The Hybridge Movement, An Historical Perspective

In 2007, Dr Frank LaMar and his wife Karen were enjoying a well-deserved vacation and reflecting on Frank’s practice. Dr. Frank explained that his new implant and full arch protocols were dramatically changing patients’ lives with many of his patients breaking down in tears of joy and hugging him when they observed the final outcome. He shared with Karen, “It is such an amazing and rewarding feeling. I know there are so many people who can benefit from a full arch restoration, but how do I reach them?” At this point Dr. Frank had completed a dozen full arch cases.

Karen, the Director of Marketing for the largest auto group in Western New York replied, “Let’s advertise.” At that time, advertising was considered taboo for doctors, just as it was in the legal profession several years earlier.

As a Prosthodontist, Dr. Frank was already a pioneer in the field of implant dentistry so he agreed to let Karen develop a pilot advertising campaign consisting of TV commercials, print ads and a website. Combining the terms Hybrid and Bridge, the new brand, Hybridge was created with the tag line, “The Revolutionary Dental Implant Technology.”

At the time, the Elmwood Dental Group, a practice established in 1975 by Dr. Frank LaMar Sr. now operated by Dr. Frank and his brother Dr. James LaMar placed about 390 implants and a dozen full arch cases. One year later and on the strength of the advertising campaign, the practice grew to 680 implants placed and over 50 full arch cases.

Dr. Frank’s greatest frustration was that some of the prostheses from outside laboratories were not of the highest caliber, something he demanded for his patients. So, he recruited 4 experienced technicians and opened his own dental laboratory in a 400-sq. ft. area on the lower level of the Elmwood Dental building.

Concurrently, Dr. Frank and his colleague, Binghamton, NY based Dr. Ron Sambursky, from the Eastman Institute for Oral Health at the University of Rochester were discussing the full arch process and Ron suggested they both take a course on “teeth in a day.” Ron now jokes it was actually teeth in 13 months, 9 days and 23 hours. Frank politely declined as he had developed his own full arch protocol. The doctors decided to assess their progress and meet in one year to compare their efforts in the full arch space.

At the one-year anniversary, Ron was excited to report that he was on his 2nd full arch case. He was shocked to learn that Frank was completing his 56th. Ron demanded that Frank share his secret so, Frank taught Ron the protocols and in that same year, Ron completed 30 cases igniting a new paradigm in full arch restoration in a market area of less than 300,000 people.

Propelled by advertising and providing Hybridge training to doctors the Hybridge brand began to attract implant companies looking to team with a protocol that relied on a screw retained strategy. Hybridge and BioHorizons collaborated on a new set of implant parts to support the Hybridge protocols adding more fuel to the Hybridge brand engine.

Powered by Karen’s evolving marketing strategy, an expanded high-tech manufacturing laboratory and Dr. Frank’s ability to teach the Hybridge protocol to doctors all over the country, Hybridge Implants became an emerging enterprise based on Dr. Frank’s original aspiration to help improve patients’ lives by giving them back their smile and function.

Hybridge conducts its first full arch techniques course at the new laboratory in Rochester New York. 21 doctors from around the country attend and become the first Hybridge certified doctors.

Enhanced through speaking engagements by Dr. Frank and Dr. James, the brand continued to build momentum nationally and the frequency of training increased to accommodate doctor demand for the new protocol.

As the Hybridge brand reached further west across the United States, Dr. LaMar continued to improve the quality and speed of the protocols while enhancing the long-term durability of the Hybridge line of prosthetic materials. The new tag line is also announced, “The Simple Way to a Lasting Smile.”

After working with the Hybridge laboratory for nine months on a totally different approach to full arch restorations, Hybridge launched the revolutionary Hybridge Express Digital (Hybridge XD) protocol completely changing how the industry viewed full arch restorations. Hybridge XD provided doctors a treatment sequence to complete an arch in just 4 hours and three appointments. Word of the new protocol attracted Implant Direct and Nobel Bio Care as new Hybridge strategic partners compelling Hybridge to conduct training courses in Las Vegas, Orlando, Dallas and New York City making it easy for more doctors to attend training.

Today, Hybridge is a thriving national brand. The Hybridge Full Arch Specialty Laboratory located at 175 Humboldt Street in Rochester, New York, spans nearly 10,000 square feet and employees 25 highly trained dental technicians. The laboratory focuses solely on full arch restorations and exclusively serves Hybridge certified doctors.

Dr LaMar has completed over 1700 full arch cases with Hybridge doctors completing an additional 5000 cases to date and increasing. The expanding Hybridge brand now shares its tag line with North America, “Hybridge, the simplest way to a lasting smile.”