Comfort Dental Podcast

Comfort Dental
  • 5.0 (4)
  • Alternative Health

This is a podcast about Comfort Dental's amazing dentists and the patients they serve.

  1. 3d ago

    26 : Orthodontics Is the Field of Smiles with Dr Bryan Houlberg

    Some patients come to their first orthodontic consultation and cannot smile, even when Dr. Bryan Houlberg asks them to. They have hidden their teeth for so long. At the end of treatment, some of them cry when they finally see their new smile. When Bryan Houlberg was six, he rolled off the top bunk at his grandparents' house and broke his arm through a growth center. It grew back crooked, and he spent years in and out of surgery. He wanted to help people the way his surgeons helped him. Then three doctors, at three different times, told him to become a dentist instead. Orthodontics clicked on his first day of dental school, and he has now spent 16 years with Comfort Dental in Colorado. In this conversation with Shawn Zajas, he explains why moms who bring a child in for braces so often leave with braces of their own, why he never goes into his office during patient hours, and the three questions he says every patient asks: can I afford it, can I make the appointments, and do I like and trust the doctor. For orthodontists, he talks about the first ten minutes that convinced him Comfort Dental was the right model, buying into a partnership, time for his kids, and who is a good fit. What you'll hear in this episode: - The bunk bed accident that started it all - Why three doctors told him to become a dentist - The patients who can't smile at their first visit - Why moms leave with braces too - Why he never goes into his office during patient hours - The three questions every patient asks - His advice for orthodontists starting out Chapters 00:00 Coming up 00:56 Meet Dr. Bryan Houlberg 01:13 Why orthodontics 04:04 The bunk bed accident 05:26 Three doctors said dentistry 06:57 Options after ortho school 09:23 First impressions of Comfort Dental 11:11 Rethinking a successful practice 12:52 Deciding to buy in 15:41 The first year 16:38 What his friends thought 18:52 The biggest misunderstanding 20:17 Time for his kids 21:22 Not doing it alone 23:50 Is ortho just ortho? 25:32 Making braces affordable 28:11 Moms who leave with braces 30:57 Orthodontics is the field of smiles 33:20 Changing how people see themselves 35:10 Out with his patients 37:14 Not every orthodontist thrives 40:15 Who's a good fit 42:20 Four partnerships 45:53 Freedom inside Comfort Dental 47:49 The three questions every patient asks 49:18 Taking care of the team 53:32 Advice to his younger self Comfort Dental orthodontics, Colorado

  2. Oct 21

    25 : A Person, Not a Tooth with Dr Harry Werner

    A new denture patient looks in the mirror and tells Dr. Harry Werner, "I don't have a smile." His answer: "No, you just forgot how to." Then he says something funny to coax that first smile out. Harry Werner grew up in rural Texas, where he watched which classmates had bad teeth and how the other kids treated them. He earned marketing and management degrees first, spent a weekend alone deciding what he really wanted, and went back for the sciences. After dental school he left three jobs that put sales ahead of care before he found Comfort Dental. Today he owns half of his office in Wheat Ridge, outside Denver. In this conversation with Shawn Zajas, he explains why great care starts with listening, and why he treats a person, not a tooth. He talks about the patients who rely on antibiotics until they lose a tooth, why laughter makes for better dentistry, and his six weeks treating Navajo patients in Flagstaff. For dentists, he talks about the road from business school to dentistry, what the mentorship model taught him, why he refused to settle, and who is a good fit for Comfort Dental. What you'll hear in this episode: - Why the kids with bad teeth in rural Texas stayed with him - Business degrees before dental school - Leaving three jobs that didn't fit - The denture patients who have to learn to smile again - Why he treats a person, not a tooth - Why antibiotics won't save a bad tooth - Keeping a twelve-hour day fun - Treating Navajo patients in Flagstaff - His advice for dentists who feel stuck Chapters 00:00 Coming up 00:41 Meet Dr. Harry Werner 01:14 Why dentistry 03:39 Business school first 05:23 The road after graduation 12:03 Choosing Comfort Dental 15:41 Finding his rhythm 16:16 The culture at his office 17:53 The best days 19:20 Patients who forgot how to smile 20:06 Outside the office 20:35 What business school taught him 21:18 Mentorship 23:59 Refusing to settle 26:16 Why the model works 27:46 Who's a good fit 29:00 The patients he sees 29:27 Support from Comfort 31:05 What's the catch? 33:43 Time with the people you love 36:00 Picking the right office 36:57 A patient he won't forget 38:48 Advice to his younger self 40:20 Treat a person, not a tooth 41:36 Antibiotics won't save a tooth 43:23 How his team would describe him 45:16 Treating Navajo patients 46:45 What he loves to do 47:21 The future of dentistry 48:27 Learning to talk with patients 49:44 Why he loves being a dentist Comfort Dental, Wheat Ridge, CO

  3. Oct 14

    24 : I'll Treat Anybody with Dr Brian Severance

    A 17-year-old ran into the bleachers during a basketball game and broke all of his front teeth. He walked into Comfort Dental at 1:30 on a Saturday, bleeding, just as Dr. Brian Severance was heading out the door. His dad wasn't answering the phone and his mom lives out of state. Dr. Severance stayed. As a kid, Brian Severance envied his older brother's braces. When he got his own, his orthodontist invited him to shadow in eighth grade and took the whole staff out to lunch. He decided then that he wanted to be a dentist. He started as a dental assistant at Comfort Dental, went to dental school, and now practices at Comfort Dental Green Valley Ranch, near Denver International Airport. In this conversation with Shawn Zajas, he explains why he never leaves a patient lying flat to talk to them, and sits them up to talk face to face instead. He walks through how he ranks treatment so patients know what matters first and how much time they have. He shares his playbook for nervous patients. He also treats severe special needs patients under general anesthesia, people who cannot tolerate being seen or touched in a regular dental chair, in a city where the hospital wait list is two years. For dentists, he talks about joining the partnership model, the scholarship that got him through school, and what happened when he broke both of his hands and couldn't work for a month: his partners took care of everything. What you'll hear in this episode: - Why a lunch with his orthodontist's staff made him want to be a dentist - Going from Comfort Dental assistant to Comfort Dental partner - Breaking both hands, and what his partners did while he healed - The bleeding teenager who walked in at 1:30 on a Saturday - Why he sits you up to talk face to face - How he ranks treatment so you know what comes first - His approach for nervous patients - Treating special needs patients under general anesthesia - His advice for dentists graduating today Chapters 00:00 Coming up 00:56 Meet Dr. Brian Severance 01:10 Why dentistry 03:16 Where dentistry met the dream 04:38 Better than he expected 06:34 Learning the business side 09:02 Choosing Comfort Dental out of school 12:17 The scholarship 13:09 Buying into a partnership 18:16 What his classmates were weighing 22:50 The part people don't believe 26:11 The trial period 26:58 When practicing alone wears you down 30:36 Breaking both hands 33:21 If he had been a solo dentist 36:22 What's the catch? 39:55 Why franchising confuses dentists 42:40 The best days 45:04 A patient story he won't forget 48:27 Open on a Saturday 51:15 Why a new patient should trust him 56:48 Treating people well 1:01:40 Outside the office 1:02:55 How his team would describe him 1:04:24 Helping nervous patients 1:08:18 Special needs patients under anesthesia 1:11:11 Advice for new dentists 1:14:22 The dream of dentistry Comfort Dental Green Valley Ranch, Denver, CO

  4. Oct 7

    23 : The Veteran Who Came Back to Say Thank You with Dr James Parfitt

    A homeless veteran drove from Fort Collins to Denver for one reason: to tell his dentist he had a girlfriend and a job. That dentist is Dr. James Parfitt, and this is his story. Dr. Parfitt grew up in Edmonton, Alberta. Before college he worked in a car dealership garage. A friend from the neighborhood started dental school the same year he started undergrad, and for four years they rode the bus to campus together, one studying dental anatomy and the other studying biology. It was his sister who finally said it out loud: maybe you should be a dentist. Nobody in his family was one. He applied anyway, landed at Temple University in Philadelphia, and finished a general practice residency at Denver Health. He needed a little money to take his wife on a Saturday date. A Comfort Dental dentist offered him $100 a day to come in on weekends and learn how the office ran. That was 24 years ago. In 2013 he opened Comfort Dental Mile High at 8th and Federal, close to the Broncos stadium, in a part of Denver where, in his words, no one was practicing. Some colleagues thought he was crazy to leave a busy office for it. He has been there ever since. His patients come from group homes, from off the street, and from hard times they did not see coming. Dr. Parfitt does charity dentistry as part of a normal week and works with a veterans organization to treat veterans for free. He says the patients in 80204 remind him of the communities he serves on mission trips, and that is why he feels most at home there. He also explains something every patient wonders about. His office does not need to pad a treatment plan to cover the bills. If you need a filling or a cleaning and nothing else, that is all you get. Shawn and Dr. Parfitt also talk about a recent mission trip to Guatemala, where a mobile clinic saw close to 100 kids and moms a day and his son came along as a pre-dental student. They talk about what a new dentist should expect in year one, and the advice he would give his younger self: don't be afraid, and say yes. What you'll hear in this episode: - Why a Canadian mechanic ended up a Denver dentist - The $100 Saturday job that started a 24-year career - Why he opened Comfort Dental Mile High in the 80204 zip code - How his office does charity dentistry every week - The veteran from Fort Collins who came back to say thank you - Why his office never invents treatment to pay the bills - A dental mission trip to Guatemala with his son - His advice for dentists thinking about a change Chapters 00:00 Coming up 00:32 Meet Dr. James Parfitt 01:06 From Edmonton to dental school 03:23 The $100 Saturday job 06:22 Why he chose the Comfort Dental model 09:02 The hardest part of the first five years 10:51 The first paycheck that confirmed the decision 15:20 Choosing a different path 16:38 Paying off dental school debt 20:16 When dentistry doesn't match the dream 24:38 Treating the patient, not the overhead 26:47 A mission trip to Guatemala 31:19 Generosity nobody talks about 32:43 Autonomy inside Comfort Dental 37:07 What great partners look like 40:08 What a new Comfort Dental dentist should expect 42:25 Who is a good fit 44:53 Opening Comfort Dental Mile High in 80204 46:33 Charity dentistry and Medicaid patients 49:38 The veteran from Fort Collins 51:10 How his team would describe him 51:42 Life outside the practice 53:07 Advice for dentists who feel trapped 53:48 Don't be afraid. Say yes. Comfort Dental Mile High, 8th and Federal, Denver, CO 80204

  5. May 27

    22 : Send Me Every Patient, The Philosophy Behind Comfort Dental with Dr Rick Kushner

    Dr. Rick Kushner founded Comfort Dental in 1977. Fifty years later, the franchise has around 500 partner dentists across 10 states and is approaching half a billion in annual collections. In this conversation with Shawn Zajas, Dr. Kushner tells the full origin story for the first time on the show. He walks through the years he practiced solo, the three associates who left him holding the bag, and the moment he decided to sell a half partnership to the dentist who stayed. He explains why he lowered his fees when every other dentist was raising theirs. He describes the lecture circuit where he watched the profession refuse Medicaid, refuse middle income families, and refuse the patients he was building his practice around. He talks about the personal background that shaped all of it, including the family dentist who saw him for free when his parents could not pay. Dr. Kushner also addresses the misconceptions. Comfort Dental looks like a corporate chain from the outside. From the inside, every doctor owns their practice. He explains why the DSO model does not apply, why he predicted the rise of private equity dentistry 40 years ago, and why he still believes the partnership model is the only sustainable answer to the debt crisis facing new dentists today. This is the foundational episode of the series. If you want to understand Comfort Dental, start here. Chapters 00:00 Why Shawn wanted this conversation 00:45 The recruitment challenge and why partners outperform associates 06:14 The original solo practice and the watershed moment 09:34 Selling the first partnership to Dr. Eirik 14:26 The decision to franchise and the birth of the Comfort Dental name 17:33 Lecturing the profession and being told no 19:07 Why most dentistry leaves middle and lower income patients behind 20:03 Where it came from, the family story 27:04 Dental school as a means to an end 28:49 Building the Fantastic Five 30:53 Predicting the rise of DSOs 33:20 Doing the opposite of every other dentist 35:46 What Comfort Dental does for dentist income 38:30 Why most dentists will not work the hours 40:52 Hard work as the real catch 44:39 Why dentists burn out and why patients pay the price 48:42 What makes a successful Comfort Dental dentist 53:50 Why Comfort Dental is not a DSO 55:02 No community left behind 57:44 What is most misunderstood about Dr. Kushner 58:45 Advice to dentists who feel trapped 01:02:45 Doctor autonomy inside the franchise 01:04:16 Closing thoughts

  6. May 20

    21 : The Artist Behind the Mask: Dr. Alex Kaiser on Honesty, Art, and Dentistry in Montrose

    Dr. Alex Kaiser of Comfort Dental in Montrose, Colorado joins Shawn Zajas for a conversation that gets at what it actually looks like to practice dentistry with honesty, compassion, and zero judgment. Dr. Kaiser shares his unusual path to dentistry. A great family dentist. Five years in braces as a kid. Two years of missionary service. A master’s program at LECOM in Bradenton, Florida that gave him a second shot at dental school after he was waitlisted elsewhere. He talks openly about being more of an artist than a scientist, why he paints watercolors in his spare time, and how that creative instinct shows up in the way he restores teeth. You will hear why denture cases are some of his favorite work, why his wife calls him the most honest person she has ever met, and how he learned to communicate as someone who grew up introverted and uncomfortable with public speaking. He also gets candid about the moments that test you as a young dentist, how he separates his professional and personal sides when a patient is unhappy, and why he chose Comfort Dental straight out of dental school. There is a clear thread running through this conversation. Dr. Kaiser treats the person, not the tooth. He talks about patients who feel ashamed about their oral health, about being honest without being harsh, and about why no one should feel afraid to walk into his office. If you have been putting off the dentist, or if you are looking for a doctor in Montrose who will treat you like a human being first, this episode will give you a real feel for who Dr. Kaiser is. Chapters00:00 Introduction00:22 Why dentistry: family dentist, five years in braces04:09 Honest with patients about his own flossing04:51 The path to dental school and LECOM’s master’s program07:43 Artist or scientist: Dr. Kaiser on being a craftsperson09:38 The shadowing moment that sealed his decision10:47 Watercolor painting and Bob Ross12:03 The gap between expectation and reality as a new dentist15:32 Why honesty with patients matters when things go wrong16:41 What he thinks about on the drive home17:36 Why he loves denture cases19:00 The denture story you have to hear from Dr. Colledge20:35 Separating the professional from the personal23:11 Why he picked Comfort Dental straight out of school25:24 Betting on yourself with the ownership model27:10 Caring for Medicaid and uninsured patients in Montrose32:20 Finding the right practice fit on the first try33:49 What patients can expect when they walk in36:10 The high-leverage skill of building trust37:53 Learning to communicate as an introvert40:59 Treating the person, not the tooth42:58 What he wishes every patient knew about oral health45:37 A message for the patient who has been putting it off

  7. May 13

    20 : Not a DSO: Dr. Matthew Carlston on the Comfort Dental Difference

    Dr. Matthew Carlston leads doctor recruitment, expansion, and growth at Comfort Dental. In this episode, Shawn sits down with Dr. Carlston to break down what Comfort Dental actually is, why it gets confused with a DSO, and what the recruitment process looks like for doctors at any stage of their career. The conversation covers the franchise structure, clinical autonomy, ownership pathways, and the specific math that flips a dental student from employee thinking to owner thinking. Dr. Carlston explains why the average Comfort Dental doctor stays for around 10 years, why students with more debt often outperform their peers, and why the company carries no private equity or venture capital. Chapter markers below. Chapters00:00 Cold open and introduction00:00:58 The biggest myth: Comfort Dental as DSO00:02:17 Why doctors stick around for 10 years on average00:03:43 Scheduling, vacation, and the partner dynamic00:05:52 The employee mindset problem with new graduates00:07:47 Why dental school does not teach business00:09:49 When the light bulb turns on for students00:12:40 Targeting dentists three to five years out00:14:35 Looking corporate, behaving like a franchise00:16:23 Stories from dentists burned by DSOs00:18:42 The Dr. Kushner principle: leave the majority on the table00:19:36 Why Comfort Dental is not a DSO (no private equity, no VC)00:21:56 The Comfort Dental doctor DNA00:22:47 Mentoring and 50-plus combined years of clinical experience00:25:04 Contrast is the mother of clarity00:27:22 How new doctors ramp clinical confidence quickly00:30:11 Transparency on numbers across 150-plus offices00:34:08 The mindset that predicts success00:36:29 Why students with more debt perform better00:37:17 The recruitment paradox: why are there openings00:40:00 Lower overhead and how it changes treatment plans00:42:23 Why guarantee-focused candidates are usually wrong fits00:44:04 What “that type of dentistry” misconception really means00:45:21 People management as the hardest part of dental practice00:47:39 The hygienist who walks back and the dentist is playing video games00:50:33 Removing barriers for patients to access offices00:52:11 Students who do not say no, they just stop responding00:55:38 Where to learn more: comfortdentalfranchise.com00:56:04 The quarterly Denver meetings explained00:58:29 The Oregon doctor who did not care about the price00:59:39 Next meeting and how to reach Dr. Carlston LinksComfort Dental Franchise: comfortdentalfranchise.comEmail Dr. Carlston: mCarlston@comfortdental.bizComfort Dental: comfortdental.com

  8. May 6

    19 : The Burnout No One Warned You About in Dental School

    Dr. Heath Colledge has spent 19 years as a dentist. In this conversation, he pulls back the curtain on what the job has cost him, what has kept him in it, and why he tells dental students the path most of them are walking is going to break them. Heath did not grow up in a dental family. His mom drove a school bus. His dad delivered the mail. He chose dentistry at 14 years old because the dentists he saw looked respected, lived well, and had built something. Twenty plus years later, he is one of the few dentists willing to be honest about the parts of the profession no one talks about. He started his career as an associate. Eighteen months in, he watched his boss carry the weight of a practice alone, and he knew he wanted no part of that future. He joined Comfort Dental shortly after. The partnership model became the difference between burnout and a sustainable career. Today his office runs four partners deep. Each takes on the parts of the business they are built for. Heath handles the numbers and the bills. His partners handle hiring, firing, and operations. They share the clinical load. No one carries the whole thing alone. Inside the conversation, Heath gets honest about what patients do not see: the payroll thoughts running through his head between root canals, the one bad interaction that ruins an entire week, the standard he holds himself to that no real practice could ever meet. He talks about the high suicide rate in the profession and why solo dentists stuck in failing practices are the ones at greatest risk. He shares the operatory stories he saves for dentist conferences, including the 20 year old denture and the patient who licked food off his prosthetic before handing it back. He gets to his core message for patients: shit happens in dentistry. Roots break. Files break. Anatomy varies. The dentist standing over you is doing their best with the body in front of them, and the dentist who promises perfection is the one to walk away from. For dental students and burned out dentists listening, Heath delivers his sharpest advice yet on the financial reality no one prepared him for. The $180,000 associate guarantee will not pay off $500,000 in student loans. Income-based repayment freezes your debt rather than killing it. Loan forgiveness is a gamble. Ownership is the way out, and partnership is the way ownership stays survivable. CHAPTERS 00:00 Cold open and intro 00:25 Burnout: what 19 years actually feels like 02:23 The gap dental school leaves behind 05:20 The standard you set for yourself 07:33 Why some dentists do not survive 08:31 Why Heath left his associate job 09:11 The partnership model 10:40 The patient who ruins your week 12:54 Operatory stories 14:42 The two postures of healthcare 17:17 The two times he gagged 19:51 What he wishes patients understood 22:43 Advice to his younger self 23:53 The dental student trap 29:11 The myth of clinical excellence equaling income 31:31 How partnerships actually divide the work 35:45 What he tells dental students now 37:14 How to reach Dr. Colledge CONTACT hcolledge@comfortdental.biz comfortdentalfranchise.com ABOUT THE COMFORT DENTAL PODCAST Behind the mask. Real people. Real conversations. Hosted by Shawn Zajas. Produced by MySocialPractice. Each episode pulls back the curtain on a Comfort Dental dentist, their story, their patients, and the partnership model behind one of the largest dental groups in the country. Learn more at comfortdental.com.

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About

This is a podcast about Comfort Dental's amazing dentists and the patients they serve.

Information

  • Creator
    Comfort Dental
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Comfort Dental
  • Show Website
    Comfort Dental Podcast