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 | 303-862-2909

Dr. Jon Winnyk owns and practices at a Comfort Dental office in southeast Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from dental school on May 2, 2014, and started as a Comfort Dental partner exactly one week later. Twelve years in, his practice is built around same-day care, high-volume experience, and a mission to serve patients other offices turn away.

In this conversation with host Shawn Zajas, Dr. Winnyk shares the path that took him from wanting to be a weatherman to running one of the busiest practices in his area. He talks about the challenges of being a left-handed dentist, what it was like to shadow Comfort Dental doctors before buying in, and how he handled his peers’ skepticism about the business model. He explains why high patient volume has made him a better clinician, and why that matters for the people sitting in his chair.

He also opens up about what the work means to him now. He treats every patient like his own family. He has pulled his wife’s wisdom teeth, done his uncle’s implants, and a root canal on his best friend. He sees a large Medicaid population. He taught himself Spanish to serve his community directly. He regularly does pro bono work for patients who cannot afford treatment, including a root canal on a cancer patient who only had $100 to her name.

Dr. Winnyk walks through his approach to dental anxiety with a scary-movie analogy: if you know what is around the corner, it is not scary. He explains implants using a drywall screw. He tells the story of squeezing in a Friday afternoon root canal for a patient who had not slept in two days, and what it meant when the patient came back and called him the GOAT.

Outside the practice, he runs marathons and is training for his first Ironman. He has three kids. He keeps thank-you cards from patients on his shelf and looks at them every day.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction
• 00:30 Why dentistry (weatherman to dental school)
• 01:53 Being left-handed in dental school
• 07:28 How Dr. Winnyk found Comfort Dental
• 09:40 Dispelling the “corporate” stereotype
• 12:35 Twelve years in, and what mastery looks like
• 14:56 The patient who called him the GOAT
• 19:06 Constructive criticism and the pain-free goal
• 22:45 “Treat you like family,” and the volume argument
• 28:05 Confidence, humility, and the weight of being a master
• 32:48 Pro bono work and the free-clinic background
• 35:49 The Columbus community and the team
• 39:14 Advice to his younger self, and learning Spanish
• 42:28 The stories that stay with him
• 44:05 Walking patients through procedures
• 46:35 The scary-movie analogy for dental anxiety
• 50:18 Thank-you cards on the shelf
• 51:06 Marathons, Ironman training, and life outside dentistry
• 53:14 Closing thoughts

Dr. Jhossva Rosas grew up wanting to be an architect. Then his aunt and uncle, both dentists in Peru, changed his mind. He became the seventh dentist in his family.

Today, Dr. Rosas practices at Comfort Dental South Federal in Denver, Colorado. He graduated from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, where he won an award in prosthetics out of a class of 230. He has been practicing dentistry for over a decade and he is still expanding his skill set.

His practice in Denver serves a community where 65 to 70 percent of patients rely on Medicaid. He wants it that way. From the beginning of his career in Peru, he has been drawn to patients who need care and do not have easy access to it. The Comfort Dental model, which accepts all insurance types including Medicaid, makes that kind of practice possible.

In this episode, Dr. Rosas takes us through what a first visit actually looks like in his office. He shows patients their X-rays and intraoral photos before recommending any treatment. He spends 10 to 15 minutes explaining what he sees and walking through options. Then he tells every patient the same thing: you are the boss.

He talks about dental anxiety and the tools he uses to help patients through procedures. Headphones. A stress ball. Jokes before the needle. He also calls patients at the end of every workday to check in after their procedures. Not a form. Not a text. A phone call.

Dr. Rosas is bilingual and so is his entire team. Sixty to sixty-five percent of his patients are Spanish speakers. His associate, Dr. Farah Machi, is from Honduras. Every front desk staff member and every dental assistant in the office is bilingual. For Spanish-speaking patients in Denver, that is rare.

He recently started placing dental implants and completed aligner training. He is heading to Brazil for an intensive implant course where he will place 20 to 25 implants in a single week.

The moment that will stop you in this episode is the story he tells from his time in Peru. A patient who needed all his teeth extracted. Dentures made in advance. And the moment that patient looked at himself in the mirror and started to cry. Dr. Rosas got emotional retelling it. He says it is still the reason he shows up every day.

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

00:25 Why dentistry, and a family of seven dentists

01:54 The artist vs. the scientist

03:59 From Tufts to Denver

04:35 What he loves most about dentistry

05:32 His Denver practice and the patients he serves

10:50 Why Comfort Dental takes all insurance types

12:14 What a first visit looks like

15:01 Handling dental anxiety

17:28 Building a connection with every patient

20:01 Common feedback after visits

21:00 Fast wisdom tooth extractions and post-procedure calls

23:10 The Gold Plan and affordability options

25:51 Quality care at a lower cost

28:20 Second opinions and same-day access

29:43 Hours and accessibility

30:25 What he wants anxious patients to know before coming in

31:18 “It’s never too late”

31:51 Biggest dental misconceptions

34:07 Team culture and office vibe

36:23 A fully bilingual practice

37:58 Clear aligners at Comfort Dental

39:30 Could the host use aligners?

40:15 Dental implants: what patients should know

43:17 Technology in dentistry: digital scanning, CBCT, lasers

45:20 Patient stories

47:06 The patient in Peru who cried

51:18 One word his patients would use to describe him

51:32 Outside dentistry: family and Peruvian cooking

52:37 The meal he makes for celebrations

53:59 Is Peruvian food spicy?

54:54 Final message to prospective patients

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