New Podcast lean and mean ➞ Get more details here
New Podcast lean and mean ➞ Get more details here
What happens when a dentist breaks both hands and suddenly cannot work?
For Dr. Brian Severance, the answer was a group of partners who stepped in, cared for his patients, and kept the office moving while he recovered. That experience captures something he values deeply about Comfort Dental: having people he can count on.
In this episode of the Comfort Dental Podcast, Dr. Severance joins host Shawn Zajas to share his path from dental assistant to practice owner, the lessons he has learned from his partners, and the everyday choices that help patients feel understood. His story offers a practical look at how ownership, mentorship, and service come together in a dental career.
Dr. Severance first became interested in dentistry after an orthodontist invited him to shadow as an eighth grader. Years later, a job as a Comfort Dental assistant gave him a closer look at the profession and introduced him to doctors whose advice he trusted.
When he did not get into dental school on his first attempt, he spent another year assisting. Looking back, he sees that extra time as a valuable part of his preparation. The dentists he worked with encouraged him to learn everything he could in school, and scholarship support from Dr. Rick Kushner helped with his living expenses during his education.
By graduation, he already wanted to return to Comfort Dental. Conversations with other partners helped him find the office where he would begin practicing.
Knowing how to diagnose a problem and knowing where to begin with a complicated treatment plan can feel very different to a new dentist.
Dr. Severance remembers reviewing his first cases with his partner, Dr. Rowan. Together, they worked through the findings and organized the care patients needed into manageable steps. That guidance helped ease the pressure of wanting to do the best possible job.
“Having that mentorship right off the bat was really just perfect,” he recalls.
His partners also invited him into the business early, including staffing decisions, purchasing, and leading a team meeting. Confidence grew through participation, questions, and experience.
The value of those relationships became especially clear after a fall from a Onewheel left Dr. Severance with injuries to both hands. Following surgery, he was unable to practice for about a month.
His partners took over his patients’ care, including treatment already in progress, and encouraged him to focus on recovering. The office continued operating, and the team could keep working.
His own income was affected during that time. But having colleagues who could keep caring for patients removed much of the stress he would have faced managing the situation alone.
For dentists considering ownership, it is a concrete example of why the people beside you matter. Partnership takes on a different meaning when something unexpected happens.
Dr. Severance puts just as much thought into how he speaks with patients as he does into explaining their treatment.
After an exam, he sits the patient upright and moves around to speak face to face. He pays attention to his tone, explains which needs are most urgent, and talks through costs, insurance, and timing so patients understand the next steps.
He credits both his wife and his experienced partners with helping him become a better communicator. Over time, he has learned to notice how people are feeling and to recognize that a good clinical result also needs to make sense to the person receiving it.
For him, trust grows when patients feel heard and leave with a plan they understand.
Some of Dr. Severance’s most rewarding days are the ones spent helping people get out of pain.
He recalls a teenager arriving near closing time on a Saturday after a basketball accident caused serious dental injuries. Dr. Severance stayed for roughly two and a half hours after closing to provide care. The patient had not been part of the practice before that day, but the office was there when he needed help.
That commitment also extends to his work at a surgery center, where he provides dental treatment under general anesthesia for patients whose disabilities or severe anxiety make conventional visits difficult. He describes the satisfaction of helping people who face significant barriers to receiving care.
His approach includes recognizing when a patient needs a specialist and helping coordinate that care. The goal is to understand the person’s needs and find a way to help.
Dr. Severance encourages dentists who are curious about Comfort Dental to talk with doctors who practice within the model, ask questions, and take the time to understand how partnership works.
His experience gives those conversations a useful starting point: Who will help you grow? How will you support one another? And what kind of care do you want your practice to make possible?
Watch the full conversation above to hear Dr. Severance’s story and his perspective on building a career around trusted partners and meaningful patient care.
