demma is responsible for supporting the growth of Lightwave dental practices and the company’s operation as a true partner to their management needs. He is driven by Lightwave’s mission to shape the future of group dentistry and the belief that dentists are the natural leaders of their practices.
Prior to joining Lightwave, John managed 66 veterinary clinics as senior director of operations with National Veterinary Associates. He also has 10 years of retail leadership with Mattress Firm and Sleepy’s, where he rose through the ranks to become vice president of sales and operations for more than 200 locations.
John is a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany and obtained his MBA from the University of Hartford. He resides in Spotsylvania, Va., with his wife and four children. In his free time, John loves to cook for his family and the whole neighborhood at weekly Sunday picnics.

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. 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.
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.