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In the United States, millions of people suffer from chronic dental issues like gum disease and tooth decay. ClearChoice Management Services, a leading dental support organization, is striving to help dentists care for those in need of long-term dental solutions. And General Counsel Jason Langley’s main priority is driving that mission.
ClearChoice network practices and affiliated doctors focus on treatments for those with chronic dental issues. ClearChoice centers provide full-arch dental implant treatment, which provides a new set of teeth permanently affixed to fully integrated dental implants. Rather than dentures or crowns, implants are an excellent longer-lasting solution for those who suffer from failing or missing teeth.
“This procedure is for people that need a long-term solution. What ClearChoice network doctors are offering, it can really be life changing. Having missing or failing teeth substantially impacts how you live,” Langley explains. “Whether that’s how you present yourself; how you speak, socially or at work; and the foods you can eat. Their overall health may be suffering. What ClearChoice doctors can do for people is inspiring. This can rebuild someone’s confidence and can change their outlook on life. It’s amazing to be a part of that.”
Beyond supporting dental implant solutions at ClearChoice affiliated centers, ClearChoice is dedicated to partnering with nonprofit groups that provide care for the underserved. Langley is incredibly passionate about forging these relationships. ClearChoice partners with the Brighter Way Institute in Phoenix, Arizona, an organization formed to provide care to homeless adults and veterans at no cost. It also works closely with KIND (Kids in Need of Dentistry), a Colorado-based organization focused on educating and providing care to underserved kids in Colorado.
“Chronic dental issues often begin in childhood. To me, access to dental care at a young age is critical. Children shouldn’t have to miss school because of tooth pain or lack of access to dental care,” he says.
Recently, ClearChoice employees staffed a KIND event for National Give Kids a Smile Day. “Things like this become cultural, and that’s what we’re trying to develop here,” Langley says. “If we can help prevent chronic dental issues in childhood, that furthers the ClearChoice mission.”
“To me, access to dental care at a young age is critical. Children shouldn’t have to miss school because of tooth pain or lack of access to dental care.”
When Langley joined in 2012, ClearChoice had roughly twenty-six supported centers. Now, in 2020, ClearChoice supports more than sixty multidisciplinary dental implant centers across twenty-seven states.
Langley’s transition in-house offered him a chance to make a difference beyond the boundaries of a firm. “I always saw myself working in a position where you’re pulling from the same rope as everyone else, rather than battling with other lawyers all day in litigation,” he says. “So when the opportunity at ClearChoice arose, I jumped at it because it would allow me to use my healthcare background and strategic mindset within a quickly growing business.”
Now, for Langley, showing up to work every day is exciting. “ClearChoice affiliated doctors commit to extra training and additional years in school because this type of work is what they’re passionate about; they want to change people’s lives. For me, it’s hard not stay motivated when I’m surrounded by that type of energy on a daily basis,” he says.
Langley’s day-to-day work ranges from identifying solutions on the business side to strategizing employment issues to negotiating real-estate terms. But every aspect of his work revolves around supporting ClearChoice centers and affiliated doctors to enable them to reach more people.
Day to day, he tries to stay focused on three concepts. “For one, our [team’s] work is a partnership. I’m always asking, what are the goals, what is the business ultimately trying to do, and how can we help the company get there while mitigating both business and legal risk?” he says.
Langley encourages his team be partnership- and relationship-focused. He believes that building these relationships is foundational to the long-term success of the business, and his team actively works on projects with executives, recruits team members in the field, and builds understanding and trust within the various teams to do so.
“It’s also incredibly important to know the business deeply,” Langley notes. “One of the challenges that we face every day is coming in and knowing what is going on across the country.” But he also understands that the business is more than just knowledge of the structure. “You have to have a real-time grasp of what is happening at all levels of the organization.”
Langley’s team’s ability to know what is occurring in the business is directly correlated to the focus he places on relationships and communication. “It’s my responsibility to integrate my team into the business of the other teams,” he explains. “When we have this type of cross communication, we are able to help others be more efficient.”
The third area of focus Langley mentions is defining and distributing his team’s messaging throughout the organization, which includes legal recommendations and how to ensure compliance with health and safety regulations.
“Our team motto is ‘Empowering the ClearChoice team through collaboration, education, and practical guidance,’ and we truly live that every day. We constantly think about how we can get our messaging out and deliver it in a way that people in the organization can use it,” Langley says. His team’s messaging is crucial to helping drive the ClearChoice network’s overall mission of providing a solution for people’s chronic dental issues. “If we do our jobs well, then ClearChoice centers can serve more people.”
