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About Independence DSO

Independence DSO > About Us

about us

A Community of Dental Practice Owners

Independence Dental is a community of like-minded dental practice owners who believe that the future of dentistry rests in collaboration and partnership. Our core mission is to be a cross country network that helps dentists serve patients. We understand the challenges that dentists and their teams face day-to-day, and at each stage of their careers. Our aim is to partner with dental teams to maximize their success in the delivery of oral health solutions to patients.

about us

A Community of Dental Practice Owners

Independence Dental is a community of like-minded dental practice owners who believe that the future of dentistry rests in collaboration and partnership. Our core mission is to be a cross country network that helps dentists serve patients. We understand the challenges that dentists and their teams face day-to-day, and at each stage of their careers. Our aim is to partner with dental teams to maximize their success in the delivery of oral health solutions to patients.

Our goal is to build relationships and partnerships with dentists across the USA. This starts with a mutual understanding, and when the time is right, we’re here to support your goals with a partnership option that is tailored to your needs. We have a lot to offer, and we’re committed to getting better together, everyday.

Leadership Team

Independence Dental has a professional and experienced management team well-suited to execute its growth plans. Among the leadership team, are company builders who have experience in both dentistry and health care, and other businesses.

Lane Theriault
Chief Executive Officer

Lane Theriault

Lane Theriault is the CEO of Independence Dental, a highly unconventional DSO that is looking to partner with dentists across the US. He founded Independence Dental in 2020 in partnership with the Firmament Group, a private equity firm based in New York. Prior to launching Independence, Lane was a founder and director of a Canadian dental platform, 123Dentist, which started with only 13 clinics in 2017 and has since grown into the second largest DSO in Canada. Before he began working in the dental space, Lane was an investment banker with Citigroup where he first became exposed to the concept of DSOs.

Dr. Edward Gelfand
Chief Dental Officer

Dr.-Gelfand

Dr. Gelfand is a distinguished dental leader and clinician with a proven track record of success. As the founder of Dawson Dental Centres in Canada and former CEO of OneBridge Dental in Florida, he has overseen more than 50 dental practices across North America. Dr. Gelfand is also recognized for his contributions to the profession through mentorship, advisory roles, and dynamic speaking engagements focused on both clinical excellence and leadership. His clinical passions include full-mouth rehabilitation, implant dentistry, neuromuscular therapy, and airway-focused treatments—refined through advanced training at leading institutions around the world.

John Geary
Chief Operating Officer

John Geary

John has had numerous operational and business development roles over his career with a focus on healthcare. Previously, he was COO of ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers, and prior to that was SVP of Operations and Business Development for Vision Group, a Lasik clinic consolidator across North America.

Curtis Smith
Chief Financial Officer

Curtis Smith

Curtis Smith has held various senior financial roles across the energy and technology sectors. Most recently, Curtis acted as CFO of Flurotech, a publicly traded technology company. Curtis has financed, launched and commercialized numerous multi-jurisdiction businesses over the past 10 years.

Nancy Bhatti
VP of Finance

Nancy has over eight years of Accounting, Finance and Acquisition experience in DSO’s.  She has held various leadership roles and has a proven record of growing accounting teams while implementing processes and procedures to improve companies financial reporting and achieve business objectives.  Nancy also has experience in manufacturing and service industries.

Tina Lastowski
Director of HR

Tina has held various HR leadership roles, serving nationwide employers in both a corporate and consulting capacity for nearly 20 years. She is certified by the Society for Human Resource Management as a Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) and holds a Masters in Business and Industrial Management Counseling.

Amanda Fuentes
Director of Partner Support

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As a seasoned healthcare & dental performance leader Amanda joined our team in 2022. She has a passion for life and learning with over 14 years of various leadership roles, and a proven track record of producing high-performance teams and driving results. Most recently Amanda served as an executive leader for multiple firms in the DSO space.

Hughes Koury
Director of Business Development

Hughes Koury

Hughes has held numerous financial and operational roles over his career with a focus on healthcare. Prior to joining Independence, he was Director of Business Development at D4C Dental Brands, Director of Operations Development at ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers, and in the Audit and M&A group at Deloitte.

Valerie Kriss
Marketing Director

Valerie

Valerie is a seasoned professional with a wealth of experience in developing and executing strategic, cross-functional marketing campaigns. Working closely with key stakeholders, she has helped numerous brands achieve their marketing goals, leading to increased visibility and revenue. She has supported brands across a variety of industries including healthcare, personal finance, law enforcement and publishing.

Dr. Denis Frieden
Director of Clinical Support

Denis

Bio Coming Soon!

Lori Ruth
Director of Revenue Cycle Management

Evoto

Lori brings more than 15 years of hands-on experience in dental billing, with a strong focus on revenue cycle management. Throughout her career, she has specialized in helping dental practices streamline operations and accelerate reimbursements. Lori is passionate about simplifying complex processes, proactively solving problems, and reducing the stress often associated with the financial side of dentistry. Whether she’s untangling insurance claims or optimizing billing workflows, Lori combines deep expertise with strategic insight to ensure practices get paid efficiently and accurately.

Our Values

Partnership

We believe in cooperating as a team in order to reach our common goals.

Respect

We keep our promises, take responsibility and work to instill confidence in our staff, patients and stakeholders.

Empathy

We seek to understand our partners and patients, and to treat them as unique and valued individuals.

Fairness

We strive to treat everyone how we would like to be treated: equitably and equally.

Independence Service

A National Platform For Dentists

No matter where you are, Independence Dental is there to help. We are not bound by geography and can invest in partnerships anywhere in the United States.

Interested in partnering with us?

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