Dr. Jared Stasi grew up in his father’s orthodontics office in Colorado. His dad was the orthodontist. His mom was the dental hygienist. They met in residency. By the time Jared was in high school, he had watched enough patients leave with new smiles that the path started to make sense. He went to Creighton in Omaha for dental school, married his childhood sweetheart in his second year, finished ortho residency, and moved back to Colorado to join Comfort Dental in Centennial. That was six years ago.

Now he runs two locations: the main office in Centennial, about 25 minutes south of Denver, and a satellite location in Silverthorne, an hour and fifteen minutes up into the mountains. The Silverthorne office sees a population that is 80 to 90% Spanish-speaking. About 90% of his staff there are fluent in Spanish.

In Centennial, his practice has shifted over six years from 75% kids to 55% kids, with adults now making up 45% of cases. A lot of those adults are people who had braces years ago, lost their retainer, and never got back in. Some are adults who couldn’t afford it the first time around.

In this episode, Dr. Stasi talks through what a first visit actually looks like for a nervous kid, why the American Association of Orthodontists recommends a first evaluation at age seven, and how he explains x-rays and prep syringes to children in language that doesn’t scare them. He talks about the shift in adult orthodontics, the difference between braces and aligners, and what parents should know about the cost of doing nothing.

He also shares a story that stays with him. A young boy with special needs who was non-communicative when he started treatment at eleven. Apprehensive. Didn’t engage. Two years later, his grandmother left a review. She wrote that her grandson was happy to smile now, and that he was talking, and that he had never done either of those things before. Dr. Stasi says that is what makes it worth it.

Monthly payments at his Centennial office start at $100 to $150. Practices up the street in the same neighborhood charge five times that for a down payment alone.

He finishes the conversation talking about his two-and-a-half-year-old son, his wife who works in cardiac surgery at the University of Colorado, and the second boy they were expecting in April. He works three days a week. He was home watching his son the day we recorded.

If you are in the Centennial area and you have been told braces cost $10,000, come check them out first.

Learn more at comfortdental.com.

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:43 Why dentistry, and growing up in his father’s practice

01:30 Childhood sweetheart, Creighton dental school, and a wife in cardiac surgery

03:02 When he knew he made the right choice

03:38 Orthodontics at Comfort Dental Centennial

05:32 Affordability and accessibility in orthodontics

07:20 What monthly payments actually cost

08:28 Patient shock at the price difference

09:48 Private practice style with corporate backing

11:14 The psychology of orthodontics and self-esteem in kids

12:21 The story of a nonverbal boy and his grandmother’s review

13:28 Who his patients are (kids and adults)

17:15 Adult ortho and aligners

17:35 When should your child first see an orthodontist?

19:29 Braces vs. clear aligners

21:50 What drew him to orthodontics

24:06 His dad’s practice and growing up around it

26:06 Most challenging cases and jaw surgery

30:10 AI and the future of orthodontics

32:36 What he loves most about the work

37:42 Dental anxiety in orthodontic patients

40:02 What to expect on your first visit

43:41 The communities his practice serves

45:15 One word patients would use to describe him

46:23 Every patient deserves confidence

46:41 A message to patients in Centennial

47:43 How Comfort’s economies of scale pass savings to patients

48:59 The Silverthorne satellite location and Spanish-speaking patients

49:55 What makes him smile outside of dentistry

51:26 Work-life balance and being present for his family

Dr. Michael Rhees runs a Comfort Dental office in a former Dunkin’ Donuts in Old Colorado City, Colorado Springs. The building is a local landmark. The irony isn’t lost on him.

In this episode of the Comfort Dental podcast, Dr. Rhees sits down with host Shawn Zajas to talk about what brought him to dentistry, why his practice sees 200 new patients a month, and how his team handles the reality that most of those patients haven’t been to a dentist in five to ten years.

Dr. Rhees grew up with a serious heart condition that pointed him toward medicine. But he wanted a career where he could work with his hands, help people heal, and still be home for his kids. Dentistry fit. A mission trip to the Dominican Republic during dental school sealed it. He treated a young girl whose front tooth was black with decay. She’d been hiding her smile behind her hand. After a filling that took minutes, she smiled normally for the first time. That moment shaped how he practices today.

His office in Colorado Springs sits in a part of town he describes as underserved for a long time. Patients come in with years of untreated problems, often scared, sometimes in pain, sometimes frustrated. His team’s approach is simple: meet them where they are. No judgment. No pressure. If a patient needs their hand held through the process, that’s what happens.

Dr. Rhees has a standing rule in his office. If someone comes in with an infected tooth and can’t afford the extraction, his team does it anyway. Last year, the donated care added up to nearly $300,000.

He walks through what a first visit looks like: you call, you get in fast (sometimes that same day), and the goal of that first appointment is to make a plan. Not to start poking. Not to pressure. The patient decides how fast or slow treatment goes.

He talks about why root canals have a worse reputation than they deserve. His favorite patient compliment: “Wait, we’re done? That wasn’t as bad as I thought.”

He explains why dental work doesn’t last forever, and why that doesn’t mean your last dentist did something wrong.

And he shares what makes him smile outside the office: the gym, camping with his three kids in the Colorado mountains, and the knowledge that the best years of fatherhood are still ahead.

When asked to finish the sentence “every patient deserves…” his answer is one word: respect.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Introduction

00:28 Why dentistry? Heart condition, hands-on work, and wanting to be a good dad

02:45 Two-year-old daughter makes a cameo

03:37 Loving woodshop, science, business, and people

06:00 The prototypical dentist: scientist, artist, and high EQ

06:50 Mission trip to the Dominican Republic: the little girl who hid her smile

10:27 The office in a former Dunkin’ Donuts in Old Colorado City

11:45 200 new patients a month, most haven’t been in 5-10 years

12:15 The dirty dishes analogy for putting off dental care

13:42 Meeting anxious patients with compassion, not judgment

17:00 Building a team oriented toward love and service

19:20 High emotional intelligence across the whole staff

20:19 Full range of services: cleanings, root canals, implants, dentures

21:09 How the Comfort Dental model creates room for generosity

24:15 The office rule: free extractions for patients who can’t afford them

25:10 Nearly $300,000 in donated dental care last year

27:15 What Dr. Rhees loves most: connecting with patients one-on-one

29:05 Favorite compliment: “Wait, we’re done?”

31:13 What to expect at your first appointment

33:35 Patient is 100% in the driver’s seat

34:05 Same-day and next-day availability, even if your other dentist is closed

35:15 How he educates patients on treatment options without pressure

38:22 The one thing he wishes every patient understood: momentum matters

39:42 Biggest misconception: dental work doesn’t last forever

41:31 Message to patients thinking about scheduling

43:19 One word patients would use to describe him: nice

44:34 Outside the office: gym, camping, and Colorado adventures with the kids

48:03 Every patient deserves respect

Dr. Michael Vetowich is one of Comfort Dental’s earliest partners, joining in 2000 as partner number 18. He practices near Boulder, Colorado, where he has spent more than two decades building a specialty in implant dentistry and oral surgery while keeping Comfort Dental’s core philosophy at the center of every patient visit.

The episode opens somewhere unexpected: music. Dr. Vetowich studied English and music performance at the University of Michigan, has run a marathon in every adult decade of his life, and completed multiple Ironman triathlons. He came to Colorado for the skiing. He stayed because the Comfort Dental model made sense.

From there, the conversation goes into what it actually feels like to practice dentistry every day. Dr. Vetowich does not pretend it is easy. He talks about the emotional reality of working with patients who tell you they hate being there, and he explains the “floor” he has built: a minimum standard of professionalism and compassion that holds regardless of what any patient brings into the room.

Then the patient-facing content takes over. He walks through the three questions every patient is really asking when they walk in: How much will it cost? How long will it take? Will it hurt? He explains how his practice answers all three, and what he says to patients who come in embarrassed because it has been a long time since their last visit. His answer is direct: “I’m not here to make judgments. I’m here to try and help you.”

The episode covers the full range of care his practice offers, from general dentistry to implants and full-arch cases using 3D printing and digital surgical planning. He talks about seeing a patient’s smile on screen before a single procedure begins, and about trying to bring that level of care to patients at a more affordable price point than they would find elsewhere.

He makes the oral health and systemic health connection in about a minute: diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, all tied to what is happening in your mouth. He makes the case for flossing in about 20 seconds. And he tells the story of a carpenter in his 40s with a broken-down smile who went through a full-arch procedure and gave him the biggest hug when it was done.

The episode closes with two answers that say everything. One word to describe what patients would say about him: passionate. Finish this sentence, every patient deserves: dignity.

Timestamps:

0:01 - Why dentistry: art, music, and wanting to help people

3:32 - Marathons, cross country, and Ironman triathlons

5:10 - The emotional reality of practicing dentistry

7:06 - The floor of professionalism: how Dr. Vetowich stays grounded

8:55 - How he found Comfort Dental in 2000

10:37 - The three questions every patient is really asking

11:35 - Addressing dental fear and anxiety head-on

12:10 - What a first visit actually looks like

13:24 - Affordability options and the Gold Plan

14:46 - No upselling: patients choose their level of care

15:46 - Implants, oral surgery, and full-arch dentistry

17:24 - The Da Vinci Curse and choosing mastery over dabbling

19:14 - 3D printing, Exocad, and seeing your smile before treatment

20:20 - Why patients may not know what is available in-house

21:09 - What gets him out of bed: alleviating suffering

23:11 - What new patients usually say

24:02 - “I’m not here to judge you”

24:52 - Practice culture with partner Jack Moss

26:09 - Two dentists who also play music together

27:45 - What he wishes every patient knew about timing their care

28:20 - Oral health and systemic health: the connection

29:27 - The real answer to most dental problems

30:42 - The carpenter story

33:00 - Focusing on the 19 patients who smiled

34:03 - What he would say to someone thinking about scheduling

35:01 - One word: passionate. Every patient deserves dignity.

Dr. Todd Crandall was not planning on dentistry. He had a master’s degree, eight years as a forensic DNA examiner, four kids, and a salary that required him to call his dad when his car got a flat tire. At 37, he decided to change careers. He graduated from CU Dental in 2016, moved to Durango with his wife and five kids, and opened Comfort Dental there in 2018.

Before he opened, he and his wife called every dental office in town to ask whether they accepted Medicaid. Two did. Both had a year-long waiting list. That gap is why he came to Durango.

In this episode, Shawn sits down with Dr. Crandall to talk about what his practice actually looks like from the patient’s side. About 60% of his patients are on Medicaid. About 60% of his staff are Navajo. His office sees patients within days, sometimes the same day. He explains how the Comfort Dental Gold Plan works for patients without insurance and what the real price difference is compared to a private dental office.

He also talks about the patients who waited too long and what it cost them. He talks about dental fear, the 50-50 split between financial avoidance and bad past experience, and what he tells patients who haven’t seen a dentist in years. He shares a case where 18 months of facial pain resolved in two days with a tiny occlusal adjustment. And he talks about the sailboat he has been restoring in South Carolina, the family’s upcoming trip up the Intracoastal Waterway, and the one word he hopes his patients use when they describe him.

What you’ll hear in this episode:

1. Why a forensic DNA examiner went to dental school at 37
2. What convinced Dr. Crandall to open a practice in Durango
3. How Comfort Dental handles same-day and emergency access
4. What the Gold Plan costs and who it’s for
5. Why 50% of dental avoidance comes down to past bad experiences
6. What patients with no insurance actually pay for a crown
7. The 18-month facial pain case that resolved in two days
8. What makes the Durango practice culture different from other offices
9. The sailboat in South Carolina and the coastal trip coming this spring

Dr. Donovan Browning wanted to be a medical doctor until he watched a girl cover her smile every time she laughed. That moment changed everything. He walked away from medicine and into dentistry with one goal: give people a smile they feel proud of.

Twenty years later, Dr. Browning practices at Comfort Dental in Oklahoma, where he has built a reputation for making the dental chair one of the least scary places you will sit all day. He walks in wearing short-sleeve scrubs, shows off his tattoos, cracks jokes while he works, and tells nervous patients "Are you nervous? Me too." before they even open their mouth.

But this episode goes deeper than humor. Dr. Browning grew up watching his mother get medicated before every dental visit. He saw firsthand what dental fear does to people. Early in his career, he wore a shirt and tie, kept things formal, and found the job stressful. He was a self-described late bloomer. Over time, he dropped the formality, stopped pretending, and started showing up as himself. Everything changed.

Now he puts the person before the tooth. He spends the first few minutes of every appointment getting to know his patients as people. He asks about their lives, shares his own, and does not touch a single tooth until they feel comfortable. For patients who have not been to the dentist in years and feel embarrassed about their mouth, he pauses, puts a hand on their shoulder, and tells them it is okay. For a patient grieving a family death, he started the appointment with a hug.

In this conversation, Dr. Browning shares the story of a man who avoided the dentist for over 20 years. The pain finally drove him into the office. He was terrified. By the end of the appointment, he was laughing with his mouth open while Dr. Browning worked on him. He left saying he could not believe that was what a dental visit could feel like.

Dr. Browning also explains his approach to treatment planning. He does not tell patients what they need. He asks them what they want. His line: "You're driving the car. I'm in the passenger seat and I have the map. You tell me where you want to go. I'll get you there." He builds treatment plans around what the patient wants, within what they can afford, without pressure or arm-twisting.

He talks about how Comfort Dental's pricing and Gold Plan make dental care accessible to people who might not fit into other practices. He describes working with patients on cost when they want to get something done but cannot quite make ends meet. And he talks about why the volume of patients at Comfort Dental has made him a better clinician through sheer repetition and variety.

The conversation also covers what happens when a patient crosses a line. Dr. Browning does not tolerate anyone disrespecting his team. He has kicked patients out of the practice for talking down to staff or making inappropriate advances. His team knows he will stand up for them the same way they show up for him.

He shares the story of an emergency patient who came in with a severe infection another dentist had not resolved. The swelling was so bad Dr. Browning could not even get into his mouth. Instead of billing him for an emergency visit and sending him on his way, Dr. Browning spent 40 minutes with him, wrote a letter to the ER attending, and told him to go to the hospital immediately. The patient was admitted for days and went into surgery. Dr. Browning went home that night and told his wife the day was worth it because of that one patient.

Dr. Browning closes the episode with a direct message to anyone who has been putting off dental care: "It's not gonna be like the experiences you've had. It doesn't have to be a nightmare. They'll treat you like family. They'll love you. They're not gonna judge you."

Every patient deserves good care.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - The moment patients cry happy tears

00:01 - Meet Dr. Donovan Browning

00:02 - The girl who covered her smile and changed his career

00:03 - Why dentistry is both science and art

00:06 - From shirt-and-tie stress to showing up as himself

00:08 - His mother's dental fear and how it shaped his approach

00:09 - The patient who avoided the dentist for 20 years

00:12 - "Are you nervous? Me too."

00:15 - Why the person in the chair matters more than the tooth

00:16 - Building a team culture patients can feel

00:19 - What a new patient visit looks like

00:21 - Helping embarrassed patients feel safe

00:24 - Kicking out patients who disrespect his team

00:26 - Treatment planning and affordability at Comfort Dental

00:30 - "You're driving the car. I have the map."

00:32 - The emergency patient he sent to the hospital

00:35 - What surprises patients most about Comfort Dental

00:44 - What makes Dr. Browning smile outside of dentistry

00:45 - His message to anyone afraid of the dentist

Learn more at comfortdental.com

YOUTUBE DESCRIPTION: Dr. Amy Hazen | Comfort Dental Inglewood, CO

Dr. Amy Hazen has been treating patients at her Comfort Dental in Inglewood, Colorado for over 12 years. In this episode, she sits down with Shawn Zajas to talk about what really happens during a first visit, how she handles patients who are terrified of the dentist, and why dental care at Comfort Dental costs less than most people expect.

Dr. Hazen's approach with nervous patients starts with one idea: your first visit is a conversation. No surprises, no pressure. She tells anxious patients they're "just fact-finding" and lets them decide the pace from there. For patients who ask a lot of questions, she welcomes it. For patients who want to know nothing, she respects that too. Her goal is to meet each person where they are.

On the cost side, Dr. Hazen breaks down how the Comfort Dental Gold Plan works for patients without insurance, reducing treatment fees by 30 to 40 percent across the board with no hidden conditions. She also talks about Cherry financing, which lets patients split payments over six months. One of the most common things she hears from new patients: the cost was about half of what they expected.

Dr. Hazen also addresses what happens when you've been putting off dental care for years. Her message is straightforward. She's not looking backward. She wants to know what she can do for you going forward. No guilt, no lecture.

For patients in pain, her office doesn't operate on a weeks-long waitlist. Her response to emergency calls: "How soon can you get here?" Her Inglewood location is open 12 hours a day and built to accommodate same-day visits.

Outside the chair, Dr. Hazen is a mom, a home cook who never makes the same meal twice, and a bread baker who picked up the hobby before COVID made it trendy. Her 11-year-old son plays rugby and recently made a Denver select team headed to a tournament in Monaco.

She also shares one of the moments that reminds her why she chose dentistry: handing a patient a mirror after placing new dentures and watching them burst into tears. Those moments, she says, are the most rewarding part of the job.

TIMESTAMPS

0:00 Introduction

0:10 Why Dr. Hazen chose dentistry

0:51 How a job at Comfort Dental confirmed her career path

1:33 What she loves most about her daily work

2:22 Life outside dentistry: cooking, baking, kids, and rugby

3:22 Her son's rugby team headed to Monaco

4:58 Why should a patient trust you with their teeth?

5:37 What a first visit looks like for a nervous patient

6:31 "We're just fact-finding today"

7:26 Explaining treatment without jargon

8:12 Do you like when patients ask a lot of questions?

9:18 Every patient interaction is different

10:22 Handling the unexpected in clinical care

11:19 Staying present as a clinician when feedback is harsh

12:21 Developing thick skin over the years

13:33 What makes patients want to come back

14:20 The most common reaction from first-time patients

15:03 How Comfort Dental addresses cost concerns

15:15 "That was nearly half of what I thought it would be"

16:01 Financing options and the Gold Plan

16:42 How the Gold Plan works for uninsured patients

17:31 Transparent pricing with no hidden fees

18:16 How Comfort Dental keeps quality high at lower prices

19:06 Patients comparing quotes from other dentists

19:57 Message to patients who've been avoiding the dentist

20:26 The one thing she wishes every patient knew

20:57 When patients wait too long to address a problem

22:42 Biggest misconceptions about dental care

23:38 The connection between oral health and overall health

25:28 A story about dental pain vs. other pain

26:35 Questions patients should ask their dentist

26:52 The Inglewood community and who she serves

28:05 Same-day emergency access: "How soon can you get here?"

29:15 A patient story that reminds her why she loves dentistry

30:06 When patients cry happy tears seeing their new smile

30:48 What she's working on to improve the patient experience

31:37 Where dentistry is headed for patient comfort

32:20 Her team and practice culture

33:05 One word her patients would use to describe her

33:43 "Every patient deserves to be understood"

34:27 A message to patients thinking about scheduling

Dr. Amy Hazen practices at Comfort Dental in Inglewood, Colorado, located on South Broadway in Denver. Her office accepts Medicaid and is open 12 hours a day. New patients can call to schedule or walk in for same-day emergency care.

Dr. Jackie Blasko has practiced dentistry for over 15 years. She works 1.5 days a week at Comfort Dental in Littleton, Colorado — the sweet spot, she says, between showing up fully and burning out. She came to dentistry sideways, failed the MCAT, aced the DAT, and has spent the years since getting very good at something through repetition.

In this episode, she talks about what actually happens during a first visit, why she leads every treatment conversation with money, and how she reads a patient’s body language to decide when to slow down. She also makes the case — gently, from experience — that dentistry done at volume does not mean dentistry done without care. It means the bills are paid before you walk in the door, so no one has to talk you into something you do not need.

Two stories stand out. The first: a patient with type one diabetes whose mystery root cavities finally made sense once Dr. Blasko slowed down and asked the right questions. The second: a Filipino patient who had a root canal done the day before his flight, proposed to his wife abroad, and mailed Dr. Blasko a thank-you note written on a 50-peso bill. It is taped to her wall.

Topics covered:

1. What a first visit looks like at Comfort Dental
2. Why Dr. Blasko starts every treatment conversation with cost
3. How to talk to patients who are nervous or anxious
4. The connection between dry mouth, diabetes, and dental decay
5. How Comfort Dental’s Gold Plan compares to local competitors
6. The community served by the Littleton office
7. Why volume practice builds better clinical skill
8. What Dr. Blasko wants patients to say after their visit

Learn more at comfortdental.com

Dr. Katrina Rojohn did not plan to become a dentist. She was 16, had just finished high school early, and was following a boyfriend to college when his mother asked her what she wanted to do with her life. She had no answer. The woman told her to become a dentist. That was it. That was the whole conversation.

Two decades later, Dr. Rojohn runs two practices in the Denver metro area, one in Littleton and one in Castle Rock, Colorado. She opened her first practice at 26. She paid off her dental school loans just a few years out of school. She has watched six-year-old patients grow up, get law degrees, and bring their own kids in to see her. She is still energized by the work.

This episode covers a lot of ground. Dr. Rojohn is thoughtful, direct, and occasionally blunt in the best way. She describes a tooth abscess as an ice pick to the face. She talks about what it actually feels like to be the dentist when a patient is in that kind of pain, why grace matters more than anything else in that moment, and how the relationship changes once you get them out of it. She shares the patient story that has stayed with her: a 22-year-old woman who called from a gas station parking lot in tears a half hour after her appointment, saying she had just been asked out on a date for the first time in seven years.

She also gets specific about what patient-centered care means in practice. Before she treats anything, she asks one question: what is your priority today? She explains why that question matters, what happens when dentists skip it, and how it changes the experience for patients who walk in scared or overwhelmed by a long treatment plan.

In this episode, you will hear:

1. How Dr. Rojohn finished high school at 16 and found dentistry because of a stranger's advice in a kitchen
2. Why she spent three months as an associate and then bought her first practice instead
3. What it was like to watch classmates struggle with debt while she had already paid hers off
4. The unexpected connection between jewelry making and modern dentistry, including 3D-printed crowns
5. How her team handles patients who walk in angry, anxious, or in significant pain
6. Why the front desk sets the tone for everything that happens in the chair
7. What a tooth abscess actually feels like and why it changes how you think about dental pain
8. How her offices handle same-day emergency appointments and why that turns first-time patients into long-term ones
9. The one question she asks every patient before starting treatment
10. Why she opens new practices when she gets bored, not when she burns out
11. The 12-hour rule about plaque that most patients have never been told
12. A patient story involving a young woman, a fresh set of dentures, and a phone call from a gas station that Dr. Rojohn was not expecting

Dr. Rojohn practices at Comfort Dental locations in Littleton and Castle Rock, Colorado. She has been in the Comfort Dental ecosystem since she was a dental assistant in college, working for one of the network's senior doctors before she ever set foot in dental school.

If you are a patient in the Denver metro area who has been putting off care because of cost, anxiety, or just not knowing where to start, this episode is worth your time. Dr. Rojohn talks about serving patients across every income level, working with government programs, and building treatment plans around what patients actually need and want, not just what is on the x-ray.

If you are a dentist wondering what a group practice model looks like from the inside after 16 years, she is also honest about that. The overhead conversation, the new patient flow, the vendor network, the consulting doctor structure. She covers all of it without a script.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - How a stranger's advice sent Dr. Rojohn into dentistry at 16

02:00 - Dental school, assisting for a Comfort Dental doctor in college

03:00 - Three months as an associate, then buying her first practice at 26

05:00 - Watching patients grow up and what long-term relationships feel like

06:30 - The crossover between jewelry making and modern dental techniques

07:30 - Opening a second practice and what drove that decision

10:30 - What makes dentists thrive in a group practice model

15:00 - Building a front desk culture that handles patients in pain with grace

17:30 - Managing dental anxiety and when nitrous is the right call

18:00 - What a tooth abscess actually feels like

19:30 - The Comfort Dental consulting doctor network and vendor accountability

28:00 - New patient flow and how the marketing model works

31:00 - Same-day emergency appointments and why they build loyalty

35:00 - Patient-centered care and the priority question

38:20 - The 12-hour rule: why brushing twice a day has a biological reason

39:45 - The patient who called from a gas station in tears

Comfort Dental has been serving patients across Colorado and beyond for decades. Find a location near you at comfortdental.com.

Subscribe to the Comfort Dental podcast for new episodes featuring doctors across the network.

Dr. Jeremy Liddiard did not grow up planning to be a dentist. He grew up as a dentist's son, decided against it, played college golf, turned professional, and spent years living out of a suitcase competing for a spot on tour. Then one morning, he walked off a golf course mid-tournament and never looked back.

Today, Dr. Liddiard practices at Comfort Dental in North Pueblo, Colorado alongside his father and his best friend, who joins the practice this March. His office recently expanded from 8 to 13 treatment rooms because patient demand kept outpacing the space.

In this conversation, Dr. Liddiard covers:

1. What pushed him away from the professional golf circuit and toward dentistry
2. Why he left a large DSO after two to three months and what he was looking for instead
3. How the Comfort Dental model changed the way he thinks about patient care and generosity
4. Why access to care matters more than most people realize
5. How his office raised its standard for Medicaid patients and what that produced
6. Why volume makes dentists better, not worse
7. A patient who came in bleeding, expecting dentures, and left with something better

Dr. Liddiard practices at Comfort Dental North Pueblo, Colorado.

To find a Comfort Dental near you, visit comfortdental.com.

Dr. Matthew Chapman was on his way to becoming a painter. He had a full-ride scholarship for it. Then architecture. Then exercise physiology. Then, after a chance meeting with two retired dentists in California who seemed to golf all the time, he found his way into dental school.

Today he runs a Comfort Dental practice in Pueblo, Colorado, one of the only offices south of Colorado Springs that accepts walk-ins, including on Saturdays. Patients drive two and three hours to get there. Some sit in the waiting room for hours on a Saturday because they have no other option.

In this episode, Dr. Chapman talks about what it means to actually meet patients where they are, why he stopped chasing cosmetic cases to focus on people who just need basic care, and what happens inside an office that sees everyone from physicians to people in shackles in the same afternoon.

He also tells us about eagle feather.

Topics covered:

1. Why Dr. Chapman left a fine arts scholarship to become a dentist
2. His philosophy on treating patients without judgment or shame
3. What walk-in Saturday hours actually look like in Southern Colorado
4. His time doing volunteer dental work in rural West Virginia
5. Why he left corporate dentistry for the Comfort Dental model
6. What a well-rounded dentist looks like outside the office

Comfort Dental Pueblo: comfortdental.com