Through mentorship and continuing education, Lightwave University supports dentists in a multi-year commitment to skills development.
As the nation’s first Dental Leadership Organization, Lightwave provides many opportunities for ongoing education, mentorship, and pathways for professional growth.
Most dental support organizations make some version of the same pitch to prospective doctors: join us, and we’ll invest in your growth. Few can back that promise up with a structured path. Lightwave University pairs mentorship with continuing education (CE), so doctors’ skills can continue to develop as their experience level grows.
A Curriculum, Not a Perk
Many dental groups offer CE reimbursement and leave the rest up to the doctor. Practices in the Lightwave community are built differently. Every dental practice has access to Lightwave University for their team members, with courses spanning seven program areas: Endodontics, Surgical, Leadership, Orthodontics, Restorative, Sleep, and Hygiene. Each program area has assigned instructors from within the Lightwave community, defined learning outcomes, and a clear place in a larger professional development track.
Depth Doctors Can Plan a Career Around
What sets Lightwave University apart is the depth of offerings. Flagship programs aren’t single courses but multi-year pathways. A doctor enrolled in this type of structured, progressive program has a reason to stay engaged for the life of that program.
A top example is the Implant Masterclass Series with Dr. Shreyesh Ruparelia, a three-level pathway that takes a doctor from foundational single-implant placement through multi-implant and bone grafting cases to full-arch surgical mastery. For a doctor with implant dentistry as a growth goal, this is a multi-year commitment to their skill development.
The Implant Mentorship Program, led by Ella Leach and Dr. Hesham Baky, extends that commitment further with ongoing one-on-one coaching, pre-surgery case reviews, hands-on guidance on complex cases, and marketing support to help a mentored doctor grow their implant patient base. All at no cost to the doctor.
A Real Leadership Track
Ambitious doctors often ask: what does a leadership path look like? The Leader Continuum™ answers it directly, with two tiers: Core, for partner doctors and regional directors; and Strategic Executive, for VP, C-suite, and founder-level leaders. Both tiers are delivered as personalized, year-long, one-on-one coaching with Lou Everett for doctors weighing clinical practice with a leadership trajectory.
Room to Grow
The Strategic Partners Program (SPP) for Invisalign and orthodontics, led by Dr. Jason Gladwell, lets doctors expand their scope of practice without pursuing a full specialty residency. SPP embeds orthodontic training, in-office coaching, twice-yearly summits, and ongoing support directly into a doctor’s existing practice. Professional growth is encouraged rather than staying in a narrow lane.
Digitally Driven Restorative Excellence is a one-year mini-residency with Dr. John Cranham for doctors who want a repeatable system to diagnose, plan, and deliver complex restorative care. A similar logic applies to the Sleep Medicine series with Dr. Rebecca Fronheiser, the Extractions Surgical Training program with Dr. Jonathan Boes, and the Endodontics course with Professor Shanon Patel. Each program is built around the gaps many doctors carry out of dental school.
Investment Across Every Clinical Role
Empowering hygienists to elevate patient care, clinical excellence, and professional growth is at the core of the Lightwave commitment. Hygienists make up the largest clinical group within the Lightwave community, and that is reflected in a deliberate investment in supporting their professional development to strengthen clinical skills, improve patient communication, and build confidence in advanced procedures. This includes product-specific training and specialty topics designed to help hygienists grow as practitioners and leaders.
Under Clinical Education Manager Ella Leach, Lightwave has a strong reputation industrywide thanks to its culture of collaboration and professional support for hygienists, highlighted by the yearly Lightwave ELEVATE event. Bringing teams together for hands-on learning and shared best practices is built into all clinical roles.
The greatest benefit for dental professionals isn’t any single program, it’s the collective power of excellence available across Lightwave University. Every course within each program offers highly-credentialed instructors from within the Lightwave family for mentorship and career guidance. Establishing and maintaining a successful career track is among the biggest reasons doctors thrive within their dental practices.