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

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

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. CHAPTERS * 00:00 Introduction * 00:22 Why dentistry: family dentist, five years in braces * 04:09 Honest with patients about his own flossing * 04:51 The path to dental school and LECOM’s master’s program * 07:43 Artist or scientist: Dr. Kaiser on being a craftsperson * 09:38 The shadowing moment that sealed his decision * 10:47 Watercolor painting and Bob Ross * 12:03 The gap between expectation and reality as a new dentist * 15:32 Why honesty with patients matters when things go wrong * 16:41 What he thinks about on the drive home * 17:36 Why he loves denture cases * 19:00 The denture story you have to hear from Dr. Colledge * 20:35 Separating the professional from the personal * 23:11 Why he picked Comfort Dental straight out of school * 25:24 Betting on yourself with the ownership model * 27:10 Caring for Medicaid and uninsured patients in Montrose * 32:20 Finding the right practice fit on the first try * 33:49 What patients can expect when they walk in * 36:10 The high-leverage skill of building trust * 37:53 Learning to communicate as an introvert * 40:59 Treating the person, not the tooth * 42:58 What he wishes every patient knew about oral health * 45:37 A message for the patient who has been putting it off

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. CHAPTERS * 00:00 Cold open and introduction * 00:00:58 The biggest myth: Comfort Dental as DSO * 00:02:17 Why doctors stick around for 10 years on average * 00:03:43 Scheduling, vacation, and the partner dynamic * 00:05:52 The employee mindset problem with new graduates * 00:07:47 Why dental school does not teach business * 00:09:49 When the light bulb turns on for students * 00:12:40 Targeting dentists three to five years out * 00:14:35 Looking corporate, behaving like a franchise * 00:16:23 Stories from dentists burned by DSOs * 00:18:42 The Dr. Kushner principle: leave the majority on the table * 00:19:36 Why Comfort Dental is not a DSO (no private equity, no VC) * 00:21:56 The Comfort Dental doctor DNA * 00:22:47 Mentoring and 50-plus combined years of clinical experience * 00:25:04 Contrast is the mother of clarity * 00:27:22 How new doctors ramp clinical confidence quickly * 00:30:11 Transparency on numbers across 150-plus offices * 00:34:08 The mindset that predicts success * 00:36:29 Why students with more debt perform better * 00:37:17 The recruitment paradox: why are there openings * 00:40:00 Lower overhead and how it changes treatment plans * 00:42:23 Why guarantee-focused candidates are usually wrong fits * 00:44:04 What “that type of dentistry” misconception really means * 00:45:21 People management as the hardest part of dental practice * 00:47:39 The hygienist who walks back and the dentist is playing video games * 00:50:33 Removing barriers for patients to access offices * 00:52:11 Students who do not say no, they just stop responding * 00:55:38 Where to learn more: comfortdentalfranchise.com [http://comfortdentalfranchise.com] * 00:56:04 The quarterly Denver meetings explained * 00:58:29 The Oregon doctor who did not care about the price * 00:59:39 Next meeting and how to reach Dr. Carlston LINKS * Comfort Dental Franchise: comfortdentalfranchise.com [http://comfortdentalfranchise.com] * Email Dr. Carlston: mCarlston@comfortdental.biz [mCarlston@comfortdental.biz] * Comfort Dental: comfortdental.com [http://comfortdental.com]

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 [hcolledge@comfortdental.biz] comfortdentalfranchise.com [http://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 [http://comfortdental.com].

18 : The Comfort Dental OG: Dr. Mike Bloss on Building the Model from Practice Three

In 1991, Dr. Mike Bloss saw a small ad in the Colorado Dental Association journal. A doctor named Rick Kushner was opening a new practice and talking about something called “lean and mean.” Dr. Bloss was already 10 years into his career, working as an associate in a high-end crown and bridge practice in Colorado Springs with 70 percent overhead. He drove up, listened to the pitch, met with a few other doctors, and signed on. He and Dr. Neil Norton opened the third-ever Comfort Dental practice. More than 30 years later, with over 150 locations and 500 doctors in the system, he sits down with Shawn Zajas to tell the story. This conversation covers the early days of Comfort Dental, the moment the practices decided to share a name and market together, the lawyer who told them they were technically a franchise, and the partnership dynamics that made the model work when most dentists were going it alone. Dr. Bloss talks openly about the parts of dentistry that wear a doctor down. The physical demands. The emotional load of treating anxious patients. The financial pressure that builds when overhead climbs and patient flow slips. He explains why he believes the people side of dentistry is harder than the clinical side, and why financial stress can lead to poor clinical decisions. He shares his concern about new graduates carrying $500,000 to $800,000 in student debt and the pressure that puts on the profession. He walks through the NERD system, four core functions Comfort Dental built into every practice. He explains why Comfort Dental doctors present their own treatment plans, why partnership beats solo ownership in his experience, and why a Comfort Dental practice holds its value at sale in a way a solo practice often can’t. For patients listening, the through-line is straightforward. Lower overhead means a doctor has room to meet patients where they are. Long hours and Saturday access mean care is available when it’s needed. High patient volume means doctors get more reps, which builds clinical skill. And as Dr. Bloss puts it at the end of the episode, every patient is the right kind of patient. For dentists evaluating their next move, this is a candid look at the model from someone who watched it start. Chapters: * 00:00 Meet Dr. Mike Bloss, Comfort Dental OG * 00:30 The 1991 ad in the CDA journal that started it all * 02:05 Dr. Kushner the unicorn: clinical skill and entrepreneurship * 04:30 Why dentistry’s hardest part is the people side * 06:35 30+ years in practice and how Bloss avoided burnout * 06:55 The NERD system explained * 08:23 The “with or without you” energy of Comfort Dental doctors * 09:30 Why solo practice is so hard to sustain * 13:00 Becoming a franchise (and why it wasn’t planned) * 17:50 The $500K to $800K dental school debt crisis * 21:00 The $500 vs $200 copay story * 22:42 How lower overhead enables clinical flexibility * 25:30 Addressing the “mill” perception head-on * 28:50 The ideal Comfort Dental doctor archetype * 33:50 Why young dentists hesitate to bet on themselves * 40:00 What dentistry is really like inside the model * 44:30 The trial period and how to evaluate joining * 47:30 Why retirement is harder for solo practitioners * 48:30 How to contact Dr. Bloss directly * 50:30 Every patient is the right kind of patient Reach Dr. Bloss: cmbloss@comfortdental.biz [cmbloss@comfortdental.biz] | 303-862-2909